Author: jonathanturley

Columns, Criminal law

Try Again: Federal Court Dismisses Comey and James Indictments

If we are living in an age of lawfare, this is fast becoming a war of attrition. The dismissal of the indictment of James Comey and Letitia James is the latest twist in the controversial prosecutions of Trump antagonists.

Letitia James immediately posted her own message celebrating the decision, but she may want to focus on the prepositional phrase after the word dismissal: without prejudice. The Administration may still be able to resuscitate these cases. Continue reading “Try Again: Federal Court Dismisses Comey and James Indictments” →

Academia, Bizarre, Religion

Imam at CUNY Reportedly Calls for the Fingertips of the “Filthy Rich” to be Cut Off Under Sharia Law

The City College of New York campus began the latest example of anti-Semitic and extremist speech this week after Abdullah Mady, a student and self-proclaimed Imam, refused to sit next to a Jewish speaker and called for the tips of the fingers of “the filthy rich” to be cut off in accordance with Sharia law. Continue reading “Imam at CUNY Reportedly Calls for the Fingertips of the “Filthy Rich” to be Cut Off Under Sharia Law” →

Columns, Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law

The Selective Outrage of Judge James Boasberg

Below is my column in The Hill on two controversies involving Chief Judge James Boasberg this week in Washington, D.C. Both involve claims that branches undermined or intruded on the authority of another branch. However, these separation-of-powers conflicts produced strikingly different responses from Judge Boasberg. It seemed that the court’s concerns depended greatly on whose ox was being gored in a tripartite contest.

Here is the column: Continue reading “The Selective Outrage of Judge James Boasberg” →

Animals, Environment, Torts

Dead Cows Don’t Fart? Countries Raise Concerns Over Methane-Reducing Additive for Cows

Scandinavian countries are moving to suspend the mandated use of Bovaer, a methane-reducing additive designed to reduce bovine flatulence. A contributor to methane pollution, cow farts were supposed to be reduced by the additive to reduce climate-harming pollutant. However, there are widespread reports of collapse, lethargy, reduced feed intake, fever, diarrhea, and significant drops in milk production. There are also reports of cow miscarriages and deaths, though most involve discomfort and farmers reported that the cows improved after cessation of the supplement. What could follow is a colossal product liability lawsuit.

Continue reading “Dead Cows Don’t Fart? Countries Raise Concerns Over Methane-Reducing Additive for Cows” →

Politics, Society

Tick, Tick , Tick: Study Shows California is Losing a Taxpayer Every Minute
California is facing a perfect storm in finances, with a crippling deficit and a declining tax base. Now, a study of IRS data by the National Taxpayers Union Foundation found that California is losing a taxpayer roughly every minute, as states like Florida, Texas, and North Carolina attract new residents due to lower taxes and higher standards of living.

Continue reading “Tick, Tick , Tick: Study Shows California is Losing a Taxpayer Every Minute” →

Constitutional Law, Courts, Society

The Eleventh Circuit Finds that COVID Beach Closures Constituted Unconstitutional Taking

There is an interesting ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on the COVID-19 closures in April 2020. The panel found that the closures of private beaches in Walton County, Florida, constituted a taking under the Fifth Amendment. Continue reading “The Eleventh Circuit Finds that COVID Beach Closures Constituted Unconstitutional Taking” →

Congress, Criminal law

Arctic Frost: Justice Department Obtained the Personal Phone Records of House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan

We have been discussing the deepening scandal over former Special Counsel Jack Smith securing the phone records of members of Congress, including former Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy. Now, Fox News is reporting that the Justice Department subpoenaed the personal phone records of House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan in 2022 for a two-year period. The report may be the most serious disclosure in the controversy, given the direct oversight exercised by Jordan’s committee over Smith and the Justice Department. Continue reading “Arctic Frost: Justice Department Obtained the Personal Phone Records of House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan” →

Congress, Politics

AT&T Confirms Special Counsel Smith Acquired Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s Phone Records

We have previously discussed the alarming demands of former Special Counsel Jack Smith for the phone records of members of Congress. Despite the efforts of members like Rep. Dan Goldman (D, NY) to downplay the gravity of such demands, they represent a serious intrusion into the confidentiality of legislators’ communications, including the potential disclosure of journalists, whistleblowers, and others. Now, it appears that AT&T did supply the records of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the second in line of succession to the presidency of the United States.

