LawCommentary
Civil asset forfeiture is a growing problem throughout the nation, driven by a profit incentive that encourages property seizures by law enforcement authorities even under… Read More
LawCommentary
I was recently bemoaning the fact that mens rea reform was not part of the various proposals that were being considered in the House and… Read More
LawCommentary
Earlier this year, New Mexico abolished civil forfeiture, the tool that allows law enforcement agencies to seize property that they think has been used in,… Read More
LawNews
PHILADELPHIA—In state capitals and courtrooms across the nation, lawmakers and lawyers are challenging a tool used by law enforcement to take property and cash from… Read More
LawNews
The disputed policing tactic that enables law enforcement to seize property from people who were never convicted, or often even charged, with a crime is… Read More
LawCommentary
Per 18 U.S. Code §604, it is a federal crime to be “in any manner concerned in soliciting or receiving” any contributions “for any political… Read More
LawNews
PHILADELPHIA—Longtime residents know East Walnut Lane, on the outskirts of Philadelphia County, as a quiet street. It’s a street lined with houses all featuring the… Read More
LawNews
PHILADELPHIA—On a September day in 2014, Leandro Banks saw his money disappear in an instant. Banks, an independent contractor, left the bank with $1,858 in… Read More
LawCommentary
Pushing the boundaries of jelly science is risky. You may sell food labeled as “jelly” only if it has a combination of two, three, four… Read More
LawCommentary
One night in 2001, 77-year-old Margaret Davis became the victim of a home invasion. A suspected drug dealer, pursued on foot by Philadelphia police, broke… Read More
LawCommentary
Last month, as the Michigan Senate debated a host of reforms to the state’s civil asset forfeiture laws, the Michigan State Police released its Asset… Read More
LawCommentary
HBO and Vice released a documentary about criminal justice problems that largely ignores existing reform initiatives. It features commentary by former Attorney General Eric Holder… Read More
LawCommentary
Enough is enough when it comes to overcriminalization. That is the message expressed in California Gov. Jerry Brown’s recent letter to the California legislature. In… Read More
LawCommentary
A powerful bipartisan group of senators announced their intention today to introduce The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015. The bill addresses “front end”… Read More
LawNews
A bipartisan group of senators have reached a long-elusive deal on criminal justice reform, with a proposal that would reduce mandatory minimum prison sentences for… Read More
LawCommentary
Earlier this year, The Heritage Foundation’s Meese Center released Arresting Your Property, a comprehensive report on civil asset forfeiture—the much maligned law enforcement tool that… Read More
LawCommentary
The Department of Justice’s criminal proceedings against General Motors, over failure to disclose an ignition switch defect, has reached a temporary resolution. The DOJ announced… Read More
LawCommentary
This afternoon, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, delivered an important speech on the Senate floor arguing that any criminal justice reform effort that is truly worthy… Read More
LawCommentary
“It made me feel like I wasn’t human. It made me feel like a criminal.” That’s what Fourteen-year-old Ahmed Mohamed, said after police handcuffed him… Read More
LawNews
Stephanie George has never used drugs, but she earned a prison sentence of life without parole for a drug-related crime. Today, by the luck of… Read More
LawCommentary
Social media are ablaze with the story of 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed, a student at MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas. On Monday morning, the amateur… Read More
LawCommentary
The war on bad fashion has a new battlefront: Dadeville, Ala. Members of the Dadeville City Council are considering an ordinance to punish people wearing… Read More
LawNews
The federal government is trying to deter California from reforming its laws governing how police can seize cash and property. The reforms to the state’s… Read More
LawNews
In Oklahoma, law enforcement agencies across 12 counties took $6 million in cash over a five-year span. Less than half of the money came from… Read More
LawNews
When Congress returns from recess early next month, lawmakers will face a bevy of partisan-infused battles on issues such as the Iran nuclear deal, Planned… Read More
LawNews
After a federal judge ordered the government return $167,000 law enforcement seized from a motorist driving through Nevada, federal prosecutors are fighting the decision. The… Read More
LawNews
Red-light cameras across Missouri were ordered to a stop this week after the state Supreme Court nullified multiple local laws authorizing the programs. The Missouri… Read More
LawCommentary
At least fifteen people have died since 2005 due to defective ignition switches in General Motors cars. Congress can’t fix these tragedies, but this sure… Read More
LawNews
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee is coming together to ask the Treasury Department to return nearly $30,000… Read More
LawNews
Piper Kerman, whose memoir about her year in a federal women’s prison—titled “Orange Is The New Black”—was adapted into a Netflix series, testified before the… Read More
