LawCommentary
Why Conservative Governors Are Embracing Criminal Justice Reform
It used to be that, like entitlement spending, criminal justice reform was a third rail in politics—touch it, and you could be sure that your… Read More
LawNews
Obama Administration to Give Pell Grants to Prisoners
The Obama administration announced Friday that certain federal and state prisoners will be eligible for federal Pell grants to pay for college classes while they… Read More
LawNews
How States Are Using the Courts to Fight Police Taking People’s Money and Property
From coast to coast, states are tackling legislation that would protect property owners from abuses of a system that has become known as policing for… Read More
LawCommentary
How a Government Prosecutor Got Away With Seizing a Home to Live In
A recent report out of Oklahoma makes clear the startling consequences of a lack of transparency and oversight within law enforcement. Over a seven-year period,… Read More
LawNews
Trooper Threatened Sandra Bland With Taser Before Her Death: ‘I Will Light You Up’
Texas law enforcement released a graphic dashcam video Tuesday showing a routine traffic stop escalate into a violent altercation between Sandra Bland and a state… Read More
LawNews
Rand Paul: ‘We’ve Got to Fix the Overcriminalization Problem’
Sen. Rand Paul continued to drive momentum for criminal justice reform Wednesday, saying the greatest barrier to jobs and voting in the U.S. is a… Read More
LawNews
Texas Mother Arrested Because Her Children Sat ‘30 Feet’ Away From Her in a Food Court
A Texas mother has been charged with abandoning her children after they were found sitting about 30 feet away from her in a food court,… Read More
LawNews
Two Business Owners Fight the IRS to Get Their Seized Money Back
On the last day of Ramadan, which ended Friday, Khalid (Ken) Quran was headed to work. The owner of a convenience store in Greenville, N.C.,… Read More
LawNews
‘A Matter of Life or Death’: Senators, Obama Unite on Push for Criminal Justice Reform
United States senators from both sides of the aisle sat together during an intimate panel Tuesday to discuss the growing bipartisan momentum to overhaul the… Read More
LawNews
Police Officer Pockets $6,000 From People Who Had Their Cars Taken Through Forfeiture
A Tennessee police officer was indicted by a grand jury on charges of theft after he pocketed $6,000 from property owners who had their cars… Read More
LawNews
IRS Returns $107,000 It Took From North Carolina Convenience Store Owner
More than a month after dismissing a case involving a Fairmont, N.C., convenience store owner, the federal government returned the more than $100,000 it took… Read More
LawNews
How Michigan Lawmakers Want to Make It Harder for Law Enforcement to Take Your Stuff
Last year, two Michigan self-described “soccer moms” were the victims of raids conducted by local law enforcement officials, who took telephones, televisions and cash from… Read More
LawNews
Judge Orders Government to Return $167,000 Seized From Motorhome Driver Visiting His Girlfriend
A federal judge in Nevada has ordered the government to return $167,000 that was seized from a man driving his motorhome on a highway two years… Read More
LawCommentary
Students Will No Longer Face Jail Time for Missing School in Texas
Everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes the number of children charged with Class C misdemeanors for skipping school. Texas was one of only… Read More
LawCommentary
What Can Be Done to Help End Civil Asset Forfeiture Abuse
Civil forfeiture abuse threatens the integrity of our criminal justice system and ought to concern all Americans. Strong advocates for reform come from both sides… Read More
LawNews
Law Enforcement Seizes $11,000 From 24-Year-Old at Airport Without Charging Him With a Crime
It was Feb. 17, 2014, and Charles Clarke, 24, just wanted to get home. After spending several weeks with family in Cincinnati, Ohio, Clarke arrived… Read More
LawCommentary
How Did Police Seizing Citizens’ Property Ever Become Legal? Here’s the History of Federal Forfeiture
Civil asset forfeiture is a tool that allows law enforcement officials to seize property that they assert has been involved in certain criminal activity. Forfeiture… Read More
LawCommentary
Cartoon: A Police Officer Seizes $2K From Citizen
>>> Want to learn more? Read “Arresting Your Property: How Civil Asset Forfeiture Turns Police Into Profiteers“ This cartoon was based on an real-life incident… Read More
LawCommentary
9 Times the Government Stole Americans’ Cash, Cars
Today, The Heritage Foundation releases “Arresting Your Property: How Civil Asset Forfeiture Turns Police Into Profiteers.” This booklet highlights the important problem of civil asset… Read More
LawNews
How Philadelphia Law Enforcement Makes Millions By Seizing Cash and Property From Residents
For Philadelphia law enforcement, a tool known as civil asset forfeiture has proven to be a boon to the city’s coffers, according to a new… Read More
LawCommentary
This Is the Moment for Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform
When Joseph Rivers set out for Los Angeles with $16,000 in his pocket to kick-start his career in the music industry, the last thing he… Read More
LawNews
After the Government Takes His Life Savings, This 22-Year-Old Fights for Justice
Joseph Rivers put his life savings on the line. With help from his mother, Rivers had saved $16,000 to pursue a career as a music… Read More
LawNews
How Law Enforcement Can Take Your Stuff, Explained in 2 Minutes
Through a procedure called civil asset forfeiture, local, state and federal law enforcement officials have the power to seize property and money if it’s suspected… Read More
LawCommentary
Student Gets a Diploma, Her Family Gets Threatened With Jail
For many, high school graduation is a key milestone not only in the life of the graduate, but also in the lives of his or… Read More
LawCommentary
Why One of the Country’s Toughest Cops Says We’re Overcriminalizing America
Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik was known as one of America’s toughest crime fighters. Then, as he details in his new book,… Read More
LawCommentary
Court Again Affirms You Have to Intend a Threat for It to Be a Threat
Rap music is not your grandmother’s show tunes. Its lyrics have been characterized as off-color, profane, violent and misogynistic. Recently, the Supreme Court was asked… Read More
LawNews
Conservatives ‘Uncomfortable’ With It, So Nebraska Abolishes the Death Penalty
The Nebraska Legislature has voted to end the death penalty in the state, overriding the governor’s veto. Lawmakers voted 30-19 to abolish capital punishment in… Read More
LawNews
Takeaway of Reform: It’d Be Harder for Authorities to Take Away Your Cash, Property
The Internal Revenue Service seized $107,702 in company profits from Lyndon McLellan just because agents didn’t like the size of the convenience store owner’s bank deposits…. Read More
LawNews
‘Free Range’ Parents Not Charged for Letting Their Kids Walk Home Alone
Child Protective Services has ruled out neglect charges in one of two investigations into Maryland’s “free range” parents, according to the Associated Press. Danielle and… Read More
LawNews
After Secret Service Seized $115,000, North Carolina Man Continues Fight for ‘Justice’
On the morning of Sept. 25, 2014, Tom Bednar was sitting in the bedroom of the Raleigh, N.C., home he shared with his wife, Marla,… Read More
