Do you have a loved one sentenced to a severe mandatory minimum sentence?
Many mandatory minimum sentences were invalidated last year by the Supreme Court and the law is being applied retroactively
When it was decided in 2013, the legal community knew that Alleyne v. United States would have a large impact on criminal trials throughout the country. Alleyne made mandatory […]
In Washington, Second Thoughts on Arming Police
The NY Times is reporting:
WASHINGTON — Jolted by images of protesters clashing with heavily armed police officers in Missouri, President Obama has ordered a comprehensive review of the government’s decade-old strategy of outfitting local police departments with military-grade body armor, mine-resistant trucks, silencers and automatic rifles, senior officials say.
The White House-led review will […]
Why was Michael Brown’s body left in the street for four hours?
Today the NY Times is reporting:
FERGUSON, Mo. — Just after noon on Saturday, Aug. 9, Michael Brown was shot dead by a police officer on Canfield Drive.
For about four hours, in the unrelenting summer sun, his body remained where he fell.
Neighbors were horrified by the gruesome […]
Lennon ’s Killer Is Again Denied Parole
The New York Times:
The parole board wrote to Mr. Chapman, 59, that it had concluded that if he were to be released, he would again break the law.
“This victim had displayed kindness to you earlier in the day,” it added, “and your actions have devastated a family and those […]
“Less Lethal” Flash-Bangs Leave Some Feeling the Burn
Flash-bang devices are one of many military-style weapons being used in Ferguson, along with tear gas and beanbag munitions.
Aug 23, 2014 |By Abbie Nehring andProPublica
Scientific American is reporting:
Peter Callahan was caught between two police lines in the West Florissant section of Ferguson, Mo., on Sunday night, when something fiery hot singed […]
A breakthrough that could end our dependence on fossil fuels
Until now, scientists have used precious metals like platinum for the electrodes. But the prohibitive cost limits the technology’s application in large-scale industrial processes. Now, a team has found a cheaper alternative: nickel metal coated with nickel oxide and attached to carbon nanotubes. Using the nickel electrodes, the team […]
Four rare white lion cubs born in Germany.
BBC is reporting :
Four rare white lion cubs – three males and one female – have been born at a circus in eastern Germany.
The cubs are healthy, eating well and playing in the straw at Munich-based Circus Krone, which is currently on tour in Magdeburg.
They are not albinos. Their […]
Republicans attempt to block D.C. decriminalization of marijuana and tighter gun restrictions
Reuters is reporting that Efforts by congressional Republicans to block new laws in Washington, D.C., decriminalizing marijuana possession and tightening restrictions on guns have provoked a summer tempest between residents of the capital and U.S. lawmakers.
The District of Columbia’s non-voting representative in the House, […]
Mental Health Cops Help Reweave Social Safety Net In San Antonio
NPR is airing a two part series detailing how San Antonio, Texas is changing the way it’s officers approach the mentally ill.
The officers are more like social workers than law enforcers. Stevens says that’s a huge change from his early days on the police force.
[…]
Senator Rand Paul published an op ed about Ferguson in Time, where he describes the situation as an example of dangerous police militarization and racial disparities in the criminal justice system:
“…..The images and scenes we continue to see in Ferguson resemble war more than traditional police action….
There is a systemic problem with today’s law enforcement.
Not surprisingly, big government […]