Month: December 2008

Toys for Cops: D.C. Police Officers Allegedly Caught on Tape Stealing From Toys for Tots

thumb_policeman_cartoonthumb_birthday_birthday-presentFour District of Columbia police officers have been put on desk duty after they were reportedly caught on a video tape, shown below, stealing from Toys for Tots. This appears to be a trend this month with police accused of stealing laptops and XBox from cars along the roads.

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Federal Court in Louisiana Rules In Favor of Gay Adoptive Fathers

flag-rainbow1In New Orleans, a gay couple from California has won an important victory after U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey ruled that their adopted son’s Louisiana birth certificate must bear both of their names as the adoptive fathers. Oren Adar and Mickey Ray Smith of San Diego will be jointly listed under a full faith and credit ruling that could signal a major advance for gay couples and parents.

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The Curious Case of James Cialella, Jr.: Philadelphia Man Shoots Father in Front of Family for Talking in a Movie

122608_cialella_300A father and son were talking during the playing of the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button when James Joseph Cialella Jr., 29, became angry. Many people might sympathize with the complaint but Cailella threw popcorn at the boy and when the father objected he shot the father with a .380-caliber handgun. It was a horrific act in a movie with a tagline; “Life isn’t measured in minutes, but in moments.”
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States and Cities Selling Off Airports, Parks, and Zoos to Make Budgets

thumb_blowout_saleAs the United States continues to spend $1 billion a day in Iraq and Afghanistan, cities are selling off roads, bridges, zoos, and everything short of citizens to pay for their budgets. There are 44 states in dire financial shape — yet we continue to pour money into the occupation of Iraq where journalists show shoes at the President and the majority of people want us out.
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Sequestered Sex: Convicted Murderer Demands New Trial After Disclosure of Sex Among Jurors and Deputies During Trial

thumb_election_scales1There is an interesting question raised in St. Louis in a capital murder case: is a defendant denied a fair jury and trial if two jurors has sex while sequestered as well as two sheriff’s deputies. Roberto Dunn, now 34, who was convicted in 2000 of killing his girlfriend’s mother and found out later that the trial was a real turn-on for the jurors and deputies.
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Self-Fulfilling Legal Prophesies: Bush Defenders Attempt to Use Entrapment by Estoppel To Fend Off Criminal Prosecution

torture -abu ghraibMy recent interview on Legal Times on prosecuting Bush Administration officials for crimes committed in the torture program and unlawful surveillance program has attracted the ire of some conservative law faculty. My colleague Orin Kerr has raised this question on the conservative legal website Volokh Conspiracy. It is not without a good faith basis for such academic debate but, in my view, it should not be a barrier to prosecution.

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The Turley Blog Leads in Vote on Best Law Professor and Legal Theory Blogs

thumb_election_ballot_box_2The voting continues on the top blogs. The Turley blog was selected as one of the 100 top legal blogs by the good people at the ABA Journal. It currently holds the number one spot for law professor and legal theory blogs. The tally shows the Turley blog with 387 votes with Mirror of Justice with 234 votes. The voting ends on January 2nd. You have done well Turley bloggers.
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“Smile: You’re Under Arrest: Arpaio Goes Hollywood

joe_aloneThe highly controversial sheriff from Maricopa, Arizona, Joe Arpaio may be facing serious charges of civil rights abuses and discrimination, but Hollywood considers him such a laugh that they are giving him his own reality show. He intends to use suspects as props for scenes written by comedy writers and staffed by actors. It is the latest sign of the decline of our criminal justice system as our judges, prosecutors, and sheriffs vie for notoriety on television and in the press.

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Missouri Police Officer Arrested for Bringing Laptop to Office for New Software — The Same Computer He Denied Stealing a Year Earlier

thumb_policeman_cartoonA Missouri police officer is charged with felony theft after he brought a laptap into the Sheriff’s office for the installation of new software. The only problem is that it was the same computer that Southwest City officer Andrew Cummings was accused of stealing a year earlier. He is an officer with the Southwest City police and, appropriately for the season, a reserve officer with the Noel police.

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FDA Orders Coke To Drop Health Claims

dietcokeplusIt turns out that Diet Coke is not a health drink.

The Food and Drug Administration has ordered Coca-Cola Company to change its labels for its “plus” line of drinks, which refer to their vitamin and mineral content. Coca-Cola has been marketing Diet Coke Plus as “a good source of vitamins B3, B6, and B12, and the minerals zinc and magnesium.”

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Electoral Dysfunction: U.S. Hands Out Viagra to Warloads to Win Allies in Afghanistan

200px-viagra_in_packAfter a long line of stories about the continued marriage of young girls (some below ten) and rape of women as a means of forced marriages, the United States government has found the perfect gift to win over Afghan warloads: Viagra. CIA and military officers are handing out Viagra to warlords to win them over to Uncle Sam.

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