Missouri voters may get to decide on marijuana legalization
Missouri voters may get the opportunity to end marijuana prohibition in 2022. Both a petition drive to put a measure on the November ballot and a state legislative effort to…
How civil asset forfeiture undermines law enforcement
What happens when a small town police force discovers it can make bank through a government program intended to stifle drug crimes? You get a bad case of civil asset…
Retired Chicago PD officer: Qualified immunity must be reformed
It’s one thing for criminal justice reformers to call for an end to qualified immunity. But it’s something else to hear a former Chicago cop issue the same call for…
California makes reforms to qualified immunity
California lawmakers may have passed some truly odd bills in their most recent session, but they also managed to do some good – including reforms to qualified immunity. As the…
A warning against arming the eyes in the sky
Government is a big fan of high tech gear, especially when it allows law enforcement agencies to expand their surveillance capabilities without necessarily tripping any of those inconvenient constitutional triggers….
Class action suit challenges civil asset forfeiture in Houston
The practice of law enforcement seizing, and keeping – money and property without charging (never mind convicting) anyone of a crime is getting some pushback in one of the nation’s…
Civil asset forfeiture is a nasty habit law enforcement must break
Law enforcement officials have a nasty habit: using a process called civil asset forfeiture to seize, and keep, the money and property of individuals who are never charged with a…
Qualified immunity violates principle of limited government
With Congress poised to punt on qualified immunity reform, the effort to temper the court-created doctrine that shields government officials from accountability for violating citizens’ constitutional rights likely heads back…
Michigan court to decide on Grand Rapids police fingerprinting people without probable cause
The Michigan Supreme Court is considering the constitutionality of a Grand Rapids police fingerprinting initiative that civil liberties advocates say is a violation of the Fourth Amendment. The Mackinac Center…
Congress balks at qualified immunity reform
Criminal justice reform backers who hoped Congress would take at least some steps to curb the court-created doctrine of qualified immunity are reportedly in for a huge disappointment: Police reform…