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.
Category: Justice
My recent interview on Legal Times on prosecuting Bush Administration officials for crimes committed in the torture program and unlawful surveillance program has attracted the ire of some conservative law faculty. My colleague Orin Kerr has raised this question on the conservative legal website Volokh Conspiracy. It is not without a good faith basis for such academic debate but, in my view, it should not be a barrier to prosecution.
The voting continues on the top blogs. The Turley blog was selected as one of the 100 top legal blogs by the good people at the ABA Journal. It currently holds the number one spot for law professor and legal theory blogs. The tally shows the Turley blog with 387 votes with Mirror of Justice with 234 votes. The voting ends on January 2nd. You have done well Turley bloggers.
Continue reading “The Turley Blog Leads in Vote on Best Law Professor and Legal Theory Blogs”
Best wishes to everyone celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah. Our kids get to double dip on both holidays in a play to spread our bets between the two religions of the parents. We have just finished placing the last present under the tree in Chicago. We can now look forward to three hours of sleep before the C-Day invasion. As my gift to you, I have linked a truly inspirational holiday video: Jingle Bells played on microwave ovens below.
Continue reading “Happy Holidays!”
When the Iraqi officials suddenly announced that journalist, Muntader al-Zeidi, would not be allowed to appear in open court and could not see his family for eight days, there was widespread speculation that he had been beaten. Now an investigating judge has found that he has signs of a severe beating with bruises on his face and around his eyes.
President-elect Barack Obama’s nominee for attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr., was viewed as a shoe-in for confirmation. Now, however, the GOP is closing in on Holder’s alleged role in three controversial nominations and have asked to delay the hearings. In the meantime, a grand jury is now looking into a donor of Bill Richardson, who has been nominated for Commerce Secretary.
Continue reading “A Hold on Holder: AG Nominee Hits a Snag in Senate”
The Sklar litigation relating to the Church of Scientology was delivered another blow by the Ninth Circuit. Marla and Michael Sklar have been waging a rather lonely battle for 15 years to claim tax deductions for a portion of the tuition they pay to Jewish schools attended by their children. They are relying on the fact that the Internal Revenue Service granted Scientologists deductions for 80% of fees they pay for auditing and training. The IRS decision was viewed as the government knuckling under after litigation from Scientology and has raised legitimate concerns over equal treatment.
Continue reading “Sklars Lose Case Involving Scientology Tax Exemptions”
Fair winds and following seas carried the Turley armada to victory yesterday in the Cub Scout Regata.
Continue reading “The Turley Armada Rules The Waves”
Ex-federal prosecutor Richard Convertino was hammered by a federal judge for his allegedly unethical conduct in the Detroit terrorism case and investigated by the Justice Department for his misconduct. However, Convertino is now moving against Detroit Free Press reporter David Ashenfelter who has refused to disclose the sources underlying his true story that Convertino was under investigation. Convertino argues “that publication of truthful information about him was a criminal act.” Ashenfelter may soon go to jail on contempt if Convertino continues to press for sanctions.
Continue reading “Disgraced Federal Prosecutor Seeks to Punish Detroit Press Reporter”
Roman Polanski is back on the criminal docket. Thirty years after his conviction for a sex offense involving a minor, Polanski’s lawyers are asking a California court to dismiss the case against him, claiming prosecutorial and judicial misconduct. The filing is based on “extraordinary new evidence” of “repeated, unlawful, and unethical misconduct” by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and the judge in Polanski’s case — evidence uncovered in the making of an HBO documentary, “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired.’
Continue reading “Roman Polanski Files to Set Aside Criminal Warrant”
Congratulations to everyone who regularly posts at this blog. Our blog has made the top 100 legal blogs in the annual survey by the ABA Journal. [OK, there is no trophy but I figured we needed something] The Journal is now taking votes on various categories from professor/legal theory blog (including this blog) and various other categories like crime and technology. This blog is in the top ten for professor/legal theory blogs and you can vote on the ranking by click vote now here.
Continue reading “Turley Blog Makes Top 100: Vote Now For Your Favorite Blogs”
The symbolism is perfectly exquisite. President George Bush, who has given out fewer pardons than any modern president, felt that he could not leave office without releasing Leslie Owen Collier of Charleston, Mo., who pleaded guilty in 1995 to unlawfully killing three bald eagles in southeast Missouri. Bush is generally viewed as the most hostile president to environmental protections in modern times. His pardons seemed to reflect that profile with another pardon going to a hazardous waste violator who was given a mere probation sentence. I will be discussing the Bush pardons with Rachel Maddow tonight.
Continue reading “Bush Pardons Man Who Killed Three Bald Eagles”
Attorney General Michael Mukasey collapsed last night at a Federalist Society dinner. As shown in the video below, he was caught by two nearby men who noticed him slumping at the podium.
Continue reading “Mukasey Collapses at Federalist Society Function”
On the heels of a major political defeat in California with the passage of Proposition 8, Connecticut Judge Johnathan Silbert has handed the movement a victory in kind: declaring same-sex or “gay marriage” legal in the state. Couples are reportedly rushing to the courthouse to take advantage of the ruling. This makes Connecticut the only other state (with Massachusetts) to recognize same-sex marriage.
Continue reading “Connecticut Court Declares Same Sex Marriage Legal”
Ok, I am a bit confused. Klara Mauerova, 31, is a member of a cannibal cult in teh Czech Republic who ortured her son in a locked cellar while relatives skinned him and forced him to eat his own flesh. The sentence: nine years. That is less than a tax evasion sentence.