News reports indicate that the bodyguard who assassinated President Hamid Karzai’s brother was a trusted CIA operative and worked closely with US Special Forces. He also appears to have been an undercover operative for the Taliban. Sardar Mohammad shot Ahmed Wali Karzai at his home in Kandahar City on Tuesday. He has two brothers-in-law serving in a CIA-run paramilitary unit, the Kandahar Strike Force.
Continue reading “Report: Assassin of Hamid Karzai’s Brother Was Trusted CIA Operative”
Category: Criminal law
When Kelly Ballentine was given several parking tickets, she lucked out by getting a lenient judge: herself. The Lancaster Magisterial District Judge dismissed a no-parking ticket and an expired registration ticket in December and a no-parking ticket in January.
Continue reading “Pennsylvania Judge Under Fire For Dismissing Her Own Parking Tickets”
It is the modern equivalent of the “man bites dog” story. Every week, TSA agents are accused of groping old ladies or toddlers. Now, Yukari Mihamae, 61, is accused of groping a TSA agent at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix.
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Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd has a budget problem. Claiming concern about having to make job cuts in a tough economy or to provide luxury items to inmates, this prison reformer took the path of least resistance. Problem is, to Sheriff Judd, “luxury items” include jail-provided underwear. Seems the prison uniform includes the proviso of “going commando” for the male inmates. Female guests face no such concern and are provided free undergarments and the reason for the different treatment is a tad unclear. Maybe Sheriff Judd is teaching the value of smooth panty lines. In any event, the foundation-free policy is saving his budget $45,000.00 or as Judd puts it “$45,000.00 is one person’s job we’re saving. If inmates want to wear underwear in jail, they can buy it, just like hard working Polk County citizens do.” Lest you think Judd a throwback to the days of Les Miserables, you should know that entrepreneurship is alive and well at the Polk County jail. Briefs can be purchased for $2.54 and boxers for a mere $4.48. And to avoid the tedious chore of having to inspect the skivvies for weapons, male inmates may not bring in their own underwear. No word yet on two for one sales, or if other “luxuries” like tooth brushes and toilet paper will become items offered for purchase at the jail.
Continue reading “Florida Sheriff: No Underwear (And No Dignity) For You!”
Well-known heart surgeon Dr. Marc Midei has lost his license after being found to have performed hundreds of unnecessary surgeries on his patients by the Maryland Board of Physicians. It turns out that they really need juris doctors.
In an enormous embarrassment, the Justice Department forced a mistrial in the trial of baseball star Roger Clemens after its attorneys committed a flagrant violation of the court’s orders. Clemens will now have to be retried after U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton found that the Justice Department severely undermined a fair trial for the accused. The sanction is a sharp blow to U.S. Assistant Attorney Steven Durham and his team — and a rare example of a court imposing such sanctions against the government. Defense attorneys often complain that prosecutors engage in such conduct — including some intentional slips — because they are confident that the jury will simply be told to disregard the evidence. It is not known if this was an intentional or simply negligent act by the prosecutors.
Continue reading “Justice Department Forces Mistrial After Violating Court Order in Clemens Trial”
When I saw this story on Reddit, I had a hopeful moment. It said Iran’s Supreme Court had actually annulled the death sentence of Yousef Nadarkhani, who was arrested in 2009 and given the death sentence late last year for apostasy. However, it turns out the evangelical pastor has simply been sent back to the trial court to be given a chance to “repent” and renounce Christianity.
Continue reading “Iranian Christian Told By Supreme Court To Renounce Faith Or Face Punishment”
Now here is a remarkably depressing study. According to a study published in the Annals of Epidemiology, black men are half as likely to die when they’re in prison than if they are free in society. According to the study of North Carolina inmates, they lived longer if they were incarcerated.
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A Louisiana court has issued a warrant for arrest for former Terrebonne assistant district attorney Stephen Callahan, 51, after he failed to appear to stand trial on allegations that he stole the money of a client, Sarah Reed, 56. Callahan’s lawyer has insisted that Callahan simply couldn’t find a ride on Monday or Tuesday.
Continue reading “Warrant Issued For Former Prosecutor After No Show In Theft Trial”
Today, we filed the complaint below in the challenge to Utah’s criminal polygamy law. I am still in Salt Lake City for the filing. With me today is our local counsel Adam Alba, an outstanding young attorney and one of my former students. As noted earlier, the lawsuit is on behalf of my clients, the Brown family. The Browns are featured in the TLC program Sister Wives as an openly polygamous family.
Continue reading “Brown Family Challenges Utah’s Polygamy Law”
In a controversial decision, Israel’s High Court has ruled that Israeli policemen will not face trial in the shooting of a 10-year-old Palestinian schoolgirl Abir Aramin in 2007 because it feels too much time has passed. An earlier court found that there was “no debate” that Abir was shoot by border guards. Yet, her family will not receive a trial — or a hope for justice in the case.
I just saw this video which reportedly shows an abusive encounter between a citizen, Brett Darrow, 20, and St. George (Mo.) Police Sergeant James Kuehnlein. Kuehnlein is reported to have lost his job after this evidence was reviewed from 2007.
As reported by The New York Times and National Public Radio, I will be traveling to Salt Lake City today to file (on Wednesday) a challenge to the Utah statute criminalizing bigamy and cohabitation. The lawsuit will be filed on behalf of my clients, the Brown family. The Browns are featured in the TLC program Sister Wives as an openly polygamous family.
Continue reading “Brown Family To File Challenge To The Criminalization of Polygamy In Utah”
Julie Bass is facing a misdemeanor charge in Oak Park, Michigan. Her crime? Planting vegetables in her own front yard. It is the latest example of the criminalization of American society.
Many have objected that the Casey Anthony trial and verdict has displaced attention to every thing from three wars to a growing economic crisis. Now, however, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has suggested that the impact of the Anthony verdict may extend to national security trials and serve as an excuse to deny terrorism defendants a federal trial. McConnell stated that the verdict shows that we cannot trust our court system in trying terrorism suspects. The clear import is that we should use the widely ridiculed military tribunal system because we cannot risk defendants actually prevailing in court.