Nine years ago I became a nominal Democrat, a DINO [Democrat in name only] as I called it. I did so because it seemed to me at the time that the Republican party was being taken over by a group […]
Law
Reno vs. Sirico: A Debate on Economic Justice
I rarely link to videos, much less watch them myself. But this one I actually did. It contains a debate between two scholars on economic justice, both of them, interestingly enough, identified as ‘conservative’. They are Rusty Reno, editor of First […]
If It’s Within the Law, Why Should There Be Hearings?
David Zahnizer, at the Los Angeles Times, has given us an article on the problems with the City of Los Angeles’ community plans, one of the major ones being that they are not finished yet. This is helping to create […]
Asset Forfeiture – Again
As a result of a conversation I recently had with an Assemblyman, I’ve decided to clarify my view on Asset Forfeiture. When a person is arrested on drug charges, or whatever other charges trigger these things, I don’t mind if […]
And a Third Legal System: the Laws of War
Andrew Rosenthal, in the New York Times here and here writes about the pressure to treat Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, [who I can’t resist calling ‘The Joker’] not as a criminal but as an ‘enemy combatant’, largely because that pesky Bill of Rights would […]
Mental Health and ‘Punishment’ versus ‘Treatment’
If you think about it, we also have two parallel prison systems, one under criminal law, the other under civil law. We worry a lot about ‘incarceration’ and the ‘mental health’ of prisoners. Yes we have too many people in […]
Asset Forfeiture
Many organizations, from Institute for Justice to Reason and Cato, have crusaded for the elimination or limiting of the practice of asset forfeiture. Property can be confiscated for crimes where one has not been found guilty. The reason is, as […]
The Parallel Structures of Criminal and Civil Law, and the Hole in the Bill of Rights
American criminal law, first on the federal level, and later, when the Supreme Court started to apply the Bill of Rights to the states in the 20th century [and at local level as well], has some restrictions on the government in […]
Rest In Peace, Nino Scalia – But!
Antonin Scalia [1936-2016] was one of the best loved judges for his wit, and hated for his legal reasoning. For the most part, he was a hero to those who wish to uphold the text of the United States Constitution […]
Man of the Left George Skelton Admits California Income Tax is too Top-Heavy on the Rich! Plus, Apparently Man of the Left Thomas Piketty Endorses Proposition 13!
George Skelton, LA Times columnist and generally a ‘progressive,’ admits, that the California state income tax is too top-heavy on the few and the rich. A welcome insight from someone on his side of the political spectrum. Note that Mark Paul, […]