A recent video shows a drunk soldiers taking a Russian tank out of a spin, hitting a house and terrorizing a family. As these videos indicate, however, tanking for fun is not just a Russian past time. Continue reading “Tanks Don’t Kill People . . . : Videos Show the Potential of Tank Torts”
Category: Justice
Representatives of the Sikh faith have been barred by the Secret Service from participating in a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI next month because they wear the Kirpaan, or ceremonial knife. Given the fact that these would be leaders of the Sikh faith, the Secret Service appear like perfect morons in barring the Sikhs. Continue reading “Secret Service Bar Sikh Leaders From Meeting with the Pope over Ceremonial Knife or Kirpaan”
President Bush waited until Saturday to veto the ban on waterboarding, hoping to diminish press and congressional attention. He had nothing to fear. Both democrats and republicans have already guaranteed that Bush will not be held accountable for the torture program. After effectively decriminalizing torture, the objections heard from Democrats should be met with a healthy degree of scorn. Continue reading “Bush Vetos Ban on Waterboarding — Democrats Feign Shock”
In what seems like a scene out of the movie “The Big Easy,” New Orleans police are accused of beating and using a taser on Steven Elloie on June 23, 2006 and then losing the critical police tape showing the incident. The two officers, Jason Samuel and Hans Ganthier, are defendants in another such brutality case that occurred at another bar on Mardi Gras. Continue reading “New Orleans Cops Allegedly Beat and Tase an Innocent Man; Then Lose Video of Incident”
In what could be an important first amendment case, a Nebraska police officer, Robert E. Henderson, is fighting to keep his job after being fired for his associations with a group affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan. It is only the latest such action taken against officers over their private lives or views. Continue reading “Nebraska Police Officer Fired Over Assocation With KKK-Linked Group”
While some commentators have rushed to suggest that the puppy shown in this video was either dead or stuffed, the accused Marine has reportedly posted an apology. David Motari has been named as the Marine in the video, though the Marines are still investigating. In what is purported to be a posting from him below, he blames the stress of combat.
Continue reading “Semper Fido: David Motari Allegedly Apologizes for Throwing Puppy Over Cliff”
Philadelphia Judge Deborah Griffin has many positive things on her resume: a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, the first black student to win the Missouri-Columbia Law School moot court, and overcoming great challenges in her childhood to become a lawyer. The one omission was that she has a felony record. She is now facing possible removal from the bench. Continue reading “Philadephia Judge Faces Removal for Hiding That She is a Former Felon”
The Senate Democrats have again caved on the issue of torture, unanimously confirming
Chicago federal Judge Mark Filip to be the second-in-command at the Justice Department despite his refusal to answer the simple question whether waterboarding is torture — a fact established by U.S. and international courts. As with the telecom immunity controversy, the Senate delayed the vote to suggest that they were actually taking a stand on torture and then voted with the White House to avoid a final confrontation on the question. Continue reading “Senate Unanimously Confirms Filip for No. 2 Position at Justice Depsite His Refusal to Answer Torture Question”
Mukasey’s Paradox;
On further review, his manipulations on torture and contempt are a beautiful, twisted thing. Continue reading “Mukasey’s Paradox”
According to Amnesty International, the good people in the Iranian justice system are about to add another outrage from their prehistoric legal system. The group says that two gay men, Tayyeb Karimi and Yazdan, will soon be killed by throwing them off a cliff. The group estimates that 4000 lesbians and gay men have been executed since the Iranian revolution. Continue reading “Iran to Kill Two Gay Men By Throwing Them Off Cliffs”
Civil libertarians are alarmed by Sunday’s interview with the House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Silvestre Reyes, suggesting that the House may surrender on the telecom immunity question. For a short period of time, it appeared that for once members of Congress would actually stand on principle and refuse immunity. Now, Reyes is saying that he is open to “compromise” and that a deal may be close. Continue reading “House Intelligence Chairman Indicates that House May Capitulate on Telecom Immunity”
A divided Virginia Supreme Court upheld the conviction Jeremy D. Jaynes under the state’s 2003 Anti-Spam Act. While many of us hate to admit it, he may have a point that the law is constitutionally flawed. This is one that may be heading to the Supreme Court. Continue reading “Spam and the First Amendment: Virginia Supreme Court Upholds Anti-Spam Law”
In a remarkable ruling, U.S. District Judge Paul Borman has ordered firebrand attorney Geoffrey Fieger to pull TV commercials critical of the Bush Administration. Borman ruled that such ads threatened to influence the jury pool in Fieger’s upcoming trial for making illegal contributions to the John Edwards 2004 presidential campaign. It is an extremely rare ruling that pits judicial administration against the first amendment. Continue reading “Federal Court Orders Geoffrey Fieger to Pull Anti-Bush Administration Ads from TV”
Attorney General Michael Mukasey waited until late Friday to announce that he will block any prosecution of Bush officials for contempt of Congress. Mukasey’s protection of White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers could trigger a major inter-branch fight and advances yet another extreme legal interpretation of executive authority by the Bush Administration. It is not surprising, therefore, that he waited until late on a Friday to try to minimize media scrutiny of this controversial decision. Continue reading “Mukasey Blocks Any Prosecution of Bush Officials for Contempt of Congress”
The Connecticut Supreme Court has issued an interesting ruling that bars the widow of a judge from suing under a law designed to benefit her alone. It is like a reverse bill of attainder ruling: barring selective special benefits as opposed to punishment in legislation. Continue reading “No Special Compensation for Widow of Worked-To-Death Judge”