Category: Politics

Criminal law, Politics, Society

Second Video Shows Brutal Attack On Tourist By Mob In Baltimore

This new video has emerged showing the brutal attack on a tourist in Baltimore on St. Patrick’s Day. The video also clearly shows a man who stands above the victim to take his picture as he and others laugh at his being beaten, stripped, and robbed on the street. In the meantime, the Baltimore Police Chief Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III is being criticized for dismissing the possibility of a hate crime — insisting that this is nothing like the Trayvon Martin case.

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Constitutional Law, Courts, Lawyering, Media, Politics, Society, Supreme Court

ABA President Criticizes Obama For Judicial Activism Comments

ABA President Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III has issued a statement criticizing President Obama’s statement that voting against the health care law would be “judicial activism” In a letter to the Wall Street Journal, Robinson called the remarks “troubling.”

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Free Speech, International, Politics, Society

Report States Iran To Cut Off Entire Country From World Wide Web; Iran Denies Story As Hoax

We have seen our own government and other Western countries moving to exercise greater control over the Internet in recent years — reaffirming the fact that the Internet may be the single most important vehicle of free speech created by mankind. Iran, however, is not to be outdone when it comes to denying liberties. A widespread news report stated that country is about to cut off its entire population from the Internet services on the World Wide Web. Such sites are viewed as polluting the minds of Iranians with unIslamic thoughts and ideas. Now, instead of Google and Gmail, Yahoo and the like, Iranians would have Iran Mail and the “National Internet.” Iranian officials insist that citizens will now receive mail and stories on a “clean Internet” designed and maintained for good Muslims. [UPDATE: The Iranian government issued a statement today responding to the articles on the Iranian internet that specifically denies that it intends to cut off access to the worldwide web]

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Courts, Criminal law, Lawyering, Politics, Society

Detroit City Attorney Given Only 90 Day Suspension For Lying To City Council, Judge, and Bar in Kilpatrick Scandal

While Michigan’s Attorney Grievance Commission sought disbarment, a state discipline panel headed by Assistant United States Attorney William Sauget has handed down only a 90 day suspension for Detroit City Attorney Valerie Colbert-Osamuede. Colbert-Osamuede who is accused of lying to the Detroit City Council, a Wayne County Circuit Court judge and the Attorney Grievance Commission about a settlement and alleged coverup benefitting then-mayor (and now convicted felon) Kwame Kilpatrick. Despite this trifecta of false statements and the panel’s conclusion that she was still not sure she is telling the truth, Sauget’s panel still refused to hand down a disbarment or something more substantial as a punishment.

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Justice, Politics, Religion, Society, Things That Tick Me Off

The Roman Catholic Church and the Gays

Respectfully submitted by Lawrence Rafferty (rafflaw)-Guest Blogger

On this Easter weekend, I was dismayed when I learned that the Roman Catholic Church recently decided that helping the poor in Colorado obtain health care is fine, as long as the organizations assisting these needy folks were not gay or “hanging out” with the Gays. Continue reading “The Roman Catholic Church and the Gays” →

Bizarre, Politics

GSA Administrator Resigns After Report Finds Small Agency Spent $820,000 On Lavish Nevada Conference

In Washington, there are a few standard rules of engagement. Rule 436 is “if you are going to spend taxpayer dollars on lavish vacations, do not make a mocking video boasting that you will buy those things the agency can’t afford and “never be under OIG investigation.” This week the Office of Inspector General (OIG) proved the difference between rap and reality — it issued a damning report on the $820,000 spent by Public Buildings Service’s western region at the M Resort Spa and Casino in Henderson, Nevada.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Egyptian Court Sentences 17-Year-Old Christian Boy To Three Years In Jail For Cartoons of Mohammad on Facebook

We have for years been following the rising number of blasphemy prosecutions not only in the Muslim world but, even more worrisome, in the West. Now, an Egyptian court has added a new outrage in sentencing a 17-year-old Christian boy to three years in jail for publishing cartoons on Facebook deemed mocking of Islam and the Prophet Mohammad. It is the latest example of the abuses of Sharia law and the danger of intermingling religion and government.

