One of the most egregious violations of our constitutional traditions in the so-called PATRIOT Act is the power of issuing National Security Letters given to the FBI. These letters allow the FBI to harvest massive amounts of private and confidential information without a warrant, judicial review, any means to challenge the demands’ validity, or any … Read more
The US District Court for Arizona handed down an order of partial summary judgement in the big Prop200 election rights case, Gonzales v. Arizona, and Secretary of State Jan Brewer reacted as if she had just parted the Red Sea. Her press release crowed: “I am extremely happy to have earned this sweeping court victory … Read more
The excuse most often offered by the Bush Administration for many of its blatantly illegal acts, including torture, secret detention, extraordinary rendition, and the use of signing statements to refuse to enforce selected parts of Congressional legislation, is that these actions were justified as legally defensible, or simply legally non-controversial, by the Administration’s attorneys, including … Read more
The best guide for the citizen interested (as few are) in making an informed vote on judicial retention is the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review. Unlike voting based on party affiliation like the ideologues over at Sonora Alliance are advocating, retention should be based on ability, not ideology. I’m not kidding myself that many … Read more
There are some countries where the only rational reaction to the police is to run, fight, or bribe, and where the courts are nothing but an extension of a corrupt government. Luckily, America is not such a country… yet.
21 year-old Michael arrived in Phoenix as a refugee from the 30-year genocidal war in Sudan. His story is part of a tragedy that has destroyed 2.5 million humans, and made refugees of 4 million more. Sudan’s legal system has become a system of torture, and the courts simply puppets of a regime bent on annihilation of black Sudanese.
Michael was hit by a car in Phoenix while riding his bike home from work. He was badly injured in the accident, but was given a ticket by the officer who responded to the accident. He was bewildered and frightened; the car had hit him and he had done nothing wrong. What was going to be done to him when he responded to the wrongful citation?