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Filter: U.S. faces a Naxalone shortage at the worst possible time.
The Trace: NRA chief and his wife had their elephant trophies turned into stools and a trashcan. Taxidermy work orders containing the LaPierres’ names called for the elephants’ four front feet to be turned into “stools,” an “umbrella stand,” and a “trash can.” At their request, tusks were mounted, skulls were preserved, and the hyena became a rug. The episode represents a rare instance in which the gun group’s embattled chief executive is captured, on paper, unambiguously violating NRA rules; the emails show that Susan directed the process while Makris’s company, Under Wild Skies Inc., which received millions of dollars from the NRA, picked up the tab. Andrew Arulanandam, the NRA’s managing director of public affairs, said, over email, that the LaPierres’ “activity in Botswana—from more than seven years ago—was legal and fully permitted.” The couple’s safari trips, he added, were meant to “extol the benefits of hunting and promote the brand of the NRA with one of its core audiences.” Moreover, he claimed, “Many of the most notable hunting trophies in question are at the NRA museum or have been donated by the NRA to other public attractions.” ImmigrationProf Blog: Immigration cases up in June; backlog doubles. The number of new deportation cases filed by the Biden administration is on the rise. Deportation orders sought by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) jumped by nearly 50 percent in June, compared with the number filed in May. The number of new cases continues to severely outpace the rate at which judges can keep up. As a result, the Immigration Court backlog has increased by almost 100,000 cases since September 2020 at the end of the fiscal year 2020. The total backlog as of the end of June 2021 had reached its highest level ever at 1,357,820 cases waiting to be heard. Gallup: U.S. Supreme Court approval rating drops below 50%. Above the Law: Lawsuit by Republican U.S. reps allege face masks are "compelled speech."
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Simple Justice: Greetings from the Pasco, FL, Sheriff's Office! You're under surveillance.
What are the chances that anybody who gets the letter will read four pages? Frankly, it’s shocking that the sheriff would be able to write a four page letter, but it becomes more understandable if you assume it was written by the lawyers, and then it’s surprising it was only four pages. So what was this about? “You may wonder why you were enrolled in this program,” the letter continues. “You were selected as a result of an evaluation of your recent criminal behavior using an unbiased, evidence-based risk assessment designed to identify prolific offenders in our community. As a result of this designation, we will go to great efforts to encourage change in your life through enhanced support and increased accountability.” AP: A KKK murder plot to avenge a bitten prison guard. Wisconsin Examiner: Ethics Commission investigating allegation of Marsy's Law violation by Shawano County district attorney. The complaint alleges that Parker’s post violates provisions in the Wisconsin constitution that protect victims’ rights as well as Marsy’s Law, a constitutional amendment passed last year that increased protections for crime victims. “The post potentially violates a domestic violence victim’s right to dignity, respect, courtesy, and sensitivity,” the complaint states. The complaint also alleges that Parker used government resources and staff in the district attorney’s office to benefit his re-election campaign — directing the staff in his victim/witness office to do the research that informed his Facebook post. WPR: Kenosha police officer at center of $1.75 million wrongful death settlement for killing Michael Bell is running for Kenosha County Sheriff. "It is the truth, I am running for sheriff," (Albert) Gonzales said. "The platform I'm going to have is what I'm running for. I'm just looking toward the future." Nearly 17 years ago, Michael Bell Jr. pulled up to his house in Kenosha and an officer followed him after observing his driving. Dashcam footage shows the two men talked and then struggled. The officer shot Bell pointblank in the head in front of his mother and sister. The officer said Bell took his gun. Within 48 hours, Kenosha police ruled the shooting justified. Bell's father, Michael Bell Sr., hired his own investigators, who discovered considerable inconsistencies with the police account. The family later received a $1.75 million wrongful death settlement. Reuters: U.S. Supreme Court's shadow docket favored religion and Trump. Center for American Progress: It is time for Congress to expand the courts.
Reuters: Subway says it's time to end a class-action lawsuit over the chain's tuna. Vice: Police ask for ShotSpotter data changes long after the incidents recorded. Wisconsin State Journal: Attitudes worsening among youth at state's juvenile prisons; staff feels defeated. She (Monitor Teresa Abreau) wrote that she and the civil and youth advocates interviewed 42 youth inmates. They complained that staff used excessive force, confined them to their rooms for “observation,” make racial remarks and have become too quick to use physical force rather than de-escalate situations. They also complained about long stretches of downtime — Abreau reported that 42% of incidents involving inmates in April occurred on either Saturday or Sunday — and not being allowed to go outside. Abreau and the attorneys also spoke with 33 staff members. She said their morale seemed lower than in April, they appeared less engaged with the inmates and seemed “frustrated and defeated.” They complained that they lacked the punitive tools to manage the children’s behavior and there were no consequences for the children’s actions. Filter: Advocates say federal cannabis legalization bill fails in key areas. Law360: Advocates frustrated by Biden's silence on justice reform.
