Category: Justice

Anti-Truck Ordinance Struck Down

In affluent Coral Gables, Florida, the city prohibited anyone from parking a truck overnight on a city street — defining these vehicles are “out of character” with the community. A court of appeals has now struck down the measure as discriminatory. This is one case where class discrimination was paramount — a rare criteria for such decision. For the story, click here

Be Afraid, Very Afraid — The Bush Curse

Washington is all atwitter over who will replace outgoing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The more relevant question, however, is who would want to step over the chalk outlines of his two predecessors on the office rug to sit in that seemingly cursed chair.

Indeed, of all of the famous curses from King Tut’s tomb to the Hope Diamond to the Monkey’s Paw, the Bush Curse of the Juris Doctors (or the J.D. Curse) appears the most lethal. With John Ashcroft or Gonzales as the most vivid examples, bad things happen to attorneys who go to work for this administration. Continue reading “Be Afraid, Very Afraid — The Bush Curse”

Nowak to Pursue Insanity Defense

Orlando media is reporting that Former astronaut Lisa Nowak will pursue an insanity defense. Such notice is required in advance of trial and it was unsealed by the court. It will be a very difficult defense to make for someone with the ability to drive across country and engage in acts of evasion. Since the Reagan shooting, states have made it very difficult to make this defense. For earlier column, click here

For the news flash, click here

Chertoff to Replace Gonzales

It appears that Michael Chertoff may be the replacement for Alberto Gonzales. Chertoff would come with good national security credentials to signal that the administration is not going soft on terror. He is also a former judge. Notably, he once worked Rudolph Giuliani against the mob in New York. One problem for democratic and independent citizens is Chertoff’s role in drafting the Patriot Act. His nomination would also place the Administration’s record on terror in the spotlight.