Today, I testified in the House Judiciary Committee (Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security), on the new proposed changes to the rules governing federal restitution. They are quite extreme. Continue reading “Testimony on New Federal Restitution Law”
Category: Justice
Leslie Hagan, it appears, was a bit too outstanding for the Justice Department. The attorney worked as a liaison between the Justice Department and the U.S. attorneys’ committee on Native American issues and received consistent “outstanding” marks on her evaluations. However, she is also a lesbian as well as a Republican. It was the first part that allegedly bothered people like Monica Goodling, the oft-ridiculed former Justice official involved in the firings of U.S. Attorneys. Continue reading “A Bit Too Outstanding: Inspector General Investigating Whether Justice Fired Successful Because She Is A Lesbian”
The White House finally released some of the torture memos to Congress — justifications of coercive methods by Professor John Yoo. What is most striking about the memo below is its rather low-grade effort to justify torture — citing a type of self-defense theory for why an isolated detainee might have died or been injured during rough interrogation. Continue reading “Torture Memo Released: Yoo Argues Self-Defense in Cases of Interrogation Deaths or Injuries”
With the various legal controversies involving Wal-Mart, one would think that its legal department would seek to avoid another lawsuit. Yet, Wal-Mart’s hard-nosed approach to legal disputes appears to be again getting the store into hot water — this time with the U.S. government. Wal-Mart reportedly refused to re-hire Sean Thornton, a former airman with the United States Air Force, after he returned from deployment, leading to a lawsuit by the Justice Department in Orlando Florida. Continue reading “Big Box, Small Heart: Wal-Mart Sued By U..S. Over Termination of Veteran”
In yet another loss for the Bush Administration in the case of accused Rep. William Jefferson, the United States Supreme Court today denied its appeal on the issue of the constitutionality of its raid of a congressional office. Continue reading “Supreme Court Denies Review in the Jefferson Case”
10-year-old Nebraska girl Jayci Yaeger died not long after she was given her last wish: to see her father Jason Yaeger who is serving time on a drug offense. There remain questions about why federal officials in Yankton, S.D. fought any extended furlough for so long and only relented after a national outcry over their position. Continue reading “Little Girl Dies After Getting Last Wish to See Prisoner-Father”
Today, the Supreme Court will hear the case of Indiana v. Edwards and explore the question of the limits as self-representation — the subject of the column below. Continue reading “A Fool and His Lawyer: Can You Be Competent to Stand Trial But Unfit to Represent Yourself?”
Prosecutors have charged Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick with perjury and other criminal counts tied to his effort to conceal and deny an affair with his former aide, Christine Beatty. Beatty was hit with perjury and obstruction charges as well. Things are likely to get worse before they get better for both of the defendants. Continue reading “Detriot Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Criminally Charged and Could Faced 15 Years in Prison”
I have often written about judges who seem to relish the imposition of “creative sentences” that often involve shaming or degrading acts to be perform by defendants. Scott County Associate Judge Christine Dalton in Davenport came now be added to this ignoble list. ith a lengthy and violent criminal record to his name, Pachino Hill is going to church. Dalton has ordered a criminal defendant Pachino Hill to attend church in a wildly inappropriate sentence. Continue reading “Iowa Judge Orders Criminal to Church in Another Abuse of “Creative Sentencing””
According to prosecutors, 91-year-old Ralph Ridenour was fully competent to stand trial in Colorado. The only problem was that he was dead at the time.
Continue reading “Fit But Dead: Prosecutors Argue in Court that Defendant is Fit for Trial a Month After He Dies”
The Supreme Court overwhelmingly threw out the murder conviction of Allen Synder due to race-based challenges in a case marred by prosecutorial abuse by Jim Williams and the failure of Judge Kernan “Skip” Hand to maintain a fair trial. Continue reading “Supreme Court Tosses Out Louisiana Murder Conviction Due to Racial Bias in Jury Selection”
The Supreme Court today will hear arguments in District of Columbia v. Heller, No. 07-290. The lower court decision in Parker v. District of Columbia, 478 F.3d 370 (D.C. Cir. 2007) contained strong majority and dissenting opinions on the question of whether there is an individual right to gun ownership. The odds favor gun owners for the first time in securing a decision that clearly establishes an individual right. Their case is helped along by a bizarre appearance of Vice President Dick Cheney opposing positions of his own administration before the Court. Continue reading “Supreme Court Hears Second Amendment Case As Cheney Opposes His Own Administration on the Question”
Richard “Dickie” Scruggs has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe a judge — a plea that will likely send him to jail and certainly end his controversial but storied career of the “King of Torts.” While another lawyer from his firm also pleaded guilty, his son Zach is still scheduled to go to trial. Continue reading ““Dickie” Scruggs Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Bribe Judge”
Insanity cases continue trouble the courts and counsel from Andrea Yates to Colin Fergusan to the on-going controversy over John Wayne Hinckley Jr. This prior column explores the issue. Continue reading “The Insanity Defense and the Limits of Legal Reason”
In a remarkable development, prosecutors appear to have granted immunity to call girl
Ashley Alexandra Dupré to testify in a grand jury investigation. It appears that Dupre could succeed in securing a windfall contract while avoiding any serious criminal charge. Continue reading “Dupre Sings: Prostitute Given Immunity and Reportedly Testified Before Grand Jury”