There has been much talk in the last few years about the federalization of child porn stings — once viewed as a largely state area. However, the DOJ has worked with the FBI in going after child predators. Given all of the media attention to internet stings, therefore, it was especially shocking this morning to learn that a federal prosecutor had been nabbed trying to arrange sex with a five-year-old girl on the internet. Continue reading “Federal prosecutor nabbed in attempted statutory rape and abuse of 5-year-old girl”
Category: Justice
Jusge Michael Mukasey, former chief of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, has been formally nominated by President Bush. Continue reading “Judge Mukasey is the New Bush Nominee for AG”
The ongoing murder investigation targeting the parents of Madeleine McCann may turn on the reliability of sniffer dog evidence. Continue reading “Wisconsin case could prove key to McCann Murder Investigation”
OJ Simposon is under investigation by Las Vegas police for a theft at the Palace Station casino. He is accused of stealing sports memorabilia had been stolen. However, Simpson appears to have told the dealer (after being contacted) that the memorabilia had been stolen from him. This a common scene as people try to take possession of property or chattel that they insist belongs to them. Continue reading “OJ Simpson Accused of Theft of Sports Memorabilia”
In what appears to be case of unnecessary force and arrest directed against students, Orlando police arrested individuals at a college Rosh Hashanah prayer service. It is a common complaint from students: they object to treatment by officers and are promptly arrested. I have seen a number of these abuses, where officers punish citizens for voicing objections by making them spend the night in jail or face arraignment. For the most recent story, click here This follows a shocking video recently of another officer openly taunting a young man with his ability to make up reasons to arrest him. For the vido, click here
Published in Roll Call September 13, 2007
Cases Offer Insight On Congressional Investigations
For most of their careers, there were two men in Congress who could not be more different geographically, culturally or politically than Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) and Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.). Yet, both men are now making arguments to their respective houses that are virtually identical: Congress has no right to investigate or to punish them for their alleged misconduct outside of Congress. Putting aside the vitriol following their arrests, both men have actually raised some compelling arguments that have been largely ignored by the press. Continue reading “Craig and Jefferson: Congressional Investigations and The Need for Congressional Restraint”
The recent video of an officer melting down in a traffic stop and abusing a driver should serve to draw attention to this form of abuse. The officer taunts the driver that he can just make up a violation and send him to jail. I have had a steady stream of such complaints from citizens who are arrested for merely objecting to policy conduct. They are thrown into jail and the charges eventually dropped. The officers are never punished in such cases. Perhaps this officer will be different. There is no reason why this individual would be allowed to remain on the force. For the video, click here
A Florida judge has agreed to sentence a man to 25 years if he has a surgical castration in the next eight days. Bobby James Allen pleaded guilty to three counts of armed sexual battery and other charges. Continue reading “Florida Judge Allows Defendant to Avoid Life Sentence in Exchange for Castration”
A shocking case with racist elements has emerged from West Virginia where a white family held an African-American women captive for a week during which she time she was repeatedly torture and assaulted. The case would allow for both criminal and tort charges. Continue reading “Woman Tortured and Assaulted Over a Week by West Virginia Family”
September 11, 2007 Los Angeles Times
In his closing argument last week in the murder trial of pop music legend Phil Spector, prosecutor Alan Jackson encouraged jurors to ignore the experts who testified for the defense because, he said, “if you hire enough lawyers who hire enough experts who are paid enough money, you can get them to say anything.” He went on to inform the jury that “Phil Spector thinks if he throws enough money at a problem, he can solve the problem.”
It was a highly unprofessional argument that encouraged jurors to dismiss the opinions of any experts who appear on behalf of wealthy defendants as, in effect, purchased testimony. Yet the fact is that such witnesses are not only available to the rich; even a public defender is allowed to call such witnesses, at public expense, who would probably have made the same arguments. Continue reading “The Spector of Celebrity Trial”
Jason Atkins, creator of ToughSportLive, has gone to court to seek to strike down a 1999 law banning the creation, possession or transmission of materials depicting animal cruelty. Continue reading “Lawsuit Seeks to Clear the Way for Video Cock Fighting”
The trial of music legend Phil Spector for murder has gone to the jury. Continue reading “Spector Goes to Jury After Improper Prosecution Arguments Over Celebrity Justice”
The papers of Craig to withdraw his guilty plea are now public. For the papers, click here As expected, they argue that Craig’s decision (despite many days of consideration) was made without counsel and sufficient thought. This falls under the category of more stupidity and manifest injustice. The officers clearly misled Craig on the strength of the evidence but Craig is now trying to address a self-inflicted wound.
Below is a prior column on the Jefferson case from Roll Call. Continue reading “Jefferson Deserves Presumption of Innocence”
Rep. William Jefferson has filed motions challenging his criminal complaint and the venue of his trial. The motions are actually quite strong on their face, particularly the notion that the government failed to allege a connection between the alleged bribe and some official act. Continue reading “Jefferson Challenges Criminal Complaint in Alexandria”