We have often discussed the difficult challenge in dealing recidivists for DUI and other non-violent offenses. Margaret Johnson, however, is virtually in a category onto herself. The 40-year-old English woman has been arrested 153 times and is called the “Pickpocket Queen of Birmingham.”
Continue reading “English Woman Gets 30 Months In Jail After 153rd Arrest”
Carleton University has students and some faculty upset over a decision to remove scales for its gym because, according to one students, “scales are very triggering” for people with eating disorders. Some asked if mirrors would be next. However, that decision was already made in one dorm in Bucknell University where mirrors were covered in an effort to promote “body positivity” and “self-love.” Various schools have similarly adopted “mirrorless Mondays” to combat eating disorders and triggering episodes.
Continue reading “Carleton University Ban Scales At School Gym Due To “Triggering” Some Students”
Zachary Gross, 31, may be the least repentant criminals to face a judge at sentencing. The Kentucky man interrupted the judge during his hearing and told him to spare him the “lecture.” It was a particularly curious position for a man to take after telling his pit bull to attack his girlfriend,Marilyn Stanley — leading to her being partially scalped by the dog. The horrific attack and its equally horrific aftermath was caused by Gross anger over Facebook postings by Stanley. If there was anyone in need of a good lecture, it would seem to be Zachary Gross.
It appears that if you are an authoritarian tyrant everyone looks like a Nazi when they oppose your will. Recently, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced the German government for blocking rallies of Turkish nationals — saying that the decision is “no different to those of the Nazi period.: Erdogan has been widely denounced for his destruction of the secular traditions of Turkey and his attack on free speech and the free press. Erdogan somehow missed the global ridicule of his (of all people) objecting to the denial of free speech. Now, undeterred, Erdogan is denouncing the Netherlands as Nazis after the denied permission for a plane carrying Turkey’s foreign minister to land in the country ahead of a rally supporting his notorious expanded powers.
The United States Attorney for Manhattan, Preet Bharara, appears to believe that he is working for a different branch of government. After Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked for the resignations of all U.S. Attorneys, a standard change of political appointees in a new Administration, Bharara reportedly indicated that President Donald Trump would have to fire him. Just as with the bizarre conduct of Sally Yates as Acting Attorney General, Bharara has shown a curious understanding of this position and his obligations as a federal officer. If these media reports are true, President Trump should immediately accommodate him and Bharara will have to explain to future employers how he justifies such an unfounded stance. [Update: Bharara has been fired]
I sincerely hope that the reports are not true or that Bharara quickly reconsiders and gets his letter of resignation in today. This is not the way to close a successful career as U.S. Attorney. In the end, I am not sure what the basis for refusing a letter of resignation is. Bharara seems a rebel without a cause.
Continue reading “Fire Me: U.S. Attorney In Manhattan Reportedly Refuses To Resign [UPDATED]”
There was a news story this week about a Hawaiian Airlines flight that was diverted to Los Angeles because of an unruly passenger. Frankly, the most important aspect of the story was not the diversion but the reason: the airline charges $12 for a passenger to have a simple blanket. We have been discussing how airlines are stripping away basic human comforts and turning flights into cattle calls. On top of that, the airlines are charging fees for every possible comfort, including reducing leg space to virtually zero and then charging for small increments of space in coach. However, a $12 blanket truly represents a new low — particularly on a long flight to Hawaii.
I have great respect for Harvard law professor Lawrence Tribe, who remains one of the iconic figures in constitutional law and someone with whom I have had exchanges for years on legal controversies affecting this country. While I was not surprised to see that we disagreed on a constitutional issue related to President Donald Trump, I was surprised to see that he took literally a comment that I made as a joke about impeachable tweets on Morning Joe recently. Tribe ironically responded in a series of tweets to the comment. The more serious problem is that I considered the suggestions of impeachment over Trump’s criticism of President Obama to be laughable. They clearly are not to Professor Tribe. It is something of a reversal of roles since both Tribe and I testified during the Clinton impeachment hearings where he suggested a narrower definition of the constitutional standard while I argued that Clinton could be impeached for an act of perjury.
Continue reading “Impeachable Tweets: A Response To Professor Tribe”
Stephen Gutierrez was in the middle of defending Claudy Charles (left), 48, when an odd thing happened: his pants spontaneously caught on fire. It did not help that his client is accused of intentionally setting his car on fire in South Miami-Dade. Gutierrez was arguing that the car spontaneously combusted when his pants did so.
Continue reading “Pants on Fire: Lawyer Defending Accused Arsonist Suddenly Has Pants Catch Fire”
I have been a long critic of Germany’s criminal speech laws, including its long criminalization of Nazi symbols. Now, Sven Pohl, 37, is facing charges in Germany for “heavy drug trafficking” after he triggered a raid due to his posting of a Nazi-themed breakfast. The police arrived being found with massive quantities of methamphetamine and marijuana.
Continue reading “Mein Meth: German Arrested After Posting Hitler Toast”
Just a day after Sen. Al Franken publicly accused Attorney General Jeff Sessions of perjury, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) went public on CBS with a theory that appears to have been bothering him: “You can imagine a set of circumstances in which the Trump campaign gave him talking points [and] he was a message boy for them.” The purpose, Whitehouse suggested, was for Sessions to convey “Mission accomplished” after meeting with his Russian handlers. It is a curious notion that Sessions was a Manchurian senator but the Russian ambassador still met with him in the presence of staffers on the Hill or in public at the Republican National Convention. If this is a sequel to the Manchurian Candidate, I may have to pass.
Shane Schindler, 30, is according to police a danger to man and mannequin alike.
Continue reading “Can You Guess What This Person Was Charged With?”
There is a story out of Canada that could make for a fascinating torts case. Georgian Bay Vodka has been told to recall a batch of its vodka because the bottle shows 40 per cent alcohol by volume, but the alcohol content is actually 81 per cent. Obviously that can present an immediate health risk, but what if someone became intoxicated from a couple drinks and caused an accident? Could this be a case of vicarious liability for inebriation?
We have previously discussed the shocking rollback of free speech in France in the name of combating hate and intolerant speech. The latest fine was imposed on Jean-Marie Le Pen, the father of French conservative presidential candidate Marine Le Pen. His crime was calling Roma “smelly.” It was an offensive and prejudiced comment but the criminal prosecution of such insults demonstrates the slippery slope that France is now on — a slope that inevitably leaves to greater and greater speech control. This is the ninth time that Le Pen has been prosecuted for the crime of insulting other people or groups.
Continue reading “Father Of Conservative French Leader Ordered To Pay €5,000 For Offensive Speech”
Daniel Kennedy, 18, and his 16-year-old brother were arrested this week after allegedly overturning a Girl Scout table and attacking the family over a $20 debt. The two Florida teens confronted the family outside of a Palm Coast Wal-Mart over the debt and then demanded payment in cookies. When the family refused, bedlam ensued (and was captured on surveillance cameras).
Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu admitted on the stand in a Miami courtroom that he ate part of a fake passport while flying to the U.S. to cover up his illegal travel as part of a Cuban ballplayer smuggling operation. Now, I am admittedly a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan and we have no love loss with our White Sox neighbors, but it is pretty amazing that this admission (given under a guarantee of immunity) has not resulted in Abreu being dropped by MLB or the White Sox team. Indeed, at the time of immigration reforms and crackdown, this is a case of someone who knowingly used and then destroyed a fake passport to gain entry into this country.
Continue reading “Chicago White Sox Admits To Eating Fake Passport While Flying To United States”
