The judges and court staff at Seattle’s King County Courthouse have been fighting to get something done about the disgusting conditions around the outside door. Homeless people left excrement and urine around the door — a stench that is deterring jurors and others from coming into the building. Judges have asked for the city to take action and clean up the unsanitary conditions with a simple power washing and better policing. That would seem a no brainer but objections were heard from city council members, including one who reportedly said that the use of hoses might be racially insensitive or traumatic.Continue reading “Seattle Court Request For Clean Up Leads To Controversy Over Race and Resources”
We have hit another milestone today with over 32,000,000 views. We have continued to add viewers on the blog as well as a sharp increase on Twitter. We try to offer a place for civil but passionate discourse on legal and policy issues of our time (and perhaps a few wacky stories). We often use these milestones to look at the current profile of the blog and its supporters around the world.![](https://jonathanturley.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/hc-trinity-campus-closed-threats-20170621-003.jpg?w=600" alt="hc-trinity-campus-closed-threats-20170621-003" width="300" height="169" />There is a new controversy involving an investigation of a professor for statements made on social media. Trinity College Professor Johnny Williams has fled Connecticut after receiving death threats over his postings, including an inflammatory reference to people considered bigots and how we should "Let Them. F**king Die." Williams teaches classes on race and racism and clearly wanted to get others to read this hateful screed.</p><!--more-->As we have previously discussed (<a href="https://jonathanturley.org/2016/12/26/oregon-professor-causes-firestorm-over-black-face-costume-worn-at-party-off-campus/">including the recent controversies involving an Oregon professor</a> and a <a href="https://jonathanturley.org/2016/12/27/106981/">Drexel professor</a>), there remains an uncertain line in what language is protected for teachers in their private lives. The incident also raises what some faculty have complained is a double or at least uncertain standard. We have previously discussed controversies at the <a href="https://jonathanturley.org/2014/11/10/miller-young-and-university-of-california-sued-over-campus-assault-on-pro-life-advocates/">University of California</a> and <a href="https://jonathanturley.org/2015/05/22/news-calls-for-termination-of-saidi-grundy-after-disclosure-of-prior-criminal-impersonation-of-another-woman/">Boston University</a>, where there have been criticism of a double standard, <a href="https://jonathanturley.org/2014/11/10/miller-young-and-university-of-california-sued-over-campus-assault-on-pro-life-advocates/">even in the face of criminal conduct</a>. There were also such incident at the University of London involving <a href="https://jonathanturley.org/2015/10/07/university-of-london-diversity-officer-charged-with-threatening-communications-after-racist-and-sexist-comments/">Bahar Mustafa</a> as well as one involving a University of Pennsylvania professor.As is well known on this blog, I tend to favor free speech rights in all of these cases. In my view, this view does seem to be satire — bad satire but satire all the same. However, the standard remains entirely uncertain for academics as to whether their conduct or comments outside of school will be the basis for discipline. As a private institution, Drexel falls under a different standard than schools like the University of Oregon. Yet, free speech demands a bright line to avoid a chilling effect on those who want to challenge the status quo or popular views. Academics often write to challenge students and the public in exploring the edges of norms and beliefs.As you might expect, I view this latest controversy through the same free speech lens. The reaction to the social media posting in my view was overblown, including closing the entire campus by President Joanne Berger-Sweeney.<p class="column small-12 medium-10 medium-offset-1 large-offset-2 text size-1x-large line-height-large _10M0Ygc4"><img class=" size-full wp-image-119295 alignright" src="https://jonathanturley.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/300px-trinity_college_connecticut_seal-svg.png)
We 
Columbia University has reached a settlement in one of its most controversial cases of alleged sexual assault. Paul Nungesser, who was accused of raping a fellow classmate who became known as “mattress girl,” will receive a settlement. Emma Sulkowicz carried around a mattress on campus in protest, even taking the mattress to graduation. She 
Today, Chris Wallace (who continues to make a strong case that he is the best interviewer in news today) crossed swords with President Donald Trump’s lawyer Jay Sekulow on who is paying his fees to represent the President. Sekulow said that he does not know since he bills the law firm of Marc E. Kasowitz. The question was legitimate and the answer does not resolve concerns. It is common to confirm the source of fees to confirm that there is no conflict of interest or other concerns raised by such fee payment. However, there is another report that confirms one source of fees . . . for Donald Trump Jr.
Neither Congress nor foreign legislatures have done anything about ridiculous user contracts for services like WiFi or cable that require consumers to sign long agreements with impenetrable legal language and clauses. It is a knowing effort by companies to impose highly disadvantageous terms in mountains of legalese. One company however has vividly demonstrated the scam to its credit. The 
Below is my most recent column in the Hill Newspaper on the latest round of predictions of possible criminal charges against the Trump family.
Yesterday, I posted a column in the Hill detailing how the media and various legal experts have worked mightily to avoid the fact that former FBI Director James Comey (1) leaked his memos to the media, (2) the memos were presumptively government material, and (3) the memos were likely classified and/or privileged under long-standing FBI rules. As I said in the column and in earlier columns, none of this takes away from the underlying allegations or the importance of the investigation into possible obstruction of justice. However, the response to the recent Senate Homeland Security majority report and the Hill Newspaper story was precisely what the column discussed: a concerted effort to deny any wrongdoing by Comey (who has assumed the position of an immaculate hero in this political narrative). One such denial of any wrongdoing came from Comey’s friend Columbia Law Professor Daniel Richman. Professor Richman invoked a familiar defense: the memos he was given had no classification markings – the very same defense made by Hillary Clinton and rejected by then FBI Director James Comey.
The New York Times is reporting
There is a curious ruling this week from the Vatican after Cardinal Robert Sarah informed bishops that the 
With Congress moving to give the Trump Administration authority to withhold grants from sanctuary cities, California is moving to become a sanctuary state. Under 
Every Fourth of July, some celebrity will attract national attention by denouncing the holiday as a type of slaver’s celebration. This year was no exception. In past years, I have said nothing because these comments reflect understandable conflicted feelings by African Americans and others whose ancestors lived through decades of oppression and discrimination. However, it is time to put part of this criticism to rest . . . at least in part. There is a tendency to ignore those Framers who advocated emancipation at our founding and the recognition of the scourge of slavery that would forever taint our history.