'Zero Accountability' for Cops Who Choked and Beat an Innocent Man
The federal government wants the Supreme Court to rule that the victim has no recourse.
Search and Seizure
Utah Legislator: If You Don't Want to Be Attacked by Police Dogs, 'Stay Home'
The state legislature is considering reforms in response to the use of dogs against cooperative suspects.
Freed To Speak, Grand Juror Says Charges in Breonna Taylor's Death Were Never Considered, Let Alone Rejected
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said "the grand jury agreed" that indicting the two officers who shot Taylor was inappropriate.
These 7th Circuit Decisions Suggest Amy Coney Barrett Takes a Constrained View of Qualified Immunity
In several cases, the Supreme Court nominee voted to allow civil rights lawsuits against officers accused of misconduct.
A Month Before Louisville Drug Warriors Killed Breonna Taylor, They Knew the 'Suspicious Packages' She Supposedly Was Receiving Came From Amazon
The detective who obtained the search warrant cited the deliveries to falsely implicate Taylor in drug trafficking.
Nearly 2 Years After Houston Drug Warriors Killed Rhogena Nicholas, Her Family May Get a Chance To Find Out What Happened
Despite the city's stubborn resistance, a judge will finally consider the family's request to depose police supervisors.
Cop Who Fired 16 Rounds at Breonna Taylor Said He Only Surmised That He Had Used His Gun
Drug warriors gratuitously created the chaotic situation that state prosecutors say justified the use of deadly force.
SCOTUS Could Use More Skeptics Like Amy Coney Barrett
The 7th Circuit judge’s track record suggests she would frequently be a friend of civil liberties.
The Legal Response to Breonna Taylor's Death Shows How Drug Prohibition Transforms Murder Into Self-Defense
The hail of bullets that killed her can be justified only in a country that uses violence to enforce politicians' pharmacological prejudices.
Amy Coney Barrett Demolishes the Qualified Immunity Claim of a Detective Accused of Framing a Man for Murder
The case is an encouraging sign that the SCOTUS contender is not the sort of judge who bends over backward to shield cops from liability for outrageous misconduct.
SCOTUS Contender Amy Coney Barrett's Mixed Record in Criminal Cases
While the 7th Circuit judge is often skeptical of the government's position, some of her conclusions will give pause to civil libertarians.
Louisville Will Pay $12 Million to Settle Lawsuit by Breonna Taylor's Family
The agreement also includes several reforms aimed at preventing reckless drug raids based on dubious evidence.
SCOTUS Contender James Ho Combines Respect for Free Speech and Gun Rights With a Troubling Deference to Cops
The 5th Circuit judge is a mixed bag from a libertarian perspective.
NSA Ruling Reminds Us That Sacrificing Civil Liberties in the Name of National Security Is a Bipartisan Impulse
A federal appeals court concludes that the agency's mass collection of phone records was illegal and probably unconstitutional.
After the DEA Robbed Her of $43,000 at an Airport, She Joined a Class Action Challenging the Agency's Cash Grabs
The lawsuit argues that the DEA is violating the Fourth Amendment by seizing money from travelers without evidence of criminal activity.
More Than a Year Before Breonna Taylor's Death, Some of the Same Cops Were Involved in Another Home Invasion Based on Dubious Evidence
The overlap suggests a pattern of shoddy investigation and reckless paramilitary tactics in Louisville.
The Democrats Should Not Be Presenting Houston's Police Chief As an Avatar of Reform
Trying to distract attention from the deadly corruption in his own department, Art Acevedo demands "action at the national level."
The Cops Took This Guy's Car Because He Unwittingly Rented It to an Alleged Drug Dealer
Like other innocent owners, Manni Munir finds that fighting a civil forfeiture can cost more than the property is worth.
Grand Jury Indictments Paint a Picture of Deadly Deceit in Houston Narcotics Division
The charges, which grew out of a lethal 2019 raid based on a fraudulent search warrant affidavit, suggest that cops routinely built their cases on lies.
Trump Deploys Lawlessness Against Lawlessness
The president’s heavy-handed response to protests against police brutality belies his promise of "law and order."
Dallas Cops Who Joked About Pinning a Man to the Ground Until He Stopped Breathing Get Qualified Immunity
The decision vividly illustrates how the doctrine shields police from accountability for using excessive force.
Qualified Immunity Is a Test for Conservatives
The judicially invented license for police abuse undermines the rule of law and the separation of powers.
