The House surveillance bill is now complete. It does not force the government to satisfy the Fourth Amendment on surveillance of citizens and allows for a relatively weak level of review — albeit more review than President Bush will accept. Continue reading “Congress Holds Out Promise of Retroactive Immunity for Telecoms”
The death of a Virginia high school student to a drug-resistant staph highlights how little the Clinton or Bush Administrations have done on this long-known crisis. Continue reading “Virginia Student’s Death Highlights Killer Infection and Inadequate Government Action”
There has long been an erosion of parental rights in the United States as a byproduct of the decision in Roe v. Wade. Now, students who have parental permission to be treated at King Middle School’s health center in Portland would be able to get birth control prescriptions under a new proposal. Continue reading “11-Year-Old Girls in Maine May Be Allowed the Pill Without Parental Notice”
With the government still invoking the state secrets privilege on particular requests, Verizon revealed that from 2005 through this September there were 63,700 requests for information on its customers with 720 from federal authorities. Continue reading “Verizon Turns Over Vague Information on National Security Letters”
We have seen more than a few abuses of police authority for personal reasons, such as the recent charge against a fast food worker for putting too much salt in an officer’s burger. Now, a woman has been charged with disorderly conduct for swearing inside her bathroom as a toilet overflowed into the kitchen. Continue reading “Potty Mouth Offense: Cop Charges Woman For Swearing Inside Her Own Home”
Superior Court Judge Ernest Murphy recently made a little bit of history by winning a $2 million defamation judgment against the Boston Herald after that paper made him a national scandal in an article. Continue reading “Judge Charged with Misconduct for Letter to Newspaper”
In an amazing act of defiance, the Bush Administration has ordered telecommunication companies to refuse to disclose to Congress whether they have revealed information to the government in the ongoing investigation of a secret program. Continue reading “Bush Administration Bars Telecoms from Speaking with Congress on Secret Program”
In the wake of the announcement of the controversial College of the American Soldier (where recruits will get college credits for simply learning tasks in military service), Chicago has opened the country’s first public high school run by the U.S. Marines. Continue reading “Marines to Run Chicago Public High School”
Sen. Larry Craig filed an appeal Monday ater the court refused to allow him to withdraw his guilty plea. The chances are slim. The best case to challenge the charges was always the constitutionality of the underlying law. Effectively, the police are charging consenting adults with communicating an interest in sex as opposed to engaging in sex in a public place. The latter is clearly a justified criminal act. However, adults are allowed to discuss consensual sex and even signal such interest. For the full story on the appeal, click here
A mistrial was declared on Friday in the trial of Texas Southern University’s former president, Priscilla Slade, 55, who is accused of misspending school funds to lavishly decorate her homes.
Adam M. Key, a Regent University law student, says sthat the school may discipline or expel him over a picture that he posted on the internet showing Regent’s chancellor and president Pat Reobertson making what appears to be an obscene gesture. Continue reading “Regent University Student Faces Expulsion over Posting Robertson Picture”
An 11-year-old girl flying alone from San Diego to Atlanta has alleged that she was sexually molested by a man who moved into the empty seat next to her on the flight. Continue reading “Delta Sued for Alleged Child Molestation on Flight”
As a torts case, it certainly does not get stranger than a case filed in Lynn, Mass. Continue reading “Mass. Case Raises Question of the Reasonable Sadomasochist”
Academics and students are shocked by the recent appearance of a noose outside the door of an African-American professor at Columbia University. Continue reading “Columbia Refuses to Turn Over Videotape in Noose Incident”
Today, Turkey added pressure on the Administration by recalling its ambassador in Washington after a congressional committee’s decision to approve a bill describing the World War I-era killings of Armenians as genocide. Continue reading “Turkey Recalls Ambassador Over Genocide Bill”