Category Archives: Courts

Justice Breyer tells America: The Death Penalty is broken, and a “humane” method of killing will not fix it.

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES _________________ No. 14–7955 _________________ RICHARD E. GLOSSIP, et al., PETITIONERS v. KEVIN J. GROSS, et al. on writ of certiorari to the united states court of appeals for the tenth circuit [June 29, 2015] Justice Breyer, … Continue reading

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Are Schools Violating the American With Disabilities Act Every Time a Kid Goes to Court?

Are you looking for a new approach to dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline?  The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Rehabilitation Act bar any federal program, or institutions receiving federal grants (such as schools), from discriminating against people due … Continue reading

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Stop and Frisk: Dispelling the Myth of NYPD Victory

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently put the brakes on the victory won by civil rights and social justice groups in Floyd v. City of New York.  Many New Yorkers had been condemning the NYPD’s policy of stopping young … Continue reading

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What Do Prosecutors Fail to Understand About Defense Counsel?

Around the nation there are prosecutors who are tasked with an overwhelming number of cases.  Occasionally they may have a serious felony, such as rape or murder, but what bogs them down is the immense number of simple possession charges … Continue reading

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Herman Wallace: “Get Me The F#@k Outta Here.”

Those are the timeless words reportedly uttered by Angola 3 member Herman Wallace, who was finally released from Angola State Penitentiary after over 40 years.  “Get me the f#@k outta here.”  Most of his time had been spent in solitary … Continue reading

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3 Reasons to Thank a Public Defender

This is the 50th Year of Gideon, which possibly means little to the majority of people in America- or so they believe.  Fifty years ago, the Supreme Court decided that American citizens have a right to a lawyer in court.  … Continue reading

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Does the Prosecution Rest? Changing the Narrative to Let Justice Be Done

The George Zimmerman trial is on my Facebook wall.  It is on TV at the gym.  Needless to say, from a guy who doesn’t have a TV: it is everywhere.  Because this case is one of the few high-profile cases … Continue reading

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Supreme Court and Voting Rights: What They Did, and What We Do Next

The good news:  Racism is over. The bad news:  This is the lie we keep telling ourselves while racist actions are still happening at the highest levels of government. For instance, a recent FBI investigation in Alabama recorded state senators … Continue reading

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Part Four: Is Campaign Finance Driven By Cops, Courts, and Corrections?

Mayor Bloomberg is term-limited, thus the city will lose its primary supporter of the Stop & Frisk policy in 2013.  Whereas many Democrats participated in the Silent March of over 10,000 people last summer, some Republicans have suggested that NYPD … Continue reading

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Part Three: Comparing the Precincts- Is Crime Reduced by Stop-and-Frisk?

As the Floyd v. New York trial continues in federal court, we hear various rationales about why the policy’s effectiveness trumps the widespread erosion (if not clear violation) of civil rights.  The primary excuse for wholesale stopping of pedestrians, frequently … Continue reading

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