One of the bigger crimlaw news items these days is a report from the Columbia School of Law that claims Texas executed an innocent man in 1989. According to an AFP wire story by Chantal Valery: The report, entitled "Los Tocayos Carlos: Anatomy of a Wrongful Execution," traces the facts surrounding the February 1983 murder of Wanda Lopez, a single mother who was stabbed in the … [Read more...] about Truth in Capital Punishment
Crime and Punishment
Krugman’s Silly Stand
Paul Krugman has a strange take on the Stand Your Ground law: Florida's now-infamous Stand Your Ground law, which lets you shoot someone you consider threatening without facing arrest, let alone prosecution, sounds crazy -- and it is. Florida's Stand Your Ground law may or may not be crazy -- the devil is in the details -- but Krugman's description of it misses by a mile. The … [Read more...] about Krugman’s Silly Stand
Take Off the Hoodie!
I'm sure you've all heard that Geraldo Rivera has diagnosed the problem in the Trevon Martin shoooting: He wore a hoodie! Geraldo's case is, well, not entirely insane. People do react to the symbols you wear. Ask any ex-hippie from the '60's if he was harassed about his long hair. That's not an entirely crazy response to long hair either: Hippies wore long hair as a statement, … [Read more...] about Take Off the Hoodie!
The Long Arm of the Justice Department
I know that everybody stuck here in the wake of the mortgage securities crisis hates bankers, but it still seems like there's something wrong about this: The news for Wegelin, its headquarters nestled in the town of St. Gallen next to the Appenzell Alps near the German-Austrian borders, would only get worse. Six days later the U.S. Justice Department, acting on plans it had … [Read more...] about The Long Arm of the Justice Department
Some Background for Thinking About Reasonable Doubt
A few months ago, after reading posts about the concept of reasonable doubt in our legal system by Scott Greenfield and Rick Horowitz, I decided to tackle the subject myself. Despite my facetious claim of a breakthrough, I didn't really reach any great conclusions, but that didn't keep me from rambling on for a while. (And it's not going to stop me this time, either.) As with … [Read more...] about Some Background for Thinking About Reasonable Doubt