The no-knock warrant is a deadly drug war relic that needs to be abolished
We’ve written before about the dangers no-knock warrants pose to the rights, and lives, of law abiding citizens like Amir Locke, who was shot and killed during a no-knock raid…
Biden picks Ketanji Brown Jackson for Supreme Court
President Joe Biden has made his Supreme Court pick – U.S. Appeals Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. While Jackson’s appointment, if successful, will not change the court’s ideological balance, and…
Civil asset forfeiture makes FBI and county sheriff into highway robbers
We’ve written before about civil asset forfeiture and how it creates powerful incentives for government and law enforcement to trample basic constitutional rights. Or, in this story out of California,…
Judges can’t lie to juries about nullification
Trial by jury is a cherished constitutional right. But what is little known, and court officials prefer to keep it that way, is how powerful juries really are. That’s particularly…
A GOP alternative to ending marijuana prohibition emerges
Congressional Republicans have largely ceded the ground on ending marijuana prohibition to Democrats…who promptly failed to get something done. Now comes a new GOP proposal from South Carolina Rep. Nancy…
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…
Civil asset forfeiture strikes again
Civil asset forfeiture has long been a sore spot for criminal justice reformers. Not only does the practice encourage law enforcement officials to seize property even when no crime has…
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…
Congressional Democrats botch marijuana legalization
Congress is considering Democratic bill that would, supposedly, legalize marijuana throughout the country. While pursuing legalization is a good thing, the legislative path Democrats have chosen is so tangled and…
Maine reforms civil asset forfeiture
There is some good news on the civil asset forfeiture front – and it comes from Maine, where the state has approved a law that requires a conviction before law…
