Criminal Justice
Biden's Race-Ending Debate Performance Was So Bad That It Eclipsed Trump's Flagrant Falsehoods
Voters should not dismiss the former president's utter disregard for the truth as a personal quirk or standard political practice.
Secret Service Director Receives Bipartisan Condemnation in Oversight Hearing
While there was some political grandstanding among members of Congress, the bipartisan demand for answers was refreshing.
The Trump Campaign Won't Stop Lying About a Minnesota Man Acquitted of Shooting at Police
Jaleel Stallings became an attack ad for Republicans. What they don't mention is that he was acquitted, and a police officer pleaded guilty to assaulting him.
Firearms Policy Coalition Takes No Prisoners in Sharp Response to Thin-Skinned Maine Governor
Gov. Janet Mills’s office referred critical social media posts to the police. The FPC pushed back.
Biden's Final Flip-Flop
The president's decision to drop out after insisting he never would continued a pattern established by a long career of politically convenient reversals.
The DOOBIE Act Would Limit Government Discrimination Against People Who Have Smoked Weed
Under the law, the feds couldn't deny you a job or security clearance just because you've used marijuana in the past.
Man Who Was Arrested for Flipping Off Cop Settles for $175,000
However distasteful, the First Amendment protects a citizen’s right to give a police officer the middle finger.
FCC Will Cap the Cost of Prison Phone Calls
The move would lower the per-minute cost precipitously and allow inmates to better keep in touch with friends and family.
Want To Catch Serial Killers Faster? Listen to Sex Workers.
The cases of Joey the Player and the Long Island Serial Killer show how systemic neglect and the failure to pass an immunity bill have left violent criminals on the loose for far too long.
Republicans Have Completely Abandoned Criminal Justice Reform
In the Republican party platform and at the 2024 convention, alternatives to tough-on-crime policies are unfortunately in short supply.
RNC Speakers Give Exaggerated Impression of Immigrant Crime
Tuesday’s programming was light on policy and heavy on horror.
Biden Cites the Farcical FBI-Assisted Plot To Kidnap Gretchen Whitmer as an Example of Political Violence
The plot to kidnap the Michigan governor was in large part concocted and encouraged by paid FBI informants and their Bureau handlers.
The Case Against Alec Baldwin Is Not a Slam Dunk
New Mexico law requires quite a high standard for proving criminal negligence.
Determined To Avoid Presidential Paralysis, SCOTUS Endorses Presidential Impunity
We need not conjure "extreme hypotheticals" to understand the danger posed by an "energetic executive" who feels free to flout the law.
Journalist Sues Cops Who Handcuffed Him for Photographing 'Cop City' Arrests
After police detained Benjamin Hendren, they urged construction workers to lie about him.
9th Circuit Rejects Qualified Immunity for Honolulu Cops Who Handcuffed 10-Year-Old Girl
Officers should have known that handcuffing a compliant 10-year-old is unnecessary, the court ruled.
The Man Who Hated Rules
Hacktivist-journalist Barrett Brown sets out to settle scores in his new memoir.
Study: George Floyd Protests Did Not Cause Mass Exodus of Police Officers
Most officer retirements happened in 2021, and there is no evidence showing cities with more intense protests saw a greater number of officer exits.
California Democrats 'Water Down' Sex Trafficking Bill. Good.
The original version was overly punitive.
Labour Wins U.K. Elections as Conservatives Collapse and Third Parties Surge
Keir Starmer’s Labour secures a sweeping victory, taking the helm from Rishi Sunak.
Rapper B.G. Ordered To Turn Over New Song Lyrics to the Feds
Supervised release shouldn't require former inmates to give up their First Amendment rights.
Indian Students Who Enrolled in Fake University Run by ICE Can Sue the Government, Court Rules
A federal appeals court ruled that the government is not immune from a breach-of-contract lawsuit filed by foreign students duped into enrolling into a fake school run by ICE.
The Best of Reason: What Caused the D.C. Crime Wave?
Don't blame criminal justice reform or a lack of social spending for D.C.'s crime spike. Blame government mismanagement.
Sotomayor Is Right: The Supreme Court Should Reevaluate Absolute Immunity for Prosecutors
The doctrine makes it nearly impossible for victims of prosecutorial misconduct to get recourse.
Federal Judge, ICE Agents Linked to Compromised Spyware Use
The surveillance company mSpy just suffered its third data breach in a decade, exposing government officials snooping for both official and unofficial reasons.
Sacramento Cops Shared License Plate Data With Anti-Abortion States
And a grand jury says that's illegal.
Supreme Court's Presidential Immunity Ruling Could Shield Outrageous Abuses of Power
By requiring "absolute" immunity for some "official acts" and "presumptive" immunity for others, the justices cast doubt on the viability of Donald Trump's election interference prosecution.
Ketanji Brown Jackson Joins Conservative Justices in Upending Hundreds of January 6 Cases
Her concurrence is a reminder that the application of criminal law should not be infected by personal animus toward any given defendant.
SCOTUS Rejects a Legal Interpretation Underlying Capitol Riot Charges
The decision also negates two counts of the federal indictment accusing Donald Trump of illegally interfering in the 2020 presidential election.
Why Are Liberals Suddenly Denouncing the Right to a Jury Trial?
Justice Sonia Sotomayor called the Supreme Court ruling in SEC v. Jarkesy "a power grab." She's right, but in the wrong way.
Baltimore Brings Back Controversial Cellphone Hacking System
A year after a court told Maryland police that Cellebrite searches were too broad, Baltimore quietly resumed using the software.
He Faced a Terrorism Probe, Went to Jail on a Gun Charge, and Now Is Charged With Drug Possession
Although the FBI never produced evidence that Ali Hemani was a threat to national security, it seems determined to imprison him by any means necessary.
'I Don't Support Mandates From Government': John Stossel Interviews Libertarian Presidential Nominee Chase Oliver
The candidate makes the case against the two-party system.
Students in This Illinois School District Are Getting Tickets for Misbehaving
The fines, which can reach over $750, are disproportionately likely to be handed out to black students, a complaint with the Education Department alleges.
Reason Wins 7 Southern California Journalism Awards
First-place finishes include an investigative piece on egregious misconduct in federal prison, a documentary on homelessness, best magazine columnist, and more.
The Supreme Court Again Strengthens the Right to a Jury Trial in Criminal Sentencing
Paul Erlinger was sentenced to 15 years in prison based largely on a determination made by a judge—not a jury.
SCOTUS Dodges a Crucial Problem With Disarming People Based on Restraining Orders
The Court says "a credible threat" justifies a ban on gun possession but does not address situations where there is no such judicial finding.
The Stop Comstock Act Doesn't Go Far Enough
Upcoming legislation would repeal parts of the 1873 law that could be used to target abortion, but the Comstock Act's reach is much more broad than that.