Alvin Bragg's Case Against Trump Presents a Tangle of Interacting Laws and Intent Puzzles
To convert a hush payment into 34 felonies, prosecutors are relying on a chain of assumptions with several weak links.
Prosecutors
Daniel Perry's Pardon Makes a Mockery of Self-Defense
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott takes a tactic from the progressive prosecutors he says he opposes.
Can This Woman Sue the Rogue Prosecutor Who Allegedly Helped Upend Her Life?
Prosecutor Ralph Petty was also employed as a law clerk—by the same judges he argued before.
He Was Sentenced to a Decade in Prison for Having Unlicensed Weapons
Dexter Taylor is now a "violent felon," even though his hobby was victimless.
The 'Heart' of Alvin Bragg's Case Against Trump Is Misdirection
Contrary to what prosecutors say, the former president is not charged with "conspiracy" or "election fraud."
The Details of Stormy Daniels' Story About Sex With Trump Are Legally Irrelevant
Under the prosecution's theory, Trump would be guilty of falsifying business records even if Daniels made the whole thing up.
Stormy Daniels' 'Credibility Issues' Reflect a Broader Problem With Key Witnesses Against Trump
New York prosecutors are relying on testimony from several people who do not seem trustworthy.
Trump Promises To Give Police 'Immunity From Prosecution'
The pledge, while mostly legally illiterate, offers a reminder of the former president's outlook on government accountability.
The New York Case Against Trump Relies on a 'Twisty' Legal Theory That Reeks of Desperation
To convert a hush money payment into 34 felonies, prosecutors are invoking an obscure state election law that experts say has never been used before.
This Elderly Man Was Arrested After Shooting a Burglar in Self-Defense—for Carrying the Gun Without a License
Vincent Yakaitis is unfortunately not the first such defendant. He will also not be the last.
Journalism Is Not a Crime, Even When It Offends the Government
Julian Assange and Priscilla Villarreal were both arrested for publishing information that government officials wanted to conceal.
Where Do Libertarians Stand on the Campus Wars?
Plus: A listener asks the editors about the magical thinking behind the economic ideas of Modern Monetary Theory.
A Texas Reporter Busted for Asking Questions Asks SCOTUS To Reject the Criminalization of Journalism
Priscilla Villarreal is appealing a 5th Circuit decision that dismissed her First Amendment lawsuit against Laredo police and prosecutors.
The Court Was Right To Overturn Harvey Weinstein's Rape Conviction
The ruling has nothing to do with #MeToo. It is about ensuring a fair trial—a principle that applies no matter how unsympathetic the defendant.
SCOTUS Weighs the Risk of Presidential Timidity Against the Risk of Presidential Impunity
Most of the justices seem skeptical of granting Donald Trump complete immunity from criminal prosecution for "official acts."
Alvin Bragg's 'Election Interference' Narrative Is Nonsensical
Since Donald Trump's alleged falsification of business records happened after he was elected president, he clearly was not trying to ensure that outcome.
Most Justices Seem Skeptical of Charging Capitol Rioters With Obstructing an Official Proceeding
The Supreme Court's interpretation of the statute also could affect two charges against Donald Trump.
Alvin Bragg Says Trump Tried To Conceal 'Another Crime.' What Crime?
The leading possibilities are all problematic in one way or another.
A Cop Shot Her 11-Year-Old Son. Now She Might Lose Custody of Her Kids.
The local prosecuting attorney in Sunflower, Mississippi, is seeking to take away Nakala Murry's three children.
California Cops Tased a Man Having a Seizure, Then Booked Him on Bogus Charges To Cover Their Mistake
Bruce Frankel was tased by a police officer in 2022 after his fiancee called 911 seeking medical help. Now he's suing.
Drug Dealers Did Not Kill Cecilia Gentili. Prohibition Did.
If drug warriors really wanted to punish "those responsible" for the transgender activist's death, they would start by arresting themselves.
No, Imprisoning a School Shooter's Parents Isn't Justice
James Crumbley, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, may be an unsympathetic defendant. But this prosecution still made little sense.
Nathan Wade Resigns From Trump Prosecution in Georgia
Neither Wade's letter of resignation, nor District Attorney Fani Willis' letter accepting his resignation, grapple with what a complete unforced error their relationship was.
