Civil Rights

March on Jena Protests Justice System

A civil rights march tomorrow expected to draw tens of thousands to a tiny central Louisiana town isn’t just about perceived injustice concerning six black high school students. It’s about the way African-Americans have been treated by the American justice system throughout the history of this country, writes Leonard Pitts…

Sep 19, 2007 4:20 PM CDT

Chicago 7 Trial Sketches Spark Memories

With his feet propped up, 1960s activist Abbie Hoffman reads a book. Blue-jeans-clad cohorts munch snacks and catch up on their sleep. No, this wasn’t some student-lounge gathering but one of Chicago’s most famous trials, at which at least one celebrity poet testified in Sanskrit. Arrested after a violent confrontation…

Sep 18, 2007 10:14 PM CDT

ACLU Backs Craig in Restroom Case

The ACLU has filed a supporting brief in Sen. Larry Craig’s effort to revoke his guilty plea to a disorderly conduct charge in a restroom sex sting. The conviction violates Craig’s right of free speech under the First Amendment and is unconstitutionally vague, the American Civil Liberties Union says says…

Sep 18, 2007 12:29 AM CDT

Passengers Lobby for Airline Reform

After spending nine hours in an American Airlines jetliner sitting on the tarmac late last year, passenger Kate Hanni emerged from the ordeal with a new avocation—airline reform lobbyist. Hanni, 47, has created a lobbying arm, a Web site, and a passenger complaint hotline, met with over 150 legislators, given…

Sep 17, 2007 8:42 PM CDT

Religion Statute May Allow Gitmo Claims

Four former Guantanamo Bay military prison detainees who claim American officials abused them there haven’t had any luck trying to sue the U.S. government over alleged constitutional rights violations. But redress may be possible under a 1993 statute that says the government must have a compelling reason for infringing on…

Sep 17, 2007 3:48 PM CDT

Novel Court Order: No Gang Loitering

In an unusual and controversial approach to criminal activity by street gangs, a California judge issued a preliminary injunction today prohibiting more than 100 alleged members of a notorious Riverside street gang from gathering together in certain public areas. If it is made permanent by Superior Court Judge Edward D.…

Sep 14, 2007 11:38 PM CDT

Furor Over Presentence Story About Jurors

An unusual front-page newspaper article about jurors selected, after four months of questioning, to determine the sentence in a high-profile death-penalty case has caused a furor. The prosecutor, defense counsel, at least some jurors, and journalism experts are among those questioning the Connecticut Post’s judgment in printing the article, according…

Sep 14, 2007 5:00 PM CDT

Muslim Religious Freedom Movement Sparks Threats

An organized movement to allow Muslims to renounce their faith has prompted death threats and reportedly made its leader the most talked-about public figure in the Netherlands. The campaign for religious freedom was launched yesterday, on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, by the Committee for Ex-Muslims.…

Sep 12, 2007 6:48 PM CDT

Cost of TV-Phone-Net Deals: No Privacy

Big Brother may not be watching you. But, chances are, Corporate America is—especially if you have a package cable television or telephone deal. If you read the fine print on your contract for phone, cable television and Internet service with certain providers, it’s clear that “not only does the company…

Sep 12, 2007 3:44 PM CDT

Big-Firm Alumni Have Van, Will Practice

Three former big-firm attorneys in Atlanta have made a name for themselves in a way that would have been hard to predict years ago. Jamie Hernan, Christopher Taylor and Jerome Lee have not only left King & Spalding and formed their own firm but bought a van in which they…

Sep 11, 2007 11:47 PM CDT

Rape Victim Sues Judge Over R-Word Ban

An alleged acquaintance-rape victim has sued the Nebraska judge who banned her from using the word “rape” in testimony, in what her lawyer describes as a troubling trend. A federal lawsuit filed in Lincoln contends Lancaster County District Judge Jeffre Cheuvront violated Tory Bowen’s rights of due process and free…

Sep 10, 2007 4:39 PM CDT

Terrorism Trial Scorecard

A little over a year ago, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a 68-page report that listed what the DOJ considers the country’s major terrorism cases. In an article that is part of a special terrorism issue, the ABA Journal now uses the report as a basis for a scorecard…

Sep 7, 2007 10:40 AM CDT

No Courtroom Jihad in Moussaoui Trial

The judge and the lawyers wanted a fair trial. Terrorism defendant Zacarias Moussaoui wanted something different: a courtroom jihad against the United States. “He fought with the judge. He fought with his lawyers. Eventually, he fought with the prosecutors in a riveting cross-examination. But all of those battles were in…

Sep 7, 2007 9:59 AM CDT

Law Prof Battled Bush at the White House

What many contend was an excessive use of executive power by President George W. Bush is suddenly the topic of the month. An insider who happens to be a law professor has written something of a tell-all book on the subject, and major publications are vying to offer the most…

Sep 6, 2007 12:29 AM CDT

Philippines Abortions: Illegal, Yet Done

Abortions are illegal in the Philippines, but that doesn’t prevent women from having an estimated 500,000 annually. Some 80,000 reportedly are treated in hospitals each year for complications from induced abortions, and another 800 die. Methods commonly used include a “massage” by a midwife or ingesting a concoction of drugs,…

Sep 5, 2007 3:29 PM CDT