The DUI Necessity Defense: Montana Supreme Court Rules That Woman Can Claim Necessity Defense in Driving Drunk to Avoid Fight

140px-800px-Kriek_BeerNecessity defenses in tort and criminal law are always somewhat controversial and rarely successful in criminal prosecutions. However, Lisa Marie Leprowse has secured a reversal of her DUI conviction from the Montana Supreme Court, which ruled that the trial court erred in not allowing her to argue that she drove drunk to avoid a fight.
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President Obama Calls On China to Be More Transparent and Open — And Then Bars The Release of Any More Photos of Detainee Abuse to the Media and Public

225px-official_portrait_of_barack_obama180px-Abu_Ghraib_prison_abusePresident Barack Obama and his Administration set a new level of hypocrisy this weekend with calls on the Chinese government and military to end censorship and be more open with the public while barring disclosure of embarrassing photos of detainee abuse.
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Connecticut Teacher Arrested After Stealing Money for Another Teacher and Caught on Videotape

111309-Dinnean.JPGThere are theories on the rational criminal actor, but I doubt Susan Dinnean, 55, would qualify in Wilton, Connecticut. The teacher at Middlebrook Middle School is accused of stealing $20 from the purse of another teacher — resulting in her loss of a $95,000 a year job.
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Indian Tribe Sues Self-Help Author Over Use of Sweat Lodge

jamesray-0608Touch_the_Clouds_1877aWe previously followed the investigation into the three deaths in a sweat lodge run by “Spiritual Warrior” James Arthur Ray at the Angel Valley Retreat Center in Sedona, Arizona. Now, the Lakota Sioux Tribe is suing, demanding the prosecution of Ray under the 1869 Treaty of Fr. Laramie for appropriating a Native American ritual.
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No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Man Convicted After Turning in a Discarded Shotgun to Police

SurreypolicePaul Clarke, 27, a veteran, thought that he was doing the right thing when he found a shotgun in his garden. He took the shotgun to the police station and was immediately arrested for possession of a firearm without permit and criminally charged — an offense that brings five years imprisonment. Prosecutor Brian Stalk insisted that this is a strict liability offense and his intent to help police does not matter — he is a menace to society as defined under the criminal code.

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Journalist Charged with Pornography for Sending Pictures of Woman in Unassisted Child Birth to Government Officials

125px-Flag_of_Zambia.svg85px-Coat_of_arms_of_zambiaThere is a disturbing trial being held in Zambia where the news editor of The Post, Chansa Kabwela, sent photos of a woman giving birth in a hospital car park without assistance to highlight the costs of a nursing strike and poor government policies. She was right. The officials, including Zambia’s President, Rupiah Banda, were horrified. They immediately arrested Kabwela for distributing pornography.
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“Religious Convictions”: When Children Die, Religion Is No Defense

300px-AbrahamHere is today’s column from the Washington Post on the benefits of a new type of “good-faith” defense. While “religious convictions” are usually a reference to personal faith, it turns out that it has a distinct and disturbing meaning for criminal sentencing.
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City of Fights: Internet Promotion Sparks Violence in Paris

200px-Tour_Eiffel_Wikimedia_CommonsWe often discuss liability issues associated with promotional events. Now, it seems that the French are dealing with the same problem. An Internet company canceled a promotional event in which it promised to hand out thousands of dollars in cash. The result was violence as the crowd took out their disappointment on police and parked cars. The site for Mailorama still shows a bus throwing money.

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School Accused of Terrorizing Students With Faked Murder

tape3_MED284401sdcParents at the Fox Hill Primary School in Sheffield England are a bit put out over a curious educational program at the school. When children showed up at the school recently, they were met by a bloody crime scene, a dead teacher on the ground, and police. They were asked to solve the crime but not told that it was all for fun.
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