criminal justice
-
Louisiana Judge Who Shot Off N-Word Laced Text Messages After Her Affair Was Uncovered Resigns
One day after Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards called for her resignation, District Judge Jessie LeBlanc submitted a letter announcing she’d be stepping down immediately. LeBlanc had been facing mounting pressure to resign after a local news station discovered that not only had she been having an affair with a chief deputy in her Parish,…
-
You Get a Pardon! And You Get a Pardon! Career Criminal Donald Trump Passes Out Get Out of Jail Free Cards to Disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Others
There are some words and phrases in the English language that are open to interpretation, while others—like “criminal”—are pretty cut-and-dried. Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is a fucking criminal. While most would point to his terrible dye job as proof that he belongs behind bars, there’s also the fact that he racked up an astounding…
-
Close to 66,000 Marijuana Convictions to Be Dismissed in Los Angeles
As we’ve seen over the past few months, one of the benefits of marijuana legalization has been states allowing those previously convicted to have their charges dismissed. Los Angeles County has become the next city to do just that. According to CNN, approximately 66,000 marijuana convictions will be dismissed as a result of the recent…
-
NYPD Doesn't Punish People for Jaywalking—Unless You Live in the Blackest Borough in New York
New York is built for the tough, the impatient, the bold, the ones who live to take risks. Basically, it’s a city built for jaywalkers. It’s a great unifier: people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, races, ages, and creeds united in their disdain for the city’s cars, bikers, and assigned crosswalks. And for the most part,…
-
Doug Evans, the White Mississippi Prosecutor Who Tried Curtis Flowers 6 Times, Recuses Himself From 7th Trial
Whatever is next for Curtis Flowers, the man responsible for keeping him in prison for more than two decades will not be involved. Doug Evans, the Mississippi District Attorney who tried and re-tried a quadruple-homicide case against Flowers six times in the last 23 years asked to be recused from prosecuting him again, according to…
-
'Affluenza' Teen Ethan Couch Arrested Again for Violating Probation
Don’t look now, but the thing we all knew was going to happen, happened. Ethan Couch, most famous for using the “affluenza” defense in a fatal drunk-driving crash, was arrested—again—and charged with probation violation—again. Texas police arrested the 22-year-old on Thursday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (h/t the Washington Post). Couch was booked at the…
-
Tennessee Supreme Court Puts Execution of Abu-Ali Abdur’Rahman on Hold Amid Concerns of Racial Bias
For the first time since resuming capital punishment last year, the Tennessee Supreme Court has pumped the brakes on an execution scheduled for April 16. The reason? Racism. From the Tennessean: The high court delayed Abu-Ali Abdur’Rahman’s April 16 execution to allow a lower court time to consider if racial bias surrounding his trial should…
-
Our Democracy Is at Stake in 2020 and Young People of Color Are Paying Attention
Congress held public impeachment hearings last week on whether President Trump abused his power to enlist a foreign government in smearing his political opponent. While some may see this process as far removed from their day-to-day lives—a parade of old white men being accused of crimes, defending other old white men who may have committed…
-
Everyone Knows Why Inmates Are Dying in Alabama Prisons. No One Knows How to Fix It
Alabama runs the most violent prison system in America. Inmates in Alabama’s prisons are killed at nearly nine times the national rate. Families have been devastated. The state doesn’t seem to have answers. A study by a criminal justice and civil rights organization concluded that money won’t fix it. Even Donald Trump’s Justice Department called…