After the Florida Supreme Court threw out the $145 billion jury award against Big Tobacco, the industry celebrated the avoidance of a near disaster. However, individual cases are now lining up to return to court ahead of a January 11th deadline. Continue reading “Florida Tobacco Cases Head Back to Trial Court After Engle Defeat”
The American Bar Association has called for a freeze on executions across the country. Continue reading “ABA Calls for Freeze on Executions”
One of the concerns about closing the Cuba facilities for detainees is that it would only lead to detainees disappearing into unknown facilities. That concern seems to have been realized with regard to the CIA secret prisons. Continue reading “CIA Secret Prisons Emptied: Prisoners Disappear”
In an unexpected move, the U.S. Army is close to overturning the convictions of 63 black soldiers 63 years ago in Seattle after rioting of POWs at Fort Lawton. Continue reading “Convictions of Black Soldiers Overturned — 63 Years Later”
Never a great defender of the constitutional rights as a senator, Sen. Craig will now raise an important challenge to the constitutionality of his arrest. Continue reading “Craig Will Argue Constitutional Argument”
The White House has issued a defense of Judge Mukasey’s presumably false testimony that he was unaware of the techniques used in waterboarding — the favorite form of torture employed by the CIA. Continue reading “White House Issues Implausible Defense of Mukasey’s Allegedly False Testimony”
The New York Times has qouted Majority Leader Harry Reid in an extraordinary statement and suggests that Democrats will not fight on the principle of torture — or another civil liberties issue in the last six years. Continue reading “Democratic Majority Leader Reid Says Torture is Just One Issue and Would Not Bar Mukasey”
FEMA is still trying to recover from its almost criminal negligence during the Katrina disaster. Eager to court good news on its California efforts, however, FEMA showed equally bad judgment in staging a news conference in which staffers posed questions like reporters without revealing the deception to the public. Continue reading “FEMA Fakes News Conference Using Staff Members as Faux Reporters”
The Missouri Highway Patrol is testing a new scanning device that can detect the presence of meth at the press of a button. Continue reading “Police Developing Meth Gun — And Raising Serious Privacy and Policy Questions”
The Geroge Supreme Court has found the 10-year sentence of Genarlow Wilson to be unconstitutional as cruel and unusual punishment. It is the final righting of a terrible wrong — brought about by a complete lack of prosecutorial discretion and logic. Continue reading “Georgia Supreme Court Strikes Down Ten Year Sentence of Genarlow Wilson as Cruel and Unusual Punishment”
The White House is defending its suppression of the results of health threats caused by global warming. Continue reading “White House Issues Defense of Suppression of Testimony”
The original CDC report on climate change has been leaked. For the full testimony, click here
The UN Environment Program’s fourth Global Environmental Outlook is out and it is bleak. Continue reading “U.N. Commission Warns Global Warming and Over-Population Now Threat to Human Survival”
A trial is on the way to determine whether privacy or free speech will prevail in a torts actions against the Westboro Baptist church of Topeka, Kansas, whose members have taunted the families of dead soldiers at their funerals with signs like “Thank God for dead soldiers.” Continue reading “Westboro Church Case Pits Privacy Against Free Speech”
For many, the campaign of Rex Duncan, an Oklahoma legislator, upset at receiving a free Koran (or Quran) was just an example of one highly bigoted individual. Continue reading “Additional Lawmakers in Oklahoma Return Korans — But Not Bibles — In Condemnation of a Religion”