No, Imprisoning a School Shooter's Parents Isn't Justice
James Crumbley, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, may be an unsympathetic defendant. But this prosecution still made little sense.
Prosecutors
Nathan Wade Resigns From Trump Prosecution in Georgia
Neither Wade's letter of resignation, nor District Attorney Fani Willis' letter accepting his resignation, grapple with what a complete unforced error their relationship was.
Interview Transcripts Support Robert Hur's Description of Biden's 'Poor Memory'
During a congressional hearing, the former special counsel caught flak from Democrats outraged by his legally mitigating but politically damaging portrayal of the president.
After 17 Years, Feds Stop Trying To Imprison a Licensed Medical Marijuana Provider
Charlie Lynch’s ordeal is a vivid reminder of a senseless prohibition policy that persists thanks to political inertia.
4 Reasons Trump Says a Judge Should Dismiss Charges in the Classified Documents Case
His lawyers assert presidential immunity and discretion, criticize an "unconstitutionally vague" statute, and question the special counsel's legal status.
The Justice Department Quietly Ends Reprosecution of Man Who Received Clemency From Trump
Philip Esformes was sentenced for charges on which a jury hung. After receiving a commutation, the federal government vowed to try to put him back in prison.
Goodbye, Navalny
Plus: A listener asks if the editors have criteria for what constitutes a good law.
Prosecutor Fani Willis Touts the Value of Cash, but What About the Rest of Us?
Unfortunately, Willis’s Fulton County includes assets seized from non-prosecutors in its budget.
Alvin Bragg Is Trying To Punish Trump for Something That Is Not a Crime
The essence of the case, the Manhattan D.A. says, is that Trump "corrupt[ed] a presidential election" by concealing embarrassing information.
She Was Arrested for Her Journalism. A Federal Court Says She Can't Sue.
Priscilla Villarreal, also known as "Lagordiloca," has sparked a debate about free speech and who, exactly, is a journalist.
'Someone Is Going To Die Today': Did Daniel Penny Act in Self-Defense?
"I have encountered many things," one witness told the grand jury, "but nothing that put fear into me like that."
Federal Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Reform Prosecutor Removed from Office by Ron DeSantis
"The First Amendment prevents DeSantis from identifying a reform prosecutor and then suspending him to garner political benefit," U.S. Circuit Judge Jill Pryor wrote.
5th Circuit Reluctantly Rules Against Victim of a Prosecutor Who Was Also a Law Clerk
Ralph Petty's "conflicted dual-hat arrangement" as an advocate and an adjudicator was "utterly bonkers," Judge Don Willett notes.
Hunter Biden's Lawyers Say the Gun Ban He Violated Is Unconstitutional, Widely Flouted, and Rarely Enforced
The president's son is seeking dismissal of three felony charges based on his illegal 2018 firearm purchase.
Hunter Biden's Multiplying Charges Exemplify a Profound Threat to Trial by Jury
Prosecutors have enormous power to coerce guilty pleas, which are the basis for nearly all convictions.
Prosecutors Agree He Shot a Man in Self-Defense. They're Still Trying To Put Him in Prison.
LaShawn Craig may spend years behind bars—because the gun he used to justifiably shoot someone was unlicensed.
Goodbye to George Santos and Henry Kissinger
Plus: an unexpected digression into the world of Little Debbie dessert snack cakes.
Janet Reno Is No Hero
A new biography by Judith Hicks Stiehm ignores Janet Reno's many failures as attorney general.
Prosecutors Use Lyrics, Diary Entries as Evidence in Georgia RICO Cases
In separate criminal racketeering cases, prosecutors are using rap lyrics and the personal diary of a protester shot and killed by police as evidence.
Trump Gag Order Raises Unsettled Constitutional Questions
A D.C. Circuit judge says the government’s defense of the order gives short shrift to "the First Amendment’s vigorous protection of political speech."
Marvin Guy, Who Shot a Cop During a No-Knock Raid, Is Found Guilty of Murder
He is not the first defendant that has struggled to reconcile the controversial raids with self-defense.
This Cop Was Acquitted for His Role in the Breonna Taylor Raid. The Feds Are Prosecuting Him—Again.
Maybe Brett Hankison shouldn't have been found not guilty, but he was. The Constitution says it should stop there.
