Just in case you weren’t convinced that overcriminalization is giving good kids criminal records, an Eagle Scout (the highest rank in the Boy Scout organization) is being charged with a felony for an honest mistake. David “Cole” Withrow, a North Carolina high school senior, is an Eagle Scout, an honor …
President Obama will be visiting Mexico City on May 2–4, where he will meet with his counterpart Enrique Pena Nieto. Both leaders have made clear that they want to change the conversation and not let runaway violence and Mexico’s persistent security crisis, which has claimed over 60,000 lives since 2006, …
“Infanticide” is perhaps too soft a term to describe the brutality that became commonplace at the corners of N. 38th St and Lancaster Ave. in Philadelphia. The trial of Kermit Gosnell, who ran the West Philadelphia Women’s Medical Center abortion clinic since 1979, has been underway for over three weeks. …
Anthony Brasfield, a 40-year-old Florida man, was arrested Sunday for releasing a dozen heart-shaped helium balloons into the air in what was to be a romantic gesture for his girlfriend, according to SunSentinel.com. Brasfield was charged with polluting to harm humans, animals, and plants under the Florida Air and Water …
Republic of Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, in his February 17 speech commemorating the 5th anniversary of the country’s independence, expressed pride in his country’s visible accomplishments, but noted appropriately his awareness that “we need to do much more.” Indeed. Despite notable reforms since independence, the foundations of economic freedom …
Everyone agrees that stealing should be a crime. Theft has been an offense in every society that has recognized property rights. Theft was a crime under the English common law; every state outlaws theft today; and theft of federal property (or property in interstate commerce) is a crime under federal …
Justice is flowing like a river for an Oklahoma mom. A Piedmont police officer was fired for writing an excessively hefty fine for her three-year-old’s “public urination” on the family’s property. Ashley Warden was fined $2,500 earlier this month after three-year-old Dillan pulled down his pants to urinate on his …
Earlier this month, a friend and colleague of mine in law enforcement was shot while pursuing two individuals suspected of robbery and murder. He survived the attack, but several of our law enforcement colleagues who serve to protect the public have not been so lucky. After a confluence of factors …
Norman Reimer is executive director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). He sat down with us to discuss his organization’s efforts to combat overcriminalization. How did NACDL become involved with overcriminalization? The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers has always opposed the overly expansive use of criminal …
