Category: Criminal law

Trump Did It: Wasserman Schultz Accuses the President of Causing the Shooting of National Guard Members

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) has long performed a key role for many on the left. When there is an argument barred by decency or decorum, Wasserman Schultz is happy to make it, from attacking journalists in her defense of censorship to attempting to rig an election and bar Republicans from ballots as part of her defense of democracy. However, on Friday, the Florida representative set a new low in American politics: attempting to assign some of the blame for the shooting of two National Guardsmen on President Donald Trump. Continue reading “Trump Did It: Wasserman Schultz Accuses the President of Causing the Shooting of National Guard Members”

Willis Circus Ends as “Reasonable Minds” Prevail in the Final Dismissal of the Trump Case

In her sometimes bizarre and often combative testimony, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis explained, “I just think men and women think differently.” At least when it comes to Pete Skandalakis, she is demonstrably correct.  Serving as Willis’s replacement after her removal from the Trump case for personal misconduct in hiring her former lover as lead prosecutor, Skandalakis found the case against Trump and his associates worthy of dismissal. In so doing, he suggested (as did many of us) that the entire foundation for the case was flawed from the outset. Continue reading “Willis Circus Ends as “Reasonable Minds” Prevail in the Final Dismissal of the Trump Case”

Try Again: Federal Court Dismisses Comey and James Indictments

If we are living in an age of lawfare, this is fast becoming a war of attrition. The dismissal of the indictment of James Comey and Letitia James is the latest twist in the controversial prosecutions of Trump antagonists.

Letitia James immediately posted her own message celebrating the decision, but she may want to focus on the prepositional phrase after the word dismissal: without prejudice. The Administration may still be able to resuscitate these cases. Continue reading “Try Again: Federal Court Dismisses Comey and James Indictments”

The Selective Outrage of Judge James Boasberg

Below is my column in The Hill on two controversies involving Chief Judge James Boasberg this week in Washington, D.C. Both involve claims that branches undermined or intruded on the authority of another branch. However, these separation-of-powers conflicts produced strikingly different responses from Judge Boasberg. It seemed that the court’s concerns depended greatly on whose ox was being gored in a tripartite contest.

Here is the column: Continue reading “The Selective Outrage of Judge James Boasberg”

Arctic Frost: Justice Department Obtained the Personal Phone Records of House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan

We have been discussing the deepening scandal over former Special Counsel Jack Smith securing the phone records of members of Congress, including former Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy. Now, Fox News is reporting that the Justice Department subpoenaed the personal phone records of House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan in 2022 for a two-year period. The report may be the most serious disclosure in the controversy, given the direct oversight exercised by Jordan’s committee over Smith and the Justice Department. Continue reading “Arctic Frost: Justice Department Obtained the Personal Phone Records of House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan”

Venezuela Sentences Doctor to 30 Years for WhatsApp Message

The Venezuelan socialist regime has just sentenced a 65-year-old doctor, Marggie Orozco, to 30 years in prison for criticizing the regime of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro in a WhatsApp voice note in 2024. Orozco was reportedly found guilty of “treason to the fatherland, incitement to hatred, and conspiracy” in complaining about the regime’s distribution of the often hard-to-find domestic gas cylinders in her community. She has already suffered two heart attacks in the last two years, including one while in prison.

Continue reading “Venezuela Sentences Doctor to 30 Years for WhatsApp Message”

Housecleaner Shot and Killed in Indiana After Trying to Enter Wrong House

We have another Castle Doctrine or Stand Your Ground controversy this week. In Whitestown, Indiana, Maria Florinda Rios Perez, 32, died in her husband’s arms after the couple went to the wrong address to clean a house. The unidentified homeowner reportedly shot through the door. A GoFundMe site has been set up for her family. She was the mother of four.

Continue reading “Housecleaner Shot and Killed in Indiana After Trying to Enter Wrong House”

Iowa Student Arrested After Two Attacks on Conservative Displays on Campus

Justin Calhoon mugshotThis week, we have another attack on a display by conservative students at a U.S. university. Student members of Turning Point USA watched as a student, Justice Calhoon, flipped over their table at the University of Iowa. Notably, Calhoon had previously tossed a table of the school’s Young America’s Foundation (YAF) just days before. Calhoon has now been arrested. Continue reading “Iowa Student Arrested After Two Attacks on Conservative Displays on Campus”

Second Circuit Remands Federal Hush Money Case in Stunning Ruling for President Trump

“You Do Not Deserve a Conversation”: OSU Student Trashes Conservative Student Table

We have another incident of a student trashing a conservative table while expressing absolute impunity to do so. The Young America’s Foundation (YAF) at Oklahoma State University had a table supporting traditional marriage when a student tossed their material and claimed the absolute right to vandalize opposing views on campus. Continue reading ““You Do Not Deserve a Conversation”: OSU Student Trashes Conservative Student Table”

A Quarter of Americans Now Believe Political Violence is Justified

We have seen a rise in both rage rhetoric and political violence. New polling shows a shocking level of support for political violence, even after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. A new poll shows roughly a quarter of voters believe political violence is justified with the highest percentage among younger voters.

Continue reading “A Quarter of Americans Now Believe Political Violence is Justified”

Illinois Bars ICE Arrests in State Courthouses and Safe Zones

Sanctuary by Richard Burchett

Illinois has now joined California and Connecticut in barring federal immigration agents from conducting “civil arrests” of illegal aliens in or around state courthouses. The sanctuary law appears largely performative since it also appears unconstitutional. It is difficult to see how a state can bar the exercise of federal jurisdiction, at least after the Civil War. Continue reading “Illinois Bars ICE Arrests in State Courthouses and Safe Zones”

University of Colorado TPUSA Student Leader Attacked After Antifa Posted “Hit List”

Continue reading “University of Colorado TPUSA Student Leader Attacked After Antifa Posted “Hit List””

Tennessee Man Arrested After Mocking Charlie Kirk Memorial

There is a concerning free speech case out of Tennessee where a retired police officer was arrested after posting anti-Charlie Kirk messages on the Internet. Larry Bushart, 61, of Lexington, Tennessee, was arrested for threatening a mass shooting at a school, but the cited messages do not support such a claim. Indeed, his comments appear to be protected political speech under governing Supreme Court precedent. Continue reading “Tennessee Man Arrested After Mocking Charlie Kirk Memorial”

“We Don’t Want his Likeness on Campus”: Protesters Move to Block Kirk Memorial at UVU

A plan at Utah Valley University (UVU) to create a memorial to Charlie Kirk has been met by protests and a petition signed by thousands to block the effort. One protester declared, “We don’t want his likeness on campus.” That is hardly a new sentiment since Kirk was assassinated on the campus on Sept. 10, 2025. However, the protest shows the sense of license that many have in opposing anyone with conflicting views, including those represented in memorials. Continue reading ““We Don’t Want his Likeness on Campus”: Protesters Move to Block Kirk Memorial at UVU”

Res ipsa loquitur – The thing itself speaks