The California Supreme Court has ruled that probationers must disclose any pets — great or small — in their possession or risk going back to prison. In a 5-2 ruling, Chief Justice Ronald George held that
“[p]ets residing with probationers have the potential to distract, impede and endanger probation officers.” The ruling includes anything from a goldfish to a hamster to a Rottweiler. Even Angelfish and Lovebirds must register. The wheels of justice have caught up to hamsters.
Continue reading “Collie Contraband: California Supreme Court Upholds Mandatory Disclosure of All Pets of Probationers — Great and Small”
Category: Criminal law
A very disturbing story had emerged from Gaza after the shooting of a child. People are not only alarmed at the shooting of 13–year-old Iman al-Hams, but by the attitude and lack of remorse of an Israeli officer who killedher. When confronted by other soldiers, the officer said that he did not care if she was a child and would have killed her even if she was three under the standing orders given to soldiers in the campaign. Yet, the officer, identified only a Captain R, was charged with only minor offenses after emptying all 10 bullets from his gun’s magazine into Iman when she walked into a “security area” on the edge of Rafah refugee camp last month.
Continue reading “Death in Gaza: Tape Reveals How Israeli Captain Pursued and Shot to Death a Fleeing Thirteen-Year-Old Girl”
A case in Elizabeth, New Jersey is raising some difficult questions about the limits of liability for injuries to emergency personnel. Emilio Vasquez, 19, a homeless man from Guatemala, is charged with breaking in a home and starting a fire to stay warm. The fire got out of control and the fire department was called. Firefighter Gary Stephens was one of those responding, but was killed when a fire truck backed into him. Vasquez has been charged with his murder.
Continue reading “Homeless Man Charged with Murder After Firefighter Ran Over By Fire Truck”
Edwin Rivera, a 22-year-old with cerebral palsy, was left over night in New York in the freezing temperature on New Year’s Eve after a bus driver left him on the bus in the depot. Criminal charges are being considered.
Linda Hockaday, 51, who helps the bus driver, faces charges of first- and second-degree reckless endangerment since she was aware that he was asleep on the bus but did not tell the driver. The temperature went done to 15 degrees that night.
Continue reading “Disabled Man Left Overnight in Bus on New Year’s Eve”
Well, the results are in and weeks of defamatory attacks on our opposing bloggers and the unrestrained use of the politics of personal destruction have paid off: the Turley blog was voted the Number One law professor blog and legal theory blog in the annual survey of the American Bar Association’s survey. Earlier, it was selected as one of the top 100 legal blogs overall. That is not bad for a blog that is only roughly a year old and it is entirely due to our regulars at the cyber bar we called the Turley blog. Your overindulgence, obsessive compulsiveness, and general lack of restraint have made us what we are today, a group of dysfunctional miscreants. But we are now the Number One dysfunctional miscreants in our category. Well done Team Turley (if I may be so bold). Not to overplay the victory, but this is the first key step to total blogosphere domination and eventual control of the time space continuum.
Continue reading “TURLEY BLOG WINS TOP SPOT IN ABA JOURNAL SURVEY”
Now, in the library of curious celebrity defenses, Charles Barkley takes the cake. When stopped for drunk driving in Arizona, Barkley explained that he would not have been speeding except for the need to have oral sex as soon as possible.
Continue reading “The Barkley Defense: Yes, I’m Drunk But I’m Horny Too”
Robert Aragon, 55, and Kenneth Quintana (shown left), 29, have been arrested in Idaho for the second-degree murder and felony injury to a child after he allowed 11-year-old girl and 12-year-old boy to attempt a 10-mile walk to their mother’s house on Christmas Day. Sage Aragon, 11 (shown right with Robert Aragon), died in the attempt. A criminal charge is but the case would have been more properly charged as a manslaughter and abuse case.
Continue reading “Father and Uncle Charged With Murder in Idaho Death of 11-Year-Old Girl”
While I believe that the efforts in Illinois and Washington to block the Burris appointment are flagrant abuses of power, there is a legitimate reason to decry the choice. It is not due to the presumptively guilty man who appointed him but the clearly innocent man he wanted to kill: Rolando Cruz.
Continue reading “Cruz Control: Past Case Haunts Burris Appointment”
In a little covered story, a former employee of the U.S. Army’s Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center at the Picatinny Arsenal in Dover, New Jersey , Ben-Ami Kadish, pleaded guilty to being a spy for Israel and allowing an agent of the Government of Israel, Yossi Yagur, tp photographed secret papers at his home. Yet, he is only facing five years in prison. He spied for Israel from 1979-1985.
Continue reading “Army Employee Admits to Being Israeli Spy . . . And Faces Five Years In Prison”
Happy New Year to everyone on the Turley blog. This has been an extraordinary first year of the blog which is approaching two million hits annually. The success of the blog is due largely to our regulars who continue to make this one of the smartest and most fun blogs on the web. Even with the invasion by trolls and a few uncivil moments, the blog has remained a special forum for intelligent, civil, and often witty discourse. Our impressive monthly growth (and the obvious irritation of trolls) is a testament to the fact that there remains many people who want to engage in such dialogue. 2008 was our first full year in operation and I am very grateful for the contributions of all of the regulars on this blog.
There is a shocking tape being reviewed in Brighton, England where two ambulance workers are overheard debating whether Barry Baker, 59, was “worth saving.” The disabled man had collapses in his home and later died.
Continue reading “Not So Brighton: Ambulance Crew Recorded as They Debate Whether Disabled Man Was “Worth Saving””
Mark Jahnke, a former Waunakee High School chemistry teacher, has been found guilty of an interesting offense: videotaping his girlfriend. Jahnke argued that his girlfriend had no expectation of privacy since she consensually exposed herself to him. Two judges disagreed on the Wisconsin appellate court.
Continue reading “Man Found Guilty in Videotaping of Girlfriend”
Adam C. Weinstein, a firefighter, may want to go with a a simple NYFD tee shirt next time. Weinstein was outside a bar in 2006 when he felt hot, so he took off his sweater. Underneath was a tee shirt with “POLICE” on the back. A Belleville, Missouri Police officer Jeff Vernatti arrested Weinstein for impersonating a police officer. Weinstein is now suing.
Continue reading “You Are What You Wear: Missouri Police Arrest Man for Wearing Police Tee Shirt in Bar”
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has defied his critics and selected Roland Burris to replace Barack Obama. There is now speculation that the Secretary of State will not certify the appointment or that the Senate will use its inherent powers to block Burris. I just finished an interview with CBS stating that I believe both efforts would be an abuse of power. As the sitting governor of Illinois, Blagojevich is entitled to make this appointment.
Continue reading “Balgojevich Makes Senate Pick, But Will Burris Take the Oath?”
Kosher hot dog maker Arnie Zaler may have pulled off his greatest scam. Facing 30 counts of bank and wire fraud in Denver, Zaler promised not to leave Denver if he was released on an unsecured bond. He handed over his Israeli passport and then a few days later fled to Israel on a different passport.