Details coming. UPDATE – 1:00 pm: The contempt order was lifted by a US district court judge. Unclear if it was the same judge who gave the contempt order or if it was lifted on appeal. UPDATE – 1:15 pm: It was the same judge: A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a Kentucky clerk who has refused to issue marriage … Read More
Huckabee Needs To Attend Just One College Level Course On The Law
As far as conservative Christians candidates go, I always thought that Mike Huckabee was a slight cut above the rest. He doesn’t seem dogmatic, and he was governor at one time. So you would think that he would have some sense, while also being true to his conservative principles. But this past week he has proved to be either a … Read More
The Brady Decision and Deflategate
The decision says that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell could not act as an impartial arbitrator. You THINK?!? He also says no NFL policy says players can be disciplined and suspended for awareness of others’ misconduct. Footnote: On Twitter, the hashtag #DoYourJob relates to Kim Davis, the Kentucky law clerk who refuses to license same-sex marriages. But with the Brady news, … Read More
For The Black Lives Matter Files
I suspect stories like this fly under the radar an awful lot, and nobody even knows about it: A young black man arrested by police in Portsmouth, Virginia, on the same day that one of the city’s officers fatally shot an unarmed black 18-year-old, has been found dead in jail after spending almost four months behind bars without bail for … Read More
Fifth Circuit Strikes Down Texas Voter ID Laws
Oh, well. Nice try, Texas — trying to prevent minorities from voting. Among other things, the State of Texas tried to impose Voter ID laws because (they said) illegal immigrants were voting. Of course, there was no evidence of this. Just the opppsite — illegal immigrants (as the Fifth Circuit noted) try to AVOID government officials since the last thing they … Read More
Adventures In Police Framing
Then: A police officer in Alabama proposed murdering a black resident and creating bogus evidence to suggest the killing was in self-defence, the Guardian has learned. Officer Troy Middlebrooks kept his job and continues to patrol Alexander City after authorities there paid the man $35,000 to avoid being publicly sued over the incident. Middlebrooks, a veteran of the US marines, … Read More
What The Judge Got Wrong (And Right) On Bill Cosby
WILL SOMEONE PLEASE GO OUT AND REPORT THE FUCKING NEWS?!?!? — Will McAvoy (@WillMcAvoyACN) 9:39 pm – July 7, 2015 That was a real tweet from a fictional person complaining about yesterday’s big story: Greece China The Presidential Election Bill Cosby. It’s all that the news outlets talked about: (CNN) Bill Cosby has admitted to getting prescription Quaaludes to give to … Read More
SCOTUS Round-up: Three More Five-To-Four Decisions Today
Today is the last day of the SCOTUS term, and so they issued the last of their opinions. The two biggest cases — on Obamacare and sames-sex marriage — came out at the end of last week, so a lot fewer people were paying attention this morning. Here’s what happened: (1) DEATH PENALTY – The 5-4 decision in Glossip v. … Read More
Supreme Court Rules 5-4 To End The Sanctity Of Marriage
46 years ago this weekend, police in New York City raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. Obviously, this is the end (we hope) of a remarkable civil rights story (despite my snarky headline). Here’s the opinion. Reactions are about what you expect. I will update as the day goes on. But the important thing is that about 3 … Read More
Billy Flynn Out Of Prison
Billy Flynn is out of jail. Nope. Not that one. This one: Or… as he looks today…. Billy Flynn is the convicted shooter in the Pamela Smart (pronounced “Smaht”) case. As a teenager, Billy shot and killed Gregg Smart in 1990. Gregg was the husband of Pamela Smart, with whom Billy was having an affair. Pamela was an audio-visual school … Read More
This Can’t Possibly Be A Thing
The Wall Street Journal: A budget advanced by Kansas legislators would eliminate funding for state courts if a judge strikes down a controversial law passed last year. Republican senators and representatives agreed Monday on a two-year judicial budget that would self-destruct if any court blocks or overturns a 2014 law that stripped the Kansas Supreme Court of some administrative authority, … Read More
Woman Sues Gays
Our favorite lawsuit: An Auburn woman claiming to be an ambassador for God and his son, Jesus Christ, is suing all homosexuals. Sylvia Driskell, 66, asked an Omaha federal judge to decide whether homosexuality is a sin. Citing Bible verses, Driskell contends “that homosexuality is a sin and that they the homosexuals know it is a sin to live a … Read More
The Battle For Same Sex Marriage: A Timeline Graph
I love this graph from an article in today’s New York Times. It shows what states did for and against the idea of same-sex marriage. You can see that the anti-SSM movement got out ahead of the issue in the mid 1990s by enacting laws banning same-sex marriage. I have no way of proving this, but I think that by making … Read More
Free Range Parents: What Is Neglect And What Isn’t?
There’s a good chance you’ve heard about the Meitiv kids (especially if you have children of your own or friends with children). The kids, ages 10 and 6, were walking home from a park a mile from their house in Maryland when they were spotted by a zealous citizen-protector, reported to the police, picked up 3 blocks from home, and … Read More
Boston Marathon And Memory Lane
The Boston Marathon is happening right now, and like last year, I’m sure I’m not the only one holding my breath, and hoping for a safe run. Then again, with all the security, it’s probably the safest place on the planet right now. Anyway, here’s how I covered it two years ago. By the way, two years ago this week, … Read More