One of the concerns about closing the Cuba facilities for detainees is that it would only lead to detainees disappearing into unknown facilities. That concern seems to have been realized with regard to the CIA secret prisons. Continue reading “CIA Secret Prisons Emptied: Prisoners Disappear”
Category: Criminal law
In an unexpected move, the U.S. Army is close to overturning the convictions of 63 black soldiers 63 years ago in Seattle after rioting of POWs at Fort Lawton. Continue reading “Convictions of Black Soldiers Overturned — 63 Years Later”
The White House has issued a defense of Judge Mukasey’s presumably false testimony that he was unaware of the techniques used in waterboarding — the favorite form of torture employed by the CIA. Continue reading “White House Issues Implausible Defense of Mukasey’s Allegedly False Testimony”
The Missouri Highway Patrol is testing a new scanning device that can detect the presence of meth at the press of a button. Continue reading “Police Developing Meth Gun — And Raising Serious Privacy and Policy Questions”
The Geroge Supreme Court has found the 10-year sentence of Genarlow Wilson to be unconstitutional as cruel and unusual punishment. It is the final righting of a terrible wrong — brought about by a complete lack of prosecutorial discretion and logic. Continue reading “Georgia Supreme Court Strikes Down Ten Year Sentence of Genarlow Wilson as Cruel and Unusual Punishment”
The government’s terrorist watch list has swelled to more than 755,000 names, according to a new government report that warns the the lack of restraint on putting people on the list is making it meaningless from a security standpoint — and increasingly annoying for citizens barred from flights. Continue reading “Terror Watch List Now Approaching 800,000 People”
In past cases involving shootings, police have argued that some people use the police to end their lives in so-called “suicide by cop” cases. Now, a defendant is claiming that another man wanted to be shot when he tried to engage in gay sex — what his defense attorney called “suicide by rape.” Continue reading “New Defense Theory: Suicide by Rape”
The federal District Court court in Dallas declared a mistrial Monday on almost all of the counts against the Holy Land Foundation, the Islamic charity accused of illegally funneling money to the militant Palestinian group Hamas. It is a major loss for the government and one that is likely to be heralded by civil libertarians concerned over the almost limitless definition of what constitutes material support for terrorists. Continue reading “Mistrial In Holy Land Case”
Disbarred Minnesota attorney and convicted pedophile Stephen Danforth is about to get an opportunity that few lawyers experience: to have a case argued before the Supreme Court. Continue reading “Disbarred Attorney and Convicted Pedophile is Given Hearing Before Supreme Court”
Government officials have admitted to newspaper that they have used extraordinary renditions to send individuals to other countries for torture. Congress rather belatedly after six years of GOP control is now looking into these abuses. Continue reading “Congress Hears of Abuse in Extraordinary Rendition Case — Members Apologize to Victim”
The case against the two Arizona newspaper executives has been dropped by the Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas. Continue reading “Case Dropped Against Arizona Jounalists — Prosecutor Removed”
Hawley Crippen was once the most famous murderer in England — and may now be the most famously wrongly accused and executed man in England. Continue reading “Man Found Wrongly Convicted and Executed in 1910”
Given the recent crack down on reporters in Arizona, the prior column from the Washington Post below on the grand jury secrecy may be of interest. Continue reading “Grand Jury Secrecy and the Rocky Flats Scandal”
In a clear attack on the first amendment, the editors of an Alternative Newspaper have been arrested on charges of violating Grand Jury secrecy. Continue reading “Attack on the Free Press: Arizona Officers Arrest Journalists for Disclosing Grand Jury Abuse”
We have seen more than a few abuses of police authority for personal reasons, such as the recent charge against a fast food worker for putting too much salt in an officer’s burger. Now, a woman has been charged with disorderly conduct for swearing inside her bathroom as a toilet overflowed into the kitchen. Continue reading “Potty Mouth Offense: Cop Charges Woman For Swearing Inside Her Own Home”