Continue reading “AT&T Confirms Special Counsel Smith Acquired Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s Phone Records” →

International, Torts

“What has Become of Us”: Rosie O’Donnell May Have Just Handed Trump a Golden Defamation Lawsuit
I have previously expressed skepticism over some defamation cases against the media brought by President Donald Trump under existing case law. However, comedian Rosie O’Donnell may have supplied the President with a another defamation case if she cannot back up sensational claims made against the President to her 2.9 million TikTok followers. She states as a fact that the President is an “adjudicated rapist” and settled child abuse cases.

Continue reading ““What has Become of Us”: Rosie O’Donnell May Have Just Handed Trump a Golden Defamation Lawsuit” →

Criminal law, Free Speech, International

Venezuela Sentences Doctor to 30 Years for WhatsApp Message

The Venezuelan socialist regime has just sentenced a 65-year-old doctor, Marggie Orozco, to 30 years in prison for criticizing the regime of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro in a WhatsApp voice note in 2024. Orozco was reportedly found guilty of “treason to the fatherland, incitement to hatred, and conspiracy” in complaining about the regime’s distribution of the often hard-to-find domestic gas cylinders in her community. She has already suffered two heart attacks in the last two years, including one while in prison.

Continue reading “Venezuela Sentences Doctor to 30 Years for WhatsApp Message” →

Academia, Congress

Warren Calls for Larry Summers to be Fired at Harvard

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has called for Harvard and other institutions to sever all ties with Larry Summers, who was Treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton, after the disclosure of his private communications with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. As in the past, however, Warren seems strikingly selective in her outrage with those “cozying up” to Epstein, given the communications revealed with other Democrats, including Del. Stacey Plaskett, Virgin Islands’ congressional representative.

Continue reading “Warren Calls for Larry Summers to be Fired at Harvard” →

Academia, Free Speech

GW Students Call for RFK, Jr. to be Barred from Campus

Last night, my torts class was briefly interrupted by the sounds of protests on campus over the appearance of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, on campus. The large protest itself was not a problem. As the vice president of the Disabled Students Collective (DSC) stated publicly, the students were “using our own free speech to protest Kennedy’s presence on campus.” The problem was the petition circulated by the DSC, signed by hundreds at GWU, calling for Kennedy to be prevented from exercising his own free speech. Indeed, it calls for Kennedy to be barred from campus for spreading “misinformation.” It seems that, once again, the tolerance for free speech only goes so far. Continue reading “GW Students Call for RFK, Jr. to be Barred from Campus” →

International, Politics, Torts

“You Can’t Handle the Truth”: UK Health Watchdog Reportedly Refuses to Release Data on Vaccine Deaths

The United Kingdom’s public health service is reportedly refusing to release data on the potential relationship between the COVID vaccine and excess deaths. The reason? It would upset people to know the truth. The question is whether British citizens have become so passive and yielding that they will support their government, keeping them from learning the facts about vaccines and allowing them to reach their own conclusions.

Continue reading ““You Can’t Handle the Truth”: UK Health Watchdog Reportedly Refuses to Release Data on Vaccine Deaths” →

Academia, Columns

How to Reverse the Dumbing Down of American Higher Education

Below is my column in The Hill on universities reporting soaring grade inflation and failing academic standards. Some of us have been writing about this trend for years, but there is little sign of commitment from departments that they are willing to take action to restore academic standards. Any solution will require a national compact of willing schools, a critical mass of institutions willing to adopt a standard curve and basic admission reforms.

Here is the column: Continue reading “How to Reverse the Dumbing Down of American Higher Education” →

Animals, Columns, Torts

The Canine Menace: Dog Shoots Man in Pennsylvania

Next time your dog begs for a treat, you might want to give it to him. In Pennsylvania, a dog reportedly wounded his owner with a shotgun left on the bed, while in North Carolina, a dog was caught on camera setting a house (of the assistant fire chief no less) on fire with a damaged lithium battery. Since I just finished teaching my torts students about animal liability, these cases offer a teachable moment for humans and canines alike.

Continue reading “The Canine Menace: Dog Shoots Man in Pennsylvania” →

Res ipsa loquitur – The thing itself speaks