AltWeeklies Wire
Will North Carolina Resume Executions or Keep the Ban?new
Now that the legal battle over a doctor's role in death row executions is nearing a conclusion, the issue of capital punishment in North Carolina is about to land in the laps of the 2009 General Assembly and Governor-elect Bev Perdue.
INDY Week |
Bob Geary |
12-04-2008 |
Crime & Justice
After the Crash, There's Little Recourse for Those Wronged by WaMunew
The problem for plaintiffs in suits against WaMu is who to go after now. Rob Williamson, an attorney who filed a class-action suit against WaMu over what he claims were hidden and excessive fees, puts it this way: "The defendant no longer exists."
Seattle Weekly |
Nina Shapiro |
12-02-2008 |
Economy
Supreme Court Watch: FOX to FCC -- WTF?new
In the case before the Court on Election Day, FCC v. Fox Television Stations, five different networks stood up to the Federal Communications Commission, whose tightening of profanity regulations in recent years has been compared to "a Victorian crusade" by former officials of the FCC itself.
San Antonio Current |
Martha B. Lackritz |
11-14-2008 |
Media
Eight RNC Protesters Accused of 'Furthering Terrorism' Thanks to Statutenew

The RNC 8 face more than the standard felony charges. For the first time, authorities are wielding an obscure state anti-terrorism statute passed in the nervous aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Matt Snyders |
11-13-2008 |
Civil Liberties
Lt. Col. Stephen Abraham: We All Share Blame for Guantanamonew
What really matters now regarding the Cuba-based U.S. detention center, according to a former military attorney who was part of the tribunals there, is simple: The American people could've prevented it and changed it.
Metro Times |
Staff |
11-11-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Same-Sex Couples Face Roadblocks to the Altar in Connecticutnew

The fact that the state has civil union laws on the books and must now permit same-sex marriage leads to a few sticky legal complications.
New Haven Advocate |
Dave Bonan |
11-11-2008 |
LGBT
Take Me to Tent Townnew

Despite the recent B.C. Supreme Court ruling, why is Victoria so scared to host a tent city when a growing number of U.S. centers let them stand?
Monday Magazine |
Jason Youmans |
10-27-2008 |
Crime & Justice
President Obama: Shut Down This Camp!
Both Obama and McCain have promised to shut down Gitmo. But neither will commit to a timeline. Now, before the election, both men should pledge to shut down America's Devil's Island on January 20, 2009.
The Way We Elect Judges Is a Shamnew
Judges can have far more direct and tangible impact on people's lives than most anyone else you'll vote for -- deciding individual fates on a daily basis. Yet we hardly know anything about them. And that seems to be exactly what the legal establishment wants.
Seattle Weekly |
Damon Agnos |
10-20-2008 |
Politics
Va. Law Offers No Recourse if Fired for Political Viewsnew

With a month to go before the election, you've probably pulled into the work parking lot with that Obama O on the side of your car or watched the Katie Couric-Sarah Palin interview in your cubicle. But you might want to be careful if your boss' politics run the other way.
C-Ville Weekly |
Mark Meier |
10-08-2008 |
Politics
The Robes Are On and the Gloves Are Off at the Supreme Courtnew
This week, the justices of the Supreme Court don their robes and reclaim their seats on the bench to open the Court's fall session. The first week alone promises enough controversy and mayhem to rival any TV late-night lineup.
San Antonio Current |
Martha Lackritz |
10-08-2008 |
Politics
A Battle of the Bong in Massachusettsnew
As the state's fiercest civic power brokers are quickly finding out, the war over Question 2 is not your typical suits vs. stoners scrum.
Boston Phoenix |
Chris Faraone |
09-25-2008 |
Drugs
Eight Days in Gitmo: Observations on the Trial of Salim Hamdannew

I now understand that no matter what aspect of Guantanamo Bay is under examination, a person can't fully understand this off-shore prison project without going, seeing, and experiencing the now iconic legal black hole that the detention center and military commissions represent.
Artvoice |
Julia Hall |
08-18-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Why Jim DeRogatis Pleaded the Fifth in the R. Kelly Trialnew

What possible crime could the Chicago Sun-Times music critic have been concealing when he repeatedly -- 15 times in all -- answered questions put to him in court by invoking his constitutional protection against self-incrimination?
Chicago Reader |
Michael Miner |
06-16-2008 |
Music
Tags: journalism, media, Chicago, law, courts, R. Kelly, Fifth Amendment, Jim DeRogatis, reporter's privilege
Maryland's Pupusa Trucks Try to Survive a Crackdownnew

Reina Ramirez estimates she's received a ticket a week since late November, when Prince George's County began cracking down on the mobile pupusa and taco trucks in Langley Park. This crackdown, fueled by business and residential complaints, has killed off one of the tastiest, most intense food cultures in the entire D.C. area.
Washington City Paper |
Tim Carman |
05-30-2008 |
Food+Drink