How the government can steal your stuff: 6 questions about civil asset forfeiture answered

Editor's note: Should someone wearing a badge have the power to relieve a suspected drug dealer of his Maserati on the spot without giving him an opportunity to flee or liquidate and launder his assets? Known as civil asset forfeiture, this practice might sound like a wise policy. But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in Congress are challenging the Trump administration's embrace of the arrangement, which strips billions of dollars a year from Americans - who often have not been charged with a crime.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions to meet separately with federal, local law enforcement in Portland

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions holds a news conference at the Department of Justice July 20, 2017 in Washington, D.C. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions holds a news conference at the Department of Justice July 20, 2017 in Washington, D.C. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will be in Portland Tuesday to meet separately with federal and local law enforcement, an administration official confirmed Sunday night. Sessions will discuss multiple subjects, including immigration, violent crime, drug enforcement and the opioid epidemic, the official said.

Federal Judge rules Justice Department can’t withhold funds from sanctuary cities

A Federal judge on Friday block the Justice Department from withholding funds from public-safety programs to deter the sanctuary city policies aimed at protecting immigrants. U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber ruled that the Justice Department could not impose those requirements, addressing that if the city was forced to carry them out before settling the lawsuit, there would be irreparable damage to the immigrant community.

‘Red flag’ calls signalled post-Irma deaths at nursing home

Messages left on the sidewalk of the Rehabilitation Center of Hollywood Hills nursing home a day after eight people died and a criminal investigation by local agencies continued into how the rehab center allowed patients to stay without a working air condition system during the pass of Hurricane Irma through South Florida on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017.

a Red flaga calls signalled post-Irma deaths at nursing home

In this Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017 file photo, a woman is transported from The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills as patients are evacuated after a loss of air conditioning due to Hurricane Irma in Hollywood, Fla.

Hurricane Irma: Nursing home tragedy unfolded days after storm’s initial hit

The first 911 call from the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills didn't sound ominous: A nursing home patient had an abnormal heartbeat. An hour later, came a second call: a patient had trouble breathing.

Judge: Sessions can’t deny grant money for sanctuary cities

Attorney General Jeff Sessions can't follow through - at least for now - with his threat to withhold public safety grant money to Chicago and other so-called sanctuary cities for refusing to impose new tough immigration policies, a judge ruled Friday in a legal defeat for the Trump administration. In what is at least a temporary victory for cities that have defied Sessions, U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber ruled that the Justice Department could not impose the requirements.

Lawmakers seeks probe of Phoenix police immigration policy

An Arizona lawmaker says Phoenix police are violating provisions of a contentious 2010 law known as SB 1070 that requires police to inquire about the immigration status of people they suspect are in the country illegally. Republican Sen. John Kavanagh said Friday that policy changes the department adopted in July illegally restrict when officers can inquire about a person's immigration status.

Associated Press Seaford man sentenced for heroin distribution, gun charges

A Seaford man was sentenced on Thursday to over five years in prison for having a gun and distributing heroin in Seaford. According to the Department of Justice, Bob Bennett pleaded guilty in May to possession with intent to distribute heroin, in violation of Title 21, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Free Speech for the Right? A Primer on Key Legal Questions and Principles

The rise in national attention to the "alt-right" and fascist-white supremacist protesters has raised questions about the parameters of free speech in America. When can free speech be limited, if ever? What are the implications of attempting to limit controversial speech? And what precedents has the Supreme Court set regarding free speech? I address these questions below via an exploration of historical Supreme Court cases, which show that there's no legal pretext for a blanket ban on far-right protests.

Q & A: US Warrantless Surveillance Under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

Section 702 of the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act , a warrantless surveillance law that underpins two massive internet and telephone monitoring programs, will expire on December 31, 2017, unless Congress renews it. The law enables the National Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other US bodies to gather and/or search private communications without a warrant.

Opinion: Is Trumpa s pardon of Joe Arpaio really legal? This lawyer thinks ita s not

After Sheriff Joe Arpaio was found guilty of defying a court order instructing him to stop infringing on Latino Americans' constitutional rights, the president pardoned him. Unlike past pardons, this presidential act threatens the judicial branch's authority, the right to equal protection, and the Constitution itself.

Arpaio political opponents challenge Trumpa s pardon in court

A number of the former Arizona lawman's political opponents have filed briefs this week urging the judge who convicted him to at least leave the stain on his record and even consider refusing to recognize the pardon, forcing Mr. Arpaio to serve jail time. The anti-Arpaioans say the former sheriff's transgressions were so bad, and Mr. Trump 's decision so unusual, that the pardon is unconstitutional.

Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli jailed over threat to Hillary Clinton

Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli jailed over threat to Hillary Clinton A federal judge revoked Shkreli's bail pending sentencing on a separate fraud convictions Check out this story on dailyworld.com: https://usat.ly/2w9NzKM The infamous pharmaceutical exec was denied bail after offering a bounty for Hilary Clinton's hair on social media. After the decision, Shkreli's attorney had few words for the press.

‘An outright assault’ on an ‘independent DOJ’: White House doubles down on Comey attacks

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders doubled down on comments she made earlier this week about former FBI Director James Comey having potentially broken the law when he leaked notes memorializing his conversations with the president to a friend, who then gave them to The New York Times. Asked on Wednesday "what specifically" Sanders was referring to when she said on Tuesday that some of Comey's conduct could have been illegal, Sanders replied that "the memos that Comey leaked were created on an FBI computer while he was the director."