New Charges and Audit Results Reveal Widespread Laxness and Corruption in the Houston Narcotics Division That Killed an Innocent Couple
Contrary to what Police Chief Art Acevedo seems to think, his department has a systemic problem.
Would Derek Chauvin Receive Qualified Immunity for Killing George Floyd?
The answer speaks volumes about the extent to which that doctrine protects police officers from liability for outrageous conduct.
Breonna Taylor and the Moral Bankruptcy of Drug Prohibition
She would still be alive if politicians did not insist on using violence to enforce their pharmacological prejudices.
7 Race-Neutral Solutions to Racially Skewed Law Enforcement
These reforms would protect all Americans while reducing racial disparities in policing.
COVID-19 Is No Excuse for Suspicionless Searches of Electronic Devices at the Border
The coronavirus is not in your phone. Why should it be used to justify border searches?
The Guilt or Innocence of the Cop Who Killed Rayshard Brooks Has Nothing to Do With George Floyd's Death
The felony murder charge against Garrett Rolfe hinges on whether he reasonably believed Brooks posed a threat.
Racially Skewed Policing Is Not a Statistical Mirage
One need not believe every cop is a bigot to recognize that the problem goes beyond a few "bad apples."
Treating All Neck Restraints As Deadly Force Would Help Curtail Police Brutality
That uniform rule is different from the policies favored by Donald Trump and House Democrats.
Will the Cops Who Killed Kenneth Chamberlain After Illegally Breaking Into His Apartment Ever Be Held Accountable?
Responding to a medical alert they knew was erroneous, White Plains officers killed the man they supposedly were trying to help.
Maybe Cops Should Be 'Pulling Back'
Abolishing qualified immunity is a crucial step in holding police accountable for violating our rights.
The Attorney General's Overblown Fears About Scrapping Qualified Immunity
It's not likely to have the chilling effect he expects. Unfortunately, it might not do as much as criminal justice reformers expect either.
Houston Police Chief's Record Belies His Reformist Rhetoric After George Floyd's Death
If Art Acevedo had any shame, he would be engaging in less grandstanding and more introspection.
Prosecutors Back Dismissal of 91 More Cases Involving the Houston Cop Who Lied to Justify a Deadly Drug Raid
The announcement brings the total number of suspect cases initiated by Gerald Goines to 164 over 11 years.
Judge to FBI: You Should've Gotten a Warrant Before Turning On That Phone
Plus: Virginia decriminalizes marijuana, it's not Trump's call whether we close the country again, and more…
10 Ways a Roadside Police Stop Can Go Wrong
What could happen—and what to do about it—if you get pulled over by the cops
The Breonna Taylor Shooting Shows How Reckless Drug War Tactics Lead to Senseless Deaths
At this point, police can hardly be surprised when they are mistaken for armed criminals.
Will SCOTUS Revoke Its License for Police Abuse?
This week the justices are considering 13 petitions involving the pernicious doctrine of qualified immunity.
Weed Warriors Who Mistook Tea for Marijuana Will Pay Their Victims $150,000
After seven years of litigation, a Kansas couple finally obtains some compensation for a comically inept drug raid.
Police Abuse Breeds Disrespect
Defensive official reactions to corruption encourage the attitude that troubles the attorney general.
Bloomberg Rewrites His History of Doggedly Defending Stop and Frisk
The presidential candidate's explanation of his sudden reversal on the issue is utterly implausible.
Greyhound Finally Says No to Random Border Patrol 'Checks' of Its Buses
The company cited a recent federal memo clarifying that agents are expected to obey the Constitution.
Bloomberg's Constitutionally Oblivious Gun Battles
The presidential candidate’s gun control platform, like his defense of "stop and frisk," sacrifices civil liberties on the altar of public safety.
Houston D.A. Doubles the Scope of Her Case Review Following a Deadly Drug Raid Based on a Phony Affidavit
After declaring another man arrested by Gerald Goines "actually innocent," the Harris County district attorney says prosecutors are re-examining cases going back to 2008.
6th Circuit: This Man Can Sue the Cop Who Arrested Him for Defending His Daughter Against a Feral Cat
Dwain Barton says Officer Dean Vann illegally entered his home and used excessive force while arresting him without probable cause.
Judge Finds That the Houston Narcotics Officer Whose Lies Killed a Couple in 2019 Framed Another Suspect in 2008
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg says it's reasonable to presume that Gerald Goines also lied in other drug cases.