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Constitutional Law, Courts, Justice, Lawyering, Media, Politics, Society, Supreme Court

Doubling Down: Holder Calls Obama’s Judicial Activism Criticism “Appropriate”

While the White House and the President backtracked from Obama’s recent statements regarding the Supreme Court, Attorney General Eric Holder succeeded in reigniting the controversy by calling the comments about judicial activism “appropriate.” As I noted earlier, the effort of the White House to modify the statement of the President notably did not include a retraction of the judicial activism statement. Holder’s statement appeared to reaffirm that the omission was intentional.

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Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, Politics, Society

Federal Court Slams Justice Department Over Obama Comments

Yesterday, we discussed President Obama’s comments on the Supreme Court and the pending health care litigation — comments I viewed as unwise and unfounded. In addition to wrongly suggesting that any justice voting against the law would be a judicial activist, Obama seemed to suggest that the law should be upheld on the ground that it is the result of a democratic process and the will of the majority. Putting aside the fact that all unconstitutional law were passed by a democratic process in this country, I noted that the comments were extremely unwise at a time when the Court appears split on the key issues and currently deliberating the outcome. Well, the Supreme Court is not the only court considering the health care law and the timing could not have been worse for Obama to hold forth on his view of the courts and the Constitution. While I do not agree with the order of the Fifth Circuit for the Administration to respond in writing to the court, some backlash should have been foreseen by the President in going public with the comments.

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Criminal law, Media, Politics, Society

NBC Apologizes For Editing Zimmerman Tape

NBC has apologized after being criticized for an editing of the tape of George Zimmerman’s 911 call — an editing that made his comments sound more incriminating and racist. The editing was substantial and the network has said that it is investigating the matter, which constitutes a serious journalist ethical question.

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Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, Justice, Lawyering, Media, Politics

Obama Predicts Health Care Victory, Labels Vote Against Law As “Judicial Activism”

Yesterday, President Barack Obama made the surprising prediction that the Supreme Court would uphold the health care law and further labeled those who would vote against it as judicial activists. I am not sure what he is basing his prediction on, but the comment on judicial activism is both unfounded and unwise.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Media, Politics, Society

Arizona Passes Sweeping Law Criminalizing Internet Speech

In one of the most sweeping attacks on free speech in America, the Arizona legislature has passed a draconian bill that would criminalize speech on the Internet (“any electronic or digital device”) that prosecutors consider “obscene, lewd or profane language or . . . suggest[ing] a lewd or lascivious act if done with intent to ‘annoy,’ ‘offend,’ ‘harass’ or ‘terrify.’” The law is largely undefined and is in my view facially unconstitutional. The law would drive a stake in the heart of free speech. Yet, people like Bill Clinton have been calling for such a crackdown on Internet speech for years.

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Criminal law, Media, Politics, Society

Toure de Force: CNN and MSNBC Personalities Clash Over Coverage Of Martin Killing

Tongues are wagging over a confrontation between CNN’s Piers Morgan and MSNBC’s Toure (a journalist who appears to go by just one name like Cher or the Artist Formerly Known As Prince). At issue was whether Morgan should have been tougher on George Zimmerman’s brother in an interview or conversely whether journalists like Toure have discarded their neutrality and objective distance in declaring Zimmerman a murderer. Putting aside the childish rhetoric, it is a serious question of whether journalists are crossing the line into advocacy in declaring the guilt of someone like Zimmerman. The controversy has also raised long-standing uncertainty of the role of anchors and journalists in actively supporting a claim, cause or movement.

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Constitutional Law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Religion

Tunisia Rejects Sharia As Basis For New Constitution

Over the years, I have not hidden my opposition to Sharia-based legal systems and the types of grotesque forms of justice that they mete out to their citizens. There is little good news from this area of the world as revolutions in Libya and Egypt go careening toward Islamic states. However, this week we have a modicum of good news. Tunisia’s governing Islamist party has decided to oppose a move to make sharia law the main source of legislation in a new constitution. They appear to be doing better than our allies in Iraq and Afghanistan who are increasingly applying harsh Islamic principles.

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Academia, Columns, Free Speech, Media, Politics, Society

Teachers Under A Morality Microscope

Below is my column this morning in The Los Angeles Times on the increasing number of cases where teachers are punished for comments or activities in their private lives — often under nebulous disruption or moral turpitude grounds. While the recent case of a teacher moonlighting as a porn star in California raises understandable concerns for school officials, most of these cases involve either past conduct or clearly protected speech. This is part of a broader number of cases that we have been following dealing with public employees ranging from city managers to police officers to firefighters. The question is how much our public employees must confirm their political and social activities to satisfy members of the public.

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