Slate: What the FBI did with those 4,500 tips about Brett Kavanaugh. It is, in a sense, hard to be horrified by the explicit confirmation from the FBI that this was indeed a sham investigation, simply because much of this was known at the time and more has emerged since. The sham occurred in plain view, as did the decision to dismiss all of the 83 judicial ethics complaints lodged against Kavanaugh at the time, because Supreme Court justices are not bound by the judicial ethics regime tasked with investigating them. In a sense, then, because the shamming always happened openly, the revelation that it was shamatory feels underwhelming. We have become so inured to all the shamming in plain sight that having it confirmed years later barely even feel like news. Reuters: U.S. appeals court finds CDC eviction moratorium unlawful. The New York Times: After 23 years in prison, a man's conviction is reversed in murder case it took four hours to "solve." Law & Crime: ACLU defends woman's right to display "F*ck Biden" signs.
But ACLU of N.J. Legal Director Jeanne LoCicero told the outlet that government cannot be allowed to police citizens’ political speech. “All New Jerseyans have the right to express themselves freely under the First Amendment,” LoCicero told NJ Advance Media. “Roselle Park’s ordinance against posting obscene signs should never have been applied to political signs.” According to NJ Advance Media, the ACLU on Thursday filed court documents seeking to block enforcement of Bundy’s order until after the Superior Court appeal is adjudicated. The Atlantic: The U.S. Supreme Court has abandoned democracy's most important element: The voters. Mother Jones: President Biden cancels more border wall contracts. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Michelle Havas changes sentence of deputy who killed Ceasar Stinson.
Techdirt: Florida's new law against blocking roads during protests ignored when it is politically convenient. The Brookings Institution: The shaky pillars of American democracy. The Washington Post: U.S. drops charges against five Chinese nationals researchers accused of hiding ties to Chinese military. Above the Law: Judge rejects weed-sniffing claim of cop who said he could smell pot sealed in bags in a car from his own traveling cruiser. Reuters: Mississippi asks U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.
CNN: President Biden signs crime victim fund replenishment bill. The Washington Post: Suit argues that masking requirement hides faces made in God's image. Attorneys for Resurrection School in Lansing and two parents will tell the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit that Catholic doctrine holds that every person is made in God’s image. “Unfortunately, a mask shields our humanity,” the school argued in its lawsuit. “And because God created us in His image, we are masking that image.” ABA Journal: New Mexico Supreme Court rules gas stations can be held liable for selling gas to drunk people. Reuters: U.S. Senate committee approves appeals court nominee after Republicans complain about his objections to laws adopted in the early 1900s. Democrats and Republicans on the Judiciary committee were divided over (Gustavo) Gelpi's criticism of a series of rulings in the early 1900s by the Supreme Court that many legal experts contend created a "subclass" of U.S. citizens living in unincorporated territories without full constitutional protections.... "Both liberal and conservative legal scholars have criticized the insular cases," Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) said on Thursday. "This is a line of Supreme Court decisions, from over 100 years ago, which held that U.S. citizens living in unincorporated territories like Puerto Rico may lack some of the same constitutional rights as U.S. citizens living in the states." Reuters: U.S. Department of Justice issues new guidelines for communicating with the White House.
(U.S. Attorney General Merrick) Garland said in a statement that the new policies further "longstanding Departmental norms of independence from inappropriate influences" and "the principled exercise of discretion.” SCOTUSblog: Term limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices a popular option at latest court-reform meeting. Mother Jones: The federal prison population is growing under President Biden, who said he would cut it in half. The Trace: Helping victims and survivors is harder when they are your friends. WPR: Legislator proposes lifetime restraining orders to protect sexual assault survivors. E&E News: Rulings on standing could keep big environmental issues from the courts.
The Hill: U.S. Department of Justice objects to Purdue Pharma bankruptcy settlement that lets the Sackler family walk away from its role in the opiate epidemic. Marijuana Moment: Congress could vote next week on measure that would end public housing denials for marijuana use. Politifact: Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Jill Karofsky doesn't know her (cow) sh-t. AP: Family of former Police Officer Joseph Mensah's first victim files suit. Talking Points Memo: "Democracy is in trouble," judge says at Capitol attacker's sentencing hearing. The New York Times: Biden administration agrees people released from prison during pandemic must return. Vice: ShotSpotter sends armed police into neighborhoods; critics question its accuracy. “The system is telling police that every time they go out in response to a ShotSpotter alert they should assume that anybody in the vicinity is armed and they’ve just fired a weapon,” Jonathan Manes, an attorney with the MacArthur Justice Center at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law who has studied ShotSpotter in the city, told Motherboard. “The system is telling police officers that anybody in the area is a mortal threat. Following up on those alerts is creating a dangerous situation, and it’s happening 61 times a day in the city of Chicago.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bills would lower concealed carry age to 18. Reuters: U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland issues broad ban on seizing journalists' records. |
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The Wisconsin Justice Initiative Inc. does not endorse candidates for political office. The Wisconsin Justice Initiative Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization.
The Wisconsin Justice Initiative Inc. does not endorse candidates for political office. The Wisconsin Justice Initiative Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization.