Criminal Justice

Today in Legal History: Parliament Passes Tea Act, Ehrlichman Released

On this day in 1773, the British Parliament passed the Tea Act. Enormously unpopular in America, where colonials considered its grant of a virtual tea monopoly to the East India Company a form of taxation tyranny, the legislation sparked the so-called Boston Tea Party led by radical Patriot Samuel Adams…

Apr 27, 2007 11:00 AM CDT

Spector Defense in Murder Trial: She Did It

Presenting the case for Phil Spector today in his Los Angeles murder trial, defense counsel essentially said he didn’t do it – and she did. Scientific evidence shows Lana Clarkson, 40, best known as a B-movie actress, shot herself at Spector’s home four years ago, a defense lawyer told the…

Apr 27, 2007 1:29 AM CDT

Lawsuit: 7-Year-Old Citizen Locked In With Dad

A 7-year-old California boy was rousted from his bed at home by federal immigration authorities and illegally held with his father for 10 hours in a locked room earlier this year, according to a lawsuit filed today in federal court in San Francisco. Even though Noe Reyes showed agents his…

Apr 27, 2007 12:52 AM CDT

Massive Colo. Gang Sweep, Football Murder Tie

Authorities in Denver conducted a massive sweep at dawn today and arrested dozens of alleged street gang members. The case reportedly involved extensive wiretapping and has developed information concerning the Jan. 1 drive-by murder of a professional football player. Today’s sweep, conducted by federal and local law enforcement, was the…

Apr 27, 2007 12:06 AM CDT

Top U.S. Officer Allegedly Aided Enemy in Iraq

In an unusual case that could conceivably lead to the death penalty upon conviction, a former top U.S. military commander at a maximum security prison near Baghdad reportedly has been charged with aiding the enemy in Iraq. According to a statement released today by the military, Lt. Col. William H.…

Apr 26, 2007 10:02 PM CDT

Defendant Aces Bible Quiz, Wins Release

When a lawyer for a man accused of a credit card offense described him as a churchgoer in an Ohio courtroom yesterday, hoping to win his release on a low bond, the judge was skeptical. But when he asked the defendant to recite the 23rd Psalm, Eric Hine rattled off…

Apr 26, 2007 9:44 PM CDT

Massacre Fallout: ‘A’ Student Charged for Essay

A straight-A student at a suburban Chicago high school reportedly was charged with disorderly conduct yesterday over a paper he had written for his English class. Authorities declined to specify exactly what was said in the paper that disturbed the 18-year-old student’s teacher and led to his arrest Tuesday, but…

Apr 26, 2007 6:39 PM CDT

Today in Legal History: Guillotine First Used, Vt. Civil Unions First in U.S.

On this day in 1792, the guillotine reportedly was first used in France to execute a highwayman, Nicolas-Jacques Pelletier. At the time, despite its subsequent notoriety as a means of killing some 15,000 during the French Revolution, the guillotine was considered a swift, certain and more humane way of putting…

Apr 26, 2007 5:08 PM CDT

Chief Justice Complains of ‘Revisionist’ Spin

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy provided the crucial swing vote yesterday in three Supreme Court cases striking down the death sentences of Texas inmates, a New York Times article points out. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. argued in a dissent that the majority was putting an unwarranted spin on the…

Apr 26, 2007 2:25 PM CDT

DOJ: Gitmo Lawyers Threaten Security, Need Limits

The U.S. Justice Department is seeking greater restrictions on lawyers representing detainees at Guantanamo Bay, saying they are causing “intractable problems and threats to security.”

Apr 26, 2007 1:14 PM CDT

Soda Theft Defendant: ‘I Should Have Had a V-8’

Arrested and eventually given a suspended sentence for stealing a soda from a convenience store, apparently while in an inebriated state, the defendant in a Mobile, Ala., case reportedly was still unbroken after pleading guilty to a reduced third-degree theft charge. Reminded by the judge that he had spent some…

Apr 26, 2007 3:28 AM CDT

Subpoena Frenzy as Democrats Wield Power

In an exercise of force by the Democrat-controlled Congress, legislators today approved what a New York Times article described as a “flurry” of subpoenas. The main issues targeted are the Bush administration approach to the Iraq war and the discretion exercised by federal prosecutors, as well as its alleged use…

Apr 26, 2007 2:33 AM CDT

Gonzales Battle Puts Latino Groups in Hot Spot

As the controversy over Attorney General Alberto Gonzales continues, Latino groups reportedly are torn. Many gladly endorsed the elevation of the son of migrant farmworkers to the nation’s top prosecutorial position. Now that he is on the hot seat, however, over the controversial firing of eight U.S. attorneys – and…

Apr 26, 2007 2:12 AM CDT

State: Spector Threatened Others With Gun

Famed music producer Phil Spector in the past took other women home and threatened them with a gun before going too far with Lana Clarkson four years ago, the prosecution argued today in opening statements at his second-degree murder trial in Los Angeles. In an alcohol-fueled rage, Spector put a…

Apr 26, 2007 1:51 AM CDT

New Gonzales Salvo: Goodling Immunity Grant

House Judiciary Committee chairman has yet to issue aide’s subpoena over the controversial firings of eight U.S. attorneys.

Apr 25, 2007 7:56 PM CDT