Looking back at 2017: A new threat in opioid crisis
People in New Hampshire and other parts of the Northeast were treated to an unexpected light show Tuesday when a bright fireball that appeared to be a meteor shot across the sky.
Category Archives: Criminal Defense Law
A roundup of recent Michigan newspaper editorials
Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon has taken the first two important steps in making things right with the scores of young women and girls who were molested by an MSU physician attached to the gymnastics program. Simon, who has been under fire for her lack of urgency in addressing the university's possible culpability in the serial sexual assaults by Dr. Larry Nassar, issued a belated apology last week.
Education in 2018 – Three major challenges facing America’s schools and students
Republican lawmakers are looking to change higher education in America. From student loans to apprenticeship programs, here's a look at the key issues that could be impacted.
A knock against unions could boost public workers’ rights
It is protected by Washington state's lopsidedly Democratic political class, which knows who butters its bread. It has been provided with bespoke law, tailored for its comfort.
George Will: Supreme Court case could enhance public workers’ rights
It is protected by Washington state's lopsidedly Democratic political class, which knows who butters its bread. It has been provided with bespoke law, tailored for its comfort.
Lawyers want to exclude statement by Orlando shooter’s widow
Lawyers for the widow of the man who killed dozens of people at a Florida nightclub say her statement to the FBI after the attack shouldn't be shown to jurors during her upcoming trial. Testimony continued Friday in a two-day hearing in an Orlando federal courtroom to determine which evidence can be presented at the trial scheduled to begin March 1. The Orlando Sentinel reports that Judge Paul Byron said he would announce his decision in a written order but didn't say when he expects to release that order.
GOP: The alternative to Beacon Hill corruption
Here's a sad commentary about the state of the Democrat-controlled Legislature these days: It would be a big win for Democrats if they were able to make it through a month without one of their members being linked to an FBI investigation. It would certainly be an improvement over December, when two Democrats found themselves linked to federal probes due to allegations of abuse of power or worse.
Acquittals in guilt-by-association Trump protester trial cast doubt on subsequent prosecutions
A bystander covers their face as police launch pepper spray at demonstrators on Inauguration Day 2017. CREDIT: AP Photo/John Minchillo Handed a sweeping defeat by jurors on Thursday, federal prosecutors offered no sign of surrender in the felony prosecutions of nearly 200 more people arrested in connection with an Inauguration Day protest where some marchers smashed windows and brawled with cops.
Trump commutes fraud sentence of kosher meatpacker
President Donald Trump, in a first exercise of his power to commute criminal sentences, cut short the 27-year prison term of a kosher meatpacking executive who was convicted eight years ago of bank fraud, the White House said on Wednesday. The commutation granted to Sholom Rubashkin, 57, marked only the second time that Trump has invoked his clemency authority as president, following the blanket pardon he granted earlier this year to Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County in Arizona.
Republicans Goof Up While Passing Tax Bill
Democrat wins Va. House seat in recount by single vote, creating 50-50 tie in legislature - NEWPORT NEWS - A Republican seat flipped Democratic in a wild recount Tuesday - with the Democrat winning by a single vote - creating a rare 50-50 tie between the parties in the House of Delegates In Virginia, a 11,608-to-11,607 Lesson in the Power of a Single Vote - The Democratic wave that rose on Election Day in Virginia last month delivered a final crash on the sand Tuesday when a Democratic challenger defeated a Republican incumbent by a single vote, leaving the Virginia House House must revote on approved final GOP tax bill, fearing Byrd Rule objections - The House will revote on the bill it passed to much fanfare Tuesday afternoon, fearing procedural violations in the version it already passed.
Trump allies ripping Mueller while president cooperates, but are they going too far?
Two decades ago, Bill Clinton and his allies launched a fierce attack on Ken Starr, trying to discredit the special prosecutor as he gathered evidence and ultimately got the president to admit to a grand jury that he'd had a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky. Starr was out of control, he was a zealot, he was an ex-judge in over his head, he was straying far from his mandate to probe the Whitewater land deal-it was a constant state of warfare.
Trump Transition Wants Mueller To Return Emails — But Promises To Give Them Back After ‘Vetting’
Donald Trump's transition team on Sunday demanded that Special Counsel Robert Mueller return "tens of thousands" of emails that were sent and received on government accounts before the 45th president took office. A "source close to Trump's transition told Axios on Sunday that the team plans to send a letter to Mueller this week demanding the return of emails that were reportedly obtained by the Special Counsel's Office.
Trump transition accuses Mueller of ‘unlawfully’ obtaining emails
Lawyers representing the Trump presidential transition wrote to members of Congress accusing special counsel Robert Mueller of obtaining unauthorized access to tens of thousands of transition emails, including what they claim to be documents protected by attorney-client privilege. The lawyer, Kory Langhofer, wrote to leaders of the Senate Homeland Security and House Oversight and Government Reform committees because he said the General Services Administration, which supports presidential transitions, "unlawfully produced" private materials of the transition although the GSA "did not own or control the records in question."
Uber should have given court an ex-employee’s letter about ‘fraud and theft’ in Waymo caseReuters
Ride hailing company Uber was obligated to turn over to a U.S. federal judge a letter from a former employee that told of the company's "fraud and theft" and mentioned evidence of stolen trade secrets nailed "like a scalp" to the wall, a court official said Friday. Special master, John Cooper, assigned to a lawsuit against Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] by Alphabet Inc's self-driving car unit, Waymo, released a report on Friday stating the company should have produced the letter and was wrong in keeping it from the court.
Are Americans losing faith in the U.S. justice system?
The U.S. Justice system is in trouble, not just the federal system, but the state and local systems as well.
Political theater on guns not the answer
Sen. Dianne Feinstein points to a photograph of a rifle with a "bump stock" during a news conference to announce proposed gun control legislation at the U.S. Capitol October 4, 2017 in Washington, D.C. One of the worst tendencies of politicians in the aftermath of a tragedy is the hijacking of public sentiment to promote sweeping proposals to expand government power. A recent case in point is a proposed ban on "assault weapons" after the tragic shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
‘Civil rights champion’ wins senate seat over accused child molester
Doug Jones, the Democrat who pulled off a stunning upset victory in Alabama's nail-biter Senate contest on Tuesday, is considered a champion for civil rights in a state that played a seminal role in the 1960s movement for racial equality. Jones' supporters erupted in cheers and jubilation as it became clear their portly, balding candidate had become the first Alabama Democrat to win a US Senate seat in 25 years.
Things to know about Alabama’s new US senator, Doug Jones
Doug Jones, a Democrat who once prosecuted two Ku Klux Klansmen in a deadly church bombing and has now broken the Republican lock grip on Alabama, is the state's new US senator. Jones, 63, grew up in the working-class city of Fairfield, just west of Birmingham, an area where steel mills once belched smoke that left a rust-colored haze hanging over the metro area.
Voting underway in contentious Alabama Senate race
Alabama voters headed to the polls Tuesday for a pivotal special election in which allegations of inappropriate behavior against Republican candidate Roy Moore have created a unique opportunity for Democrats in the typically ruby-red Deep South. The closely watched race between Moore and Democrat Doug Jones is expected to set the stage for the 2018 midterm elections by testing the influence of President Donald Trump and his allies, such as former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, in a tight election.
Arkansas panel clears way for new Ten Commandments marker
An Arkansas commission cleared the way Tuesday for the installation of another Ten Commandments monument outside the state Capitol, after a prior marker was shattered when a man crashed his car into the monolith than 24 hours after it was put in place. The Arkansas Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission signed off on the final design, which will include four concrete posts for the monument's protection.