Nicholas Coyle, 19, is facing charges of animal cruelty in Rhode Island after he allegedly killed a rabbit with a hockey stick and used the body as a puck. He is a student at Salve Regina University.
Category: Criminal law
In Ireland, “grass” is a term for a criminal informant. In Gendale, California, it is a crime itself if it is a fake. The city has added its name to the growing list of cities criminalizing trivial acts — part of a pattern of the criminalization of America discussed in past columns and blogs.
Continue reading “Garden-Variety Crime: California City Criminalizes Artificial Turf”
LB Williams is the latest defendant in a criminal case of cross burning. What is a bit curious is that Williams is a black man charged with the crime in Panama City.
Continue reading “Florida Black Man Arrested For Cross Burning on His Own Land”
EXCLUSIVE. Loyola University Professor Ralph Braseth in Chicago has shared with me a complaint alleging another incident of police ordering a citizen to delete videotape of an arrest taken in public. I have previously written about this worrisome trend. The difference is that Braseth is a journalism professor. The complaint raises some extremely serious allegations of censuring a journalist and violating core constitutional rights. If true, it is a telling retort to the taunting remarks of Judge Richard Posner recently about the “snooping” of citizens on police.
Continue reading “Chicago Journalism Professor: Chicago Police Department Detained Him and Deleted Video of Arrest”
In Ramsgate, England, police are looking for this man shown outside of a pub swinging a cat by its tail. It is reminiscent of the earlier search of the woman shown dumping a cat in a dumpster. In this case, the cat, called Mowgli, survived and was not left injured.
Continue reading “British Search For Cat-Swinging Man”
This week, as a Chicago native, the euphoria of the Bears continuing their resurgence on the field with a win over the Detroit Lions yesterday is being dampened by this video from the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). On the video, a young man knocks out an elderly man as others laugh and cheer.
Continue reading “Video Shows Chicago Youths Laughing After Elderly Man Is Knocked Out on CTA Platform”
Below is my column today in The Washington Post. The article explores the famed Katz test and whether, in trying to save privacy in America, the Supreme Court may have laid the seeds for its destruction. The test ties our privacy protections to our privacy expectations. Thus, as our expectations falls, warrantless surveillance rises — causing our expectations again fall and in turn allowing warrantless surveillance to rise further. It becomes a face to the bottom of privacy. The terrible truth is that the death of privacy in America will not be accompanied by thunderous applause, but a collective yawn from an indifferent people. Here is the column.
Continue reading “How Much Privacy Do You Expect? The Death of Privacy In America”
Submitted By Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
That ultimate question uttered by Senator Howard Baker encapsulated the Watergate Era as Congress grappled with assessing culpability of President Richard Nixon, who was then at the zenith of his presidency. Now almost forty years later, the nation is again captured by a fall from grace as steep and as fast as Nixon’s. And again that question has to be asked of “America’s Football Coach.”
Continue reading “Down In the Valley I: Penn State – What Did They Know and When Did They Know it”
We have been following the unfolding scandal at Penn State. There is widespread agreement that the coaches on the team, as well as the university, acted reprehensibly in their response to the alleged sexual abuse of young boys by Jerry Sandusky (at least outside of the rioting students who appear to believe Coach Joe Paterno should not be blamed for doing little after learning of an alleged rape of a minor in a shower). The question is whether Paterno or Penn State could face credible complaints seeking civil liability for negligence.
Continue reading “Can Penn State Or Paterno Be Sued For Negligence?”
The article below includes an incredible video that shows Stephanie Moreland stuffing a $6500 fur coat from Alaskan Fur Company into her underwear on New Year’s Eve. What is remarkable is that she was able to conceal the coat in her underwear for three days before turning it over. The police failed to discover the coat during her processing.
Two Malaysian states are moving to further increase the punishment of homosexuality in their enforcement of Sharia law. New laws in Pahang and Malacca would increase penalties beyond the current provisions allowing for up to 20 years in prison and caning. What is interesting is that the laws are designed to guarantee consecutive sentencing so that the local punishment would be in addition to the federal punishment.
Continue reading “Malaysian States To Force Homosexuals To Appear Before Sharia Courts For Added Punishment”
We have yet another killing in the name of Sharia law. Two Afghan men broke into a home virtually next door to the Governor’s house in Ghazni City at 4:00 a.m. and pulled a mother and her daughter into their backyard. They were first stoned and then shot for alleged immoral activities.
Continue reading “Widow and Daughter Executed In Afghanistan For “Immoral Activities””
As fellow law professor sent me this video of Oakland police shooting a photographer. The video raises serious questions of the unjustified use of force.
Continue reading “Video: Oakland Police Officer Shoots Photographer With Rubber Bullet Without Any Apparent Provocation”
As discussed in a prior column, many civil libertarians view President Barack Obama as betraying core civil liberties in expanding on Bush-era surveillance programs, secrecy orders, and other measures. Now, even conservative justices are questioning the Administration’s demand to be able to engage in round-the-clock surveillance of citizens without a warrant using GPS technology. The sweeping new claim would gut the protections of the Fourth Amendment in the latest attack on civil liberties by Barack Obama.
Continue reading “Obama Administration Argues For “Orwellian” New Powers To Track U.S. Citizens”
Now here is an interesting case of false advertising. Barona Casino in Lakeside, California claimed to have a duffel bag filled with $250,000 as part of a promotion. Four men were so enthralled by the promotion of a giveaway that they entered the casino, shot open the display with an AK-47, and wrapped a chain around the display and yanked it out. They ultimately found, however, that it was less of a giveaway than a bait-and-switch. The bag did not contain $250,000 as advertised by a mere $2,000.