Civil Forfeiture Defendants Have the Right to a Jury Trial, Says the Indiana Supreme Court
That prosecutors in the Hoosier State successfully denied people this due process is a reflection of how abusive civil forfeiture can be.
He Allegedly Killed a Cop During a No-Knock Raid. Will the Jury Agree It Was Self-Defense?
Almost 10 years after his arrest, Marvin Guy will soon learn if he'll spend the rest of his life in prison.
Why Is Trump Worried About What Mark Meadows Might Say in the Election Interference Cases?
The former White House chief of staff is one of several former Trump advisers who are cooperating with prosecutors.
He's Going to Prison for Twitter Trolling. That's Not Justice.
Douglass Mackey's case raised questions about free speech, overcriminalization, and a politicized criminal legal system.
How Sidney Powell's Plea Deal Could Hurt Trump in the Georgia Racketeering Case
The election conspiracy theorist struck a deal that allows her to avoid prison by testifying for the prosecution.
The Latest Trump Gag Order Is Relatively Narrow but Still Raises Constitutional Questions
A federal judge barred the former president from "publicly targeting" witnesses, prosecutors, or court personnel.
Prosecutors Appeal Proud Boys' Prison Sentences Over January 6 Riot
Prosecutors asked for longer prison sentences at trial and now seem to be trying again.
Matthew Shepard's Murder Was Almost Certainly Not an Anti-Gay Hate Crime
President Biden commemorated the 25th anniversary of his tragic death by celebrating legislation passed in Shepard's name. But it was based on a major falsehood.
Target Shuts Stores as Criminal Justice Reform Gets Mugged
We need less intrusive law enforcement, not the treatment of crime as a lark.
Hunter Biden's Multiplying Gun Charges Threaten the Right to Arms and the Right to Trial
The collapse of his plea deal set up a clash with his father, who doggedly defends the firearm regulations his son violated.
Joint Trial of Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro Illustrates the Fuzziness of Georgia's RICO Law
The two alleged racketeers complain that irrelevant evidence concerning distinct, uncoordinated conduct aimed at keeping Donald Trump in office will impair their defense.
Georgia Charges 'Cop City' Protesters Under RICO Law Used To Indict Trump
Among the indicted are a Southern Poverty Law Center attorney acting as a legal observer and three people who run a bail fund.
How Rudy Giuliani's Drinking Habits Could Hurt Trump's Defense
Special Counsel Jack Smith reportedly is keenly interested in whether the former New York mayor gave Trump legal advice while intoxicated.
Without a Diversion Agreement, Hunter Biden Could Go to Prison Under an Arbitrary Gun Law His Dad Supports
Special Counsel David Weiss will face a Second Amendment challenge if he prosecutes the president's son for illegally buying a firearm.
Fani Willis Is Abusing Georgia's Terrible RICO Law
Trump and his acolytes' conduct was indefensible, but the state's RICO law is overly broad and makes it too easy for prosecutors to bring charges.
The Arbitrary Ban on Gun Possession by Drug Users Invites Wildly Uneven Enforcement
Violators are rarely caught, while the unlucky few who face prosecution can go to prison for years.
Hunter Biden and Donald Trump Should Both Have Jury Trials
End the government’s plea-bargaining racket with open and adversarial jury trials.
Why Kamala Harris Won't Be Asked About the Suicide of a Newspaperman She Persecuted
When it comes to conflicts with people engaged in unpopular or disfavored speech, too many journalists side with the feds.
Have We Lost Track of the Trump Indictments Yet?
Plus: Why don't journalists support free speech anymore?
Trump's Prosecution Could Be Stymied by the Blurry Line Between Deceit and Self-Delusion
His state of mind when he tried to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election remains a mystery, perhaps even to him.
The Legally Authorized Charges Against Donald Trump and Hunter Biden Don't Tell Us What Justice Requires
The nature of their conduct is a better indicator of the punishment they deserve.
Should Donald Trump and Hunter Biden Both Be Prosecuted?
Plus: A listener question concerning drug decriminalization and social well-being
How Hunter Biden's Plea Deal Fell Apart
A federal judge objected to two aspects of the agreement that seemed designed to shield Biden from the possibility that his father will lose reelection next year.