From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
What’s the difference between a stoned rabbit and a not-stoned rabbit? The layhuman may not be keen to the symptoms, subtle as they are, exhibited by indoor varieties, but an expert in the wild – he can tell. Continue reading “Weeding out the truth: No substance to DEA’s claims of pot-crazed bunnies”
The Texas Court of Appeals told local police officers last month that when the US Supreme Court says warrantless blood draws from motorists are unconstitutional, that means they need to get a warrant to perform a blood draw. Hurst Police Officer Brian Charnock did not believe the McNeely ruling applied to him as he ordered Laura Ann Swan to pull over in February 2012. Continue reading “Texas Appeals Court Slams Forced DUI Blood Draw”
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — Don’t be too alarmed if you see U.S. military fighter jets or helicopters flying overhead in the San Francisco Bay Area during Super Bowl 50.
Should there be significant impact on ground transportation on Super Bowl Sunday, helicopter transportation may be the only means to get the NFL teams to and from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Continue reading “Super Bowl 50 Flight Security To Include F-15 Fighter Jets, Helicopters”
A professor from TCU recently called the police on a disabled student veteran over a dissenting blog post, labeling the student’s conservative opinion as “bullying”. The professor, Dr. Melita Garza, involved the police after calling the disabled veterans’s blog post “dark, offensive and inappropriate”. Continue reading “TCU Professor calls police on disabled student veteran over dissenting opinion”
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department is considering legal changes to combat what it sees as a rising threat from domestic anti-government extremists, senior officials told Reuters, even as it steps up efforts to stop Islamic State-inspired attacks at home.
Extremist groups motivated by a range of U.S.-born philosophies present a “clear and present danger,” John Carlin, the Justice Department’s chief of national security, told Reuters in an interview. “Based on recent reports and the cases we are seeing, it seems like we’re in a heightened environment.” Continue reading “U.S. eyes ways to toughen fight against domestic extremists”
The National Archives is fighting a lawsuit trying to force disclosure of several draft indictments of Hillary Clinton prepared by a Whitewater prosecutor in the 1990s.
In a brief filed late Tuesday, Justice Department lawyers and the Archives argue that disclosure of the draft indictments would lead to an unwarranted invasion of Clinton’s privacy and violate a court rule protecting grand jury secrecy. Continue reading “Feds fight disclosure of Hillary Clinton Whitewater indictment drafts”
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Despite telling them she was pregnant, cops “battered” her, causing her to miscarry, during an incident at her home 15 months ago, a Mariners Harbor woman alleges in an explosive lawsuit.
Officers “struck her in the stomach and threw her to the ground and stepped on her,” on Nov. 2, 2014, alleges the suit recently filed by Emelda Fitzroy in Brooklyn federal court. Continue reading “Lawsuit: Woman miscarried after cops ‘battered’ her during ‘false’ arrest”
SMYRNA, GA (WXIA) – Less than a year after the officer-involved shooting death of Nicholas Thomas at a Vinings Goodyear Service Center, the Smyrna officer who fired the fatal shot, Sgt. Kenneth Owens, is being promoted to Lieutenant.
On March 24, 2015, Cobb County and Smyrna officers arrived at the facility on Cumberland Boulevard, where Thomas worked, to arrest him on a felony probation violation warrant. Continue reading “Smyrna officer who shot Nicholas Thomas promoted to Lieutenant”
They say crime doesn’t pay, but that might not be entirely true in theDistrict of Columbia as lawmakers look for ways to discourage people from becoming repeat offenders.
The D.C. Council is voting on a bill Tuesday that includes a proposal to pay residents a stipend not to commit crimes. It’s based on a program in Richmond, California, that advocates say has contributed to deep reductions in crime there. Continue reading “DC Bill Would Pay People Stipends Not to Commit Crimes”
Courthouse News Service – by JACK BOUBOUSHIAN
CHICAGO (CN) – Requiring a convicted sex offender to wear a GPS monitoring anklet 24 hours a day for life does not violate the Fourth Amendment, the Seventh Circuit ruled Friday, reversing a ruling from Wisconsin.
Michael Belleau was convicted in 1992 of sexually assaulting a boy for five years, beginning when the boy was eight. Belleau served one year in jail, and was arrested while on probation for sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl. Continue reading “Lifetime GPS Tracking of Sex Offenders OK’d”
“To fully recount all the injustices that have taken place in this case would nearly be overwhelming.” — from the 2011 state Court of Appeals opinion in Denver L. Stewart III v. Commonwealth of Kentucky
Denver Stewart has no trouble reciting those injustices.
They date all the way back to October 1997, when court officials in Pike County illegally banished him from the state for two years for possessing marijuana. Just 21 years old, with a wife and a young son, he was given barely 48 hours to pack up and get out of town, to go “west of the Mississippi River.” Continue reading “How An Illegal Court Ruling Helped Break This Kentucky Man”
ALBANY, GA (WALB) – On Wednesday, a police officer was escorted from a classroom at Darton State College.
The officer is a student at the college, and was wearing his full police uniform. Continue reading “Police officer escorted out of Darton College classroom”
The Ron Paul Institute – by Ron Paul
Passage of Senator Mitch McConnell’s authorization for war against ISIS will not only lead to perpetual US wars across the globe, it will also endanger our civil and economic liberties. The measure allows the president to place troops anywhere he determines ISIS is operating. Therefore, it could be used to justify using military force against United States citizens on US territory. It may even be used to justify imposing martial law in America. Continue reading “Is Congress Declaring War on ISIS…or on You?”
The Daily Sheeple – by Melissa Dykes
The Colorado Supreme Court is forcing Judge Gilbert Martinez to explain why he should not have to release records in the case of the Planned Parenthood mass shooting.
Dozens of media outlets have complained to the state’s Supreme Court that the judge turned down requests for basic records such as affidavits of probable cause. Continue reading “This Mainstream Video Shows Emergency Responders Saving A “Dummy” After Planned Parenthood Shooting”
Electronic Privacy Information Center
EPIC has filed a “friend-of-the-court” brief in Utah v. Strieff, a U.S. Supreme Court case about whether the Fourth Amendment allows evidence to be admitted after an illegal stop. Mr. Strieff was unlawfully detained by an officer, who checked his ID and then arrested him on an unrelated outstanding warrant. In a brief, signed by twenty-one technical experts and legal scholars, EPIC detailed a number of sweeping government databases that contain inaccurate and detailed records about Americans’ noncriminal activity. Continue reading “EPIC Urges Supreme Court to Uphold Fourth Amendment Safeguards for Police Stops”
Celebrations of Valentine’s Day and the other “dominant holidays” are ending at one St. Paul elementary school, according to a letter from the principal addressed to families.
Principal Scott Masini of Bruce Vento Elementary School, whose student body is overwhelmingly nonwhite, explained in the letter that “my personal feeling is we need to find a way to honor and engage in holidays that are inclusive of our student population.” Continue reading “St. Paul school kisses Valentine’s Day, other ‘dominant holidays,’ goodbye”
According to the ‘Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law‘ SEVENTEEN universities require students to divulge ANY contact they’ve had with the police or courts.
“The first phase of the initiative seeks information from 17 colleges and universities that include inquiries on their applications regarding contact with the criminal justice system, including arrests that did not lead to conviction, sealed or expunged youthful offender records, or pardoned records.”
Continue reading “Universities are asking students to divulge ANY contact they’ve had with the police or courts”