Interview Transcripts Support Robert Hur's Description of Biden's 'Poor Memory'
During a congressional hearing, the former special counsel caught flak from Democrats outraged by his legally mitigating but politically damaging portrayal of the president.
After 17 Years, Feds Stop Trying To Imprison a Licensed Medical Marijuana Provider
Charlie Lynch’s ordeal is a vivid reminder of a senseless prohibition policy that persists thanks to political inertia.
4 Reasons Trump Says a Judge Should Dismiss Charges in the Classified Documents Case
His lawyers assert presidential immunity and discretion, criticize an "unconstitutionally vague" statute, and question the special counsel's legal status.
The Justice Department Quietly Ends Reprosecution of Man Who Received Clemency From Trump
Philip Esformes was sentenced for charges on which a jury hung. After receiving a commutation, the federal government vowed to try to put him back in prison.
Goodbye, Navalny
Plus: A listener asks if the editors have criteria for what constitutes a good law.
Prosecutor Fani Willis Touts the Value of Cash, but What About the Rest of Us?
Unfortunately, Willis’s Fulton County includes assets seized from non-prosecutors in its budget.
Alvin Bragg Is Trying To Punish Trump for Something That Is Not a Crime
The essence of the case, the Manhattan D.A. says, is that Trump "corrupt[ed] a presidential election" by concealing embarrassing information.
She Was Arrested for Her Journalism. A Federal Court Says She Can't Sue.
Priscilla Villarreal, also known as "Lagordiloca," has sparked a debate about free speech and who, exactly, is a journalist.
'Someone Is Going To Die Today': Did Daniel Penny Act in Self-Defense?
"I have encountered many things," one witness told the grand jury, "but nothing that put fear into me like that."
Federal Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Reform Prosecutor Removed from Office by Ron DeSantis
"The First Amendment prevents DeSantis from identifying a reform prosecutor and then suspending him to garner political benefit," U.S. Circuit Judge Jill Pryor wrote.
5th Circuit Reluctantly Rules Against Victim of a Prosecutor Who Was Also a Law Clerk
Ralph Petty's "conflicted dual-hat arrangement" as an advocate and an adjudicator was "utterly bonkers," Judge Don Willett notes.
Hunter Biden's Lawyers Say the Gun Ban He Violated Is Unconstitutional, Widely Flouted, and Rarely Enforced
The president's son is seeking dismissal of three felony charges based on his illegal 2018 firearm purchase.
Hunter Biden's Multiplying Charges Exemplify a Profound Threat to Trial by Jury
Prosecutors have enormous power to coerce guilty pleas, which are the basis for nearly all convictions.
Prosecutors Agree He Shot a Man in Self-Defense. They're Still Trying To Put Him in Prison.
LaShawn Craig may spend years behind bars—because the gun he used to justifiably shoot someone was unlicensed.
Goodbye to George Santos and Henry Kissinger
Plus: an unexpected digression into the world of Little Debbie dessert snack cakes.
Janet Reno Is No Hero
A new biography by Judith Hicks Stiehm ignores Janet Reno's many failures as attorney general.
Prosecutors Use Lyrics, Diary Entries as Evidence in Georgia RICO Cases
In separate criminal racketeering cases, prosecutors are using rap lyrics and the personal diary of a protester shot and killed by police as evidence.
Trump Gag Order Raises Unsettled Constitutional Questions
A D.C. Circuit judge says the government’s defense of the order gives short shrift to "the First Amendment’s vigorous protection of political speech."
Marvin Guy, Who Shot a Cop During a No-Knock Raid, Is Found Guilty of Murder
He is not the first defendant that has struggled to reconcile the controversial raids with self-defense.
This Cop Was Acquitted for His Role in the Breonna Taylor Raid. The Feds Are Prosecuting Him—Again.
Maybe Brett Hankison shouldn't have been found not guilty, but he was. The Constitution says it should stop there.
Civil Forfeiture Defendants Have the Right to a Jury Trial, Says the Indiana Supreme Court
That prosecutors in the Hoosier State successfully denied people this due process is a reflection of how abusive civil forfeiture can be.
He Allegedly Killed a Cop During a No-Knock Raid. Will the Jury Agree It Was Self-Defense?
Almost 10 years after his arrest, Marvin Guy will soon learn if he'll spend the rest of his life in prison.
