Indiana prosecutor Carlos Lam has resigned in a bizarre scandal where he admitted to sending an email to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker suggesting that he get a supporter to attack him to frame the unions and discredit their cause. While first denying that he sent the email, Lam eventually fessed up and resigned. Indiana prosecutors seem to be a bit obsessed with the union protests in Wisconsin. If you recall, we previously followed the case of Jeffrey Cox, a deputy attorney general, who was fired after reportedly suggesting the use of live ammunition against protesters.
Continue reading “On the Lam: Indiana Prosecutor Resigns After Suggesting That Wisconsin Governor Fake Attack To Frame Unions”
Author: jonathanturley
Many citizens are breathing a sense of relief today. When we saw the Obama Administration bomb the capital of a sovereign nation and openly support rebel forces in the field, many jumped to conclusions and asked how Obama could start a war without congressional approval under Article I. White House Spokesman Jay Carney has finally set the record straight. This may look like war but it is really “a time-limited, scope-limited military action.”
Continue reading “War “Time-Limited, Scope-Limited Military Action” Is Hell”
President Obama has continued his attack on basic constitutional and legal principles with an astonishing new order that allows investigators to not only hold domestic terror suspects for longer periods but to deny them Miranda rights under a strained interpretation of the public safety exception. Obama had attempted to get this change from Congress but was rebuffed. He has now again adopted a tactic of his predecessor and acted unilaterally to trump recognized constitutional rights.
Continue reading “Obama Orders Limits on Miranda Rights For Domestic Suspects”
There is an interesting case out of Berkeley, Illinois involving alleged religious discrimination. The Obama Administration is supporting former teacher Safoorah Khan who alleged discrimination at her middle school after she was refused leave of three weeks to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca. The school insists that she was the only math lab instructor and would have left at the critical end-of-semester period for the school.
Environmentalists are again calling foul after the announcement of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar that the Obama Administration has approved the expansion in coal mining and four new permits for deepwater offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The increased coal production could cause U.S. climate pollution to rise by more than 50 percent, Glenn Hurowitz, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, has claimed that the expansion of the coal production could increase pollution by more than 50 percent.
Recently, we saw how Wisconsin Justice David Prosser is running for reelection after calling Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson a “total bitch.” Throwing aside notions of judicial decorum, Prosser has insisted that he meant every word, including his promise to “destroy” her. Now, it has been disclosed that Prosser and three of his fellow conservative justices voted to rejected an ethics rule barring them from hearing cases of major campaign contributors and then reportedly adopted a rule drafted by corporate lobbyists.
Continue reading “Wisconsin Conservative Justices Accused Of Adopting Ethics Rules Written By Corporate Lobbyists”
Former Qwest Communications CEO Joseph Nacchio is suing Herbert Stern and his New Jersey law firm, Stern & Kilcullen LLC for overbilling and a “negligent” defense. Stern’s partner, Kevin Kilcullen, also was named as a defendant. Nacchio includes the allegations that the lawyers charged him for underwear. Please tell me this is a misunderstanding over the meaning of the term “briefs.”
CNN’s Nancy Grace has long been an embarrassment for many lawyers as a type of legal Glenn Beck. As noted in this column and prior blogs, Grace (who often refers to her work as a prosecutor) was repeatedly sanctioned for abuses and was viewed as something of a scandal in Alabama. Even in the face of lawsuits, CNN has kept her snarling, abusive show for the same reason Fox has kept Beck — in a blind pursuit of ratings without consideration for decent or journalistic values. This clip, however, shows that Grace not only can attack guests and savage constitutional rights — she feels equally competent to attack meteorologists over weather and science.
Continue reading “Nancy Grace Attacks The Weather”
As the costs of the latest military campaign in Libya reaches hundreds of millions of dollars for the United States, Germany is pulling out of the operation out of concern over being pulled deeper in the conflict. In the meantime, Britain is expanding the mission to call for the assassination of Gaddafi — the leader of a sovereign nation in the midst of a civil war.
The Ninth Circuit has handed down a decision affirming the earlier decision striking down the Stolen Valor Act. Passed in 2005, the Act has been criticized by civil libertarians as an attack on free speech. Here is a prior column on the Act. Now, Chief Judge Alex Kozinski has added his own voice to this debate — finding such lies protected under the first amendment. In a concurring opinion, Kozinski notes “Saints may always tell the truth, but for mortals living means lying.”
Continue reading “Ninth Circuit (En Banc) Affirms Earlier Ruling Striking Down Stolen Valor Act”
We just saw how one Chinese mogul decided to display his wealth by paying $1.5 million for the world’s most expensive dog. Now we have a Chinese businessman, Han Nan, who wanted to show his frustration over the failure of Lamborghini to fix a problem with his Gallardo. His solution: hire workers to destroy the car with sledgehammers . . . to teach his mechanic a lesson. The price of the car is much higher given the need to ship to China.
Continue reading “Chinese Businessman Destroys $750,000 Lamborghini In Fit Over Mechanical Problems”
I was a bit astonished this morning in watching CNN to see a story on the rescue of U.S. pilots after their F-15E Eagle crashed in Libya. The story did not mention what would appear the most newsworthy aspect of the story: the allegation that our helicopter mowed down Libyans who ran out to help the pilots.
Continue reading “Report: Libyans Rush To Help Pilots After Crash . . . U.S. Helicopters Shoot Libyans”
This is a fascinating video that I saw on Reddit. Russian troops are trying to trigger a controlled avalanche but it turns out a bit bigger than anticipated in North Ossetia, Russia.
Continue reading “Amazing Video of Avalanche Taking Out Artillery Fire Base”
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez appears to have run out of Earth-based disasters to blame on capitalism. Chavez’s latest unhinged rant concerns Mars, which he has suggested had a thriving civilization that was wiped out by Martian capitalists.
Continue reading “Hugo Chavez Takes On Martian Capitalists”
Florida pastor Terry Jones is back. If you recall, he caused an international sensation in pledging to burn a copy of the Qur’an (Koran) and then backed down in exchange for a new car. Well, Jones has now proceeded in holding a trial of the holy book and proceeded to burn it after his flock found it guilty. Jones serves as the judge for the trial at the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla.
Continue reading “American Taliban: Florida Pastor Burns Qur’an After “Trial” By His Church”