When it comes to judicial oversight of law enforcement intrusion into our privacy, I'm pretty suspicious of claims of exigent circumstances. For example, I don't believe the claim that terrorism investigators need to conduct warrantless surveillance because there's not enough time to get a warrant. Some places have judges stationed at sobriety checkpoints to speed the warrant … [Read more...] about Of Exigent Circumstances and Radio Dead Zones
“This is not a democracy, sir.”
Let's go to the tape. Do watch the whole thing, from beginning to end, but after you do that, let's start watching it, again, starting at 3:40 into it. 3:50 MPD squad, lights and sirens on, screams to a stop, and two cops leap out and join the struggle. The one furthest from the camera brings his fist -- it's not clear if he's holding a small weapon in it -- up and down … [Read more...] about “This is not a democracy, sir.”
Scattershot 2009-08-31
Random shots around the web: I guess this is easier than, you know, catching criminals. More evidence that our harsh treatment of released sex offenders is just ineffective security theater. I should have seen this coming: Michael Jackson sightings. The death of Spiderman? Or at least the death of an interesting Spiderman...along with every other interesting Marvels superhero. … [Read more...] about Scattershot 2009-08-31
The Cyber Revolution Reaches the Ninth Circuit
The Ninth Circuit just decided United States v. Comprehensive Drug Testing which includes some very important new rules for seizing data on people's computers. Or so I'm told by folks like Scott Greenfield and Orin Kerr, who understand these things far better than me. As I understand the problem Kozinski is trying to solve, the government used to treat a search for anything on … [Read more...] about The Cyber Revolution Reaches the Ninth Circuit
It’s Been A Bad Year
My mother died in April, I moved in with my father for a few months to take care of him until I could find a nursing home, I moved him to the nursing home, I cleaned out his apartment, and I straightened out his finances. Now my father's died too, and I just got back from visiting his brother and sister and taking his ashes back to where he grew up in Kentucky. I guess I … [Read more...] about It’s Been A Bad Year