WJI's Daily Reads for April 14, 2022

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Supreme Court hears argument on absentee ballot rules regarding drop boxes and mailing.

“What if I take my envelope, and I seal it and I stick the stamp on it and I put my return address on it and I am standing at the mailbox and I hand it to my son to go the arm's length from where I am standing into the mailbox?” Justice Jill Karofsky asked. “Has that been mailed by the elector?”

“Within the meaning of the statute, no, because you’ve given the ballot to somebody else,” replied Rick Esenberg, the president of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, the conservative group that mounted the challenge to absentee rules.
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SCOTUSblog: Another case about qualified immunity up for consideration by U.S. Supreme Court.

NBC: Department of Justice settling four cases involving 2020 Lafayette Square protestors.

The Justice Department has reached a settlement in four cases stemming from law enforcement's response to racial justice demonstrations in Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., just days after the murder of George Floyd.

As part of the settlement, U.S. Park Police agreed to revise its policies governing demonstrations and special events.

NBC: Judge grants bail to two men charged with posing as federal agents.

The Appeal: The call to jail a five-year-old.

The case perfectly exemplifies America’s absurd belief that prisons are the best—or only—way society can deal with humans who hurt other humans. According to reports, two students, ages 4 and 5, began throwing items around a pre-K classroom at Pines Lakes Elementary School in Pembroke Pines, Florida. A teacher responded by taking the 5-year-old to a separate room to cool down. Once there, the child allegedly attacked the teacher, leaving the adult wheezing and unable to speak. The teacher was then transported to the hospital and needed to be intubated. This was the third instance in which the student had injured that same teacher.

But, rather than report the incident as an unfortunate accident or a sign that Broward County Schools need to change their policies when dealing with special-needs kids, media outlets were only able to see the incident through a carceral lens. Reporters responded by posting the police incident report and suggesting the small child could “face a charge of aggravated assault.” Police and prosecutors ultimately decided not to send the toddler to jail.