PORTEOUS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL — DAY FOUR

The fourth day of the Senate trial for United States District Court Judge Thomas Porteous starts today. Yesterday, we called Timmy Porteous, son of Judge Porteous and one of the judges who pleaded guilty in the Wrinkled Robe investigation. The latter was a House witness who was dropped at the end of their case in chief.
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THE PORTEOUS IMPEACHMENT CASE STARTS MONDAY

The Senate trial for United States District Court Judge Thomas Porteous begins Monday morning. I will be therefore out of pocket for the coming week and part of next week. Unfortunately, that means that postings will be extremely limited but I expect the denizens of this blog to post stories as comments in my absence. I will try to post a little each day on the schedule for the trial and maybe even a story to facilitate discussion depending if I have a second in the morning.

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Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy Found Unconstitutional

U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips in California has found the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy to be unconstitutional under the 1st Amendment and due process clause. She has informed the Obama Administration, which is defending the policy, that she intends to issue an injunction.
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German Leader Suggests Poland Partially Responsible for Nazi Invasion

A top party leader and associate of German Chancellor Angela Merkel is under fire this week for arguing that Poland may have been as responsible as Hitler for the outbreak of World War II. Erika Steinbach said Poland had mobilized its troops months before the Nazis invaded in September 1939.
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Former Officer Drinks, Drives, Kills Man, Flees Scene, and Then Orchestrates Cover-up . . . Receives One to Two Years in Jail

We previously followed the case of former Officer Donnie Breeden, 39, who was accused of killing David Hall in a hit and run and then telling friends “I’m a cop. I can’t go to jail.” Well, he will but only for one to two years.
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North Carolina Sheriffs Demand Access To State Records on Citizen Prescriptions

Sheriffs in North Carolina are demanding access to state computer records identifying anyone in the state with prescriptions for powerful painkillers and other controlled substances. The obvious intrusion into the privacy of citizens is being justified as potentially allowing police to make more drug arrests.
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Former Austin Police Officer Given Probation for Giving Drugs, Money, and Wife’s Possessions to Prostitutes

Former Austin police officer Scott Lando received a generous sentence from visiting state District Judge Fred Moore after his conviction for giving drugs, money, and even possessions of his wife to prostitutes for sex.
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For Whom the Bell Tolls: City Silences Bell in 104-Year-Old Gothic Church

St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church is being sued. The complaint targets the famous bell of the 104-year-old Gothic church which has rung for prayers, marriages, and other occasions for generations. Most residents associated the 5,000-pound bronze bell with their community but a resident has filed a complaint that silenced the bell under a threat of $700 per day if it rings in violation of the city’s noise ordinance.
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