I hate this kind of story.Reportedly an as yet unnamed police officer in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri has shot and killed an unarmed 18-year-old black kid named Michael Brown. Area residents gathered in the street, there was shouting, police assembled to try to keep order, there was a bit of a riot, and eventually things quieted down without too much … [Read more...] about Another Cop Shoots Another Black Kid
Is The Legal Field Ready for CSO?
A couple of days ago, Scott Greenfield was writing about some of the complexities of federal sentencing, when a commenter named Jake proposed a crazy solution: Was there ever a task in the courtroom more ripe for automation? Well, yes, there's tons of administrative crap that can be, or has been, automated. However, Jake had a particular problem in mind that he'd like to … [Read more...] about Is The Legal Field Ready for CSO?
What Could Be Worse Than Raising the Minimum Wage?
I see that our mayor has proposed a city ordinance to raise Chicago's minimum wage to $13 an hour. The current minimum wage in Illinois is $8.25/hour, a buck over the federal minimum, so that amounts to a 58% hike. This follows Seattle's decision to increase their minimum wage to $15 a few months ago, and it's in step with attempts to raise both the Illinois and federal minimum … [Read more...] about What Could Be Worse Than Raising the Minimum Wage?
What Democracy’s All About?
NYPD Police Commissioner Bill Bratton has been taking a lot of crap, deservedly so, for his comments after Eric Garner died while being arrested for selling untaxed cigarettes on the street. In a news conference, with mayor Bill de Blasio standing at his side, Bratton came out full-authoritarian: According to Mayor de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bratton, the NYPD will … [Read more...] about What Democracy’s All About?
Scattershot: Leaving Cops in the Dust, Shock Doctrine, and CSI: Gallifrey.
Random shots around the web:Yet another case of judges saying you can drive away from the cops. Well, not that you can actually do that, but if you open your window because a cop pulled up behind you, got out of his car, and knocked on your window, you are totally doing that voluntarily for purposes of admissibility of evidence, because you absolutely could have driven … [Read more...] about Scattershot: Leaving Cops in the Dust, Shock Doctrine, and CSI: Gallifrey.