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.
Prosecutors
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.
Why Is Trump Worried About What Mark Meadows Might Say in the Election Interference Cases?
The former White House chief of staff is one of several former Trump advisers who are cooperating with prosecutors.
He's Going to Prison for Twitter Trolling. That's Not Justice.
Douglass Mackey's case raised questions about free speech, overcriminalization, and a politicized criminal legal system.
How Sidney Powell's Plea Deal Could Hurt Trump in the Georgia Racketeering Case
The election conspiracy theorist struck a deal that allows her to avoid prison by testifying for the prosecution.
The Latest Trump Gag Order Is Relatively Narrow but Still Raises Constitutional Questions
A federal judge barred the former president from "publicly targeting" witnesses, prosecutors, or court personnel.
Prosecutors Appeal Proud Boys' Prison Sentences Over January 6 Riot
Prosecutors asked for longer prison sentences at trial and now seem to be trying again.
Matthew Shepard's Murder Was Almost Certainly Not an Anti-Gay Hate Crime
President Biden commemorated the 25th anniversary of his tragic death by celebrating legislation passed in Shepard's name. But it was based on a major falsehood.
Target Shuts Stores as Criminal Justice Reform Gets Mugged
We need less intrusive law enforcement, not the treatment of crime as a lark.
Hunter Biden's Multiplying Gun Charges Threaten the Right to Arms and the Right to Trial
The collapse of his plea deal set up a clash with his father, who doggedly defends the firearm regulations his son violated.
Joint Trial of Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro Illustrates the Fuzziness of Georgia's RICO Law
The two alleged racketeers complain that irrelevant evidence concerning distinct, uncoordinated conduct aimed at keeping Donald Trump in office will impair their defense.
Georgia Charges 'Cop City' Protesters Under RICO Law Used To Indict Trump
Among the indicted are a Southern Poverty Law Center attorney acting as a legal observer and three people who run a bail fund.
How Rudy Giuliani's Drinking Habits Could Hurt Trump's Defense
Special Counsel Jack Smith reportedly is keenly interested in whether the former New York mayor gave Trump legal advice while intoxicated.
Without a Diversion Agreement, Hunter Biden Could Go to Prison Under an Arbitrary Gun Law His Dad Supports
Special Counsel David Weiss will face a Second Amendment challenge if he prosecutes the president's son for illegally buying a firearm.
Fani Willis Is Abusing Georgia's Terrible RICO Law
Trump and his acolytes' conduct was indefensible, but the state's RICO law is overly broad and makes it too easy for prosecutors to bring charges.
The Arbitrary Ban on Gun Possession by Drug Users Invites Wildly Uneven Enforcement
Violators are rarely caught, while the unlucky few who face prosecution can go to prison for years.
Hunter Biden and Donald Trump Should Both Have Jury Trials
End the government’s plea-bargaining racket with open and adversarial jury trials.
Why Kamala Harris Won't Be Asked About the Suicide of a Newspaperman She Persecuted
When it comes to conflicts with people engaged in unpopular or disfavored speech, too many journalists side with the feds.
Have We Lost Track of the Trump Indictments Yet?
Plus: Why don't journalists support free speech anymore?
Trump's Prosecution Could Be Stymied by the Blurry Line Between Deceit and Self-Delusion
His state of mind when he tried to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election remains a mystery, perhaps even to him.
The Legally Authorized Charges Against Donald Trump and Hunter Biden Don't Tell Us What Justice Requires
The nature of their conduct is a better indicator of the punishment they deserve.
Should Donald Trump and Hunter Biden Both Be Prosecuted?
Plus: A listener question concerning drug decriminalization and social well-being
How Hunter Biden's Plea Deal Fell Apart
A federal judge objected to two aspects of the agreement that seemed designed to shield Biden from the possibility that his father will lose reelection next year.
1 Year After Chesa Boudin's Recall, Is San Francisco Safer Under His Successor's More Punitive Policies?
Brooke Jenkins took office one year ago this week promising more prosecution for drug and property crime offenders. Crime and overdoses still went up.
A Post-Clemency Prosecution Shines a Light on a Broken System
Donald Trump commuted Philip Esformes' sentence, but the Justice Department is bent on sending him back to prison.
He's Going Back on Trial After Trump Commuted His Sentence. Is That Justice?
At a recent congressional hearing, Republicans and Democrats sparred over clemency. But they share more common ground than they'd like to admit.
He's Facing Life in Prison for Owning Firearms Without a License
The government appears to agree that Charles Foehner shot a man in self-defense. He may spend decades behind bars anyway.
Police Almost Beat Him To Death. After His Conviction Was Dismissed, Prosecutors Are Recharging Him.
Joseph Zamora spent nearly two years in prison after being convicted of assaulting police officers. The Washington Supreme Court overturned his conviction, but local prosecutors want to charge him again to show him the "improperness of his behavior."
Review: Imperfect Victims Documents Women Who Are Prosecuted for Defending Themselves
Author Leigh Goodmark's end goals of abolishing prisons and defunding police are hard to swallow.
George Santos Arrested, Indicted on 13 Federal Counts, Pleads Not Guilty
The serial fabulist is accused of wire fraud and lying to Congress.
The Buffalo Bills Cut Matt Araiza Over a Rape Accusation, but Key Evidence Vindicates Him
Prosecutors dropped the case after interviewing 35 witnesses who contradicted the accuser.
Do These Seditious Conspiracy Convictions Prove the Capitol Riot 'Was Not Spontaneous'?
A jury convicted members of the Proud Boys without evidence of an explicit plot, let alone one that most of the rioters were trying to execute.
A New Amicus Brief Arguing Against a Local D.A. Circumventing California's Three Strikes Law
Meg Garvin, John Yoo, and I argue to the California Supreme Court that L.A. District Attorney George Gascon is not free to ignore the commands of California's Three Strikes Law.
Was Anyone Victimized by Trump's 34 Alleged Felonies?
The case against the former president is both morally dubious and legally shaky.
