Category: Criminal law

D.C. Council Unanimously Criminalizes Wearing Masks During Residential Protests Over Objections of Civil Libertarians

The D.C. Council has unanimously approved a law that makes it a crime to wear a mask while protesting outside of a resident. This bizarre law was passed because animal rights activists have been protesting outside of residences in Washington. The problem is that the law could be used to curtail free speech and gives the police another arbitrary basis to arrest protesters.
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Grandmother Tortured and Burned To Death in Ghana as Witch

We have another witch burning in Africa. Madam Hemmah, 72, is a grandmother who was burned to death — allegedly at the instigation of an evangelist preacher, Pastor Samuel Fletcher Sagoe, 55. Many evangelists in Africa believe in witches. Indeed, one of Sarah Palin’s favorite ministers described himself as a witchhunter from Kenya.
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Top 100: ABA Top Blog Competition Begins

It is that time of the year for our annual blawgletting — the ABA top blog competition. We have once again been selected as one of the top 100 legal blogs (of over 3000) and nominated for the IMHO (opinion) category and it is time to release our minions upon the field of blog battle. Vote here to defend our way of life and the future of the planet.

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Trove of 271 Picasso Paintings Found in House of Retired Electrician

In what could prove one of the interesting lawsuits over art ownership in decades, the estate of Pablo Picasso has filed suit against a retired French electrician and his wife after they came forward with 271 previously unknown works by the artist. The estate is claiming illegal receipt of the works — a nice way of saying they were stolen. Pierre Le Guennec, 71, says that they were all gifts.

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Texas Priest Alleged to Have Sought Hit Man to Kill Teen Boy Who Accused Him of Sexual Abuse

John Fiala, a 52-year-old Roman Catholic priest, has been charged with soliciting a hit man to kill a teenager who had accused him of sexual abuse. Fiala, who was arrested on November 18th, is being held on $700,000 bond.

Earlier this year, the priest was named in a lawsuit brought by the teen’s family. The boy’s parents accused the priest of sexually abusing their son—and of forcing the young man to have sex with him twice at gunpoint.

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England Arrests 15-Year-Old Girl For Allegedly Burning Koran

England has continued its move toward comprehensive blasphemy prosecution with the arrest of a 15-year-old girl for inciting religious hatred by allegedly burning a copy of the Koran (Qur’an) — and showing the act on Facebook. I have written in columns and blog entries (here and here and here) about this dangerous trend in the West as citizens are arrested for blasphemy laws.
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Small Bladder, Short Flight: Passenger Pulled Off Flight For Excessive Potty Breaks

Previously, we saw that going to the potty too long is a security risk if you are Muslim or of Middle Eastern descent or appearance. Now, going too many times is a security risk. A passenger on U.S. Airways from Fort Lauderdale to Denver was pulled off a plane after passengers reported that he went to the bathroom too often during the flight. It turned out he had to go to the bathroom a lot.
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Prostitution May Become Legal This Saturday in Ontario

To the delight of civil libertarians and libertarians alike, the Canadian courts have been leading the world in dealing with conflicts between privacy principles and morality legislation. I am serving as an expert in the review of Canadian polygamy laws in British Columbia. In the meantime, the Ontario Superior Court may allow three prostitution laws to die this Saturday.
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Cedric the Entertainer: Anti-Facebook Preacher Admits To Orgies and Infidelity With Church Members

Rev. Cedric Miller is best known as the pastor who ordered his flock to discontinue their Facebook accounts because they are avenues for sin and a “portal to infidelity.” It turns out Miller didn’t really need a portal . . . he didn’t have to leave the church for infidelity. Miller has admitted to having sexual relations with a church assistant, his assistant’s wife, and Miller’s wife — sometimes at the same time. Miller warned last week that Facebook could ruin your marriage. Who needs Facebook?
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Murder or Mayhem: The Life and Death of Skeeter

Police in Lakeland, Florida have a classic whodunit on their hands after finding the corpse of a local named Skeeter under a motor home. Polly Boykin, 52, was arrested for the death of the cat but has claimed “self defense” in shooting Skeeter. A court will have to decide whether Skeeter was the hunter or the hunted.
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Doing an Ed Rooney: New York Principal Charged With Trespass in Showing Up At Home of Two Boys Who Failed To Appear At School

There is an interesting case out of Chester, New York where Chester Academy Principal Ernest Jackson has been charged with criminal trespass after he followed the lead of the character of Ed Rooney in the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and went to the house of two kids who did not show up at school. Unlike the movie, he has been charged and suspended.
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