Kansas State

Marion County, KS

Columbus, OH

TOPEKA — A special prosecutor in court documents filed Tuesday says former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody “induced a witness to withhold information” in the days after Cody led a raid on a newspaper office, the publisher’s home and the home of a city councilwoman. Special...

Former Marion police chief charged with witness interference after raid on Kansas newspaper

Until recently, local policies on homelessness have been guided by two controversial rulings from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals: Martin v. Boise (9th Cir. 2019) 920 F.3d 584 and Johnson v. City of Grants Pass (9th Cir. 2022) 50 F.4th 787.[1] However, the Supreme Court’s decision in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson(2024) 603 U.S. ____, is likely to transform local jurisdictions’ policy approaches to managing homelessness. In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court upheld the city’s ban on camping and parking overnight on public property.

Supreme Court Holds That the Eighth Amendment Does Not Prevent Enforcement of Local Camping Bans, Authorizing a Significant Shift in Local Policies on Homelessness

Missouri State

Law & Crime

New York has responded to Missouri's requested intervention at the Supreme Court over Trump's felony hush-money convictions by calling the attempted suit "dangerous."
The post Missouri AG’s ‘dangerous’ lawsuit to stop Trump hush-money sentencing ‘seriously undermines the integrity of the courts,’ New York tells Supreme Court first appeared on Law & Crime.

Missouri AG's 'dangerous' lawsuit to stop Trump hush-money sentencing 'seriously undermines the integrity of the courts,' New York tells Supreme Court

Minnesota State

Minneapolis, MN

CBS Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed a decision that one does not have the right to use deadly force in a situation where they feel threatened if they have the opportunity to escape.The court decided the principle also applies to people who merely use the threat of force — meaning one cannot pull a weapon in self-defense if there are other means to escape, even if the person is threatening them with death or bodily harm.The ruling comes after Earley Blevins was convicted of felony second-degree assault-fear with a dangerous weapon for pulling a machete...

Minnesota Supreme Court in self-defense ruling: Retreat before brandishing a weapon

The Atlantic

The Roberts Court has violated its own logic with the ruling on executive immunity. Donald Trump is the beneficiary.

It’s Official: The Supreme Court Ignores Its Own Precedent

Florida State

A day after a Marion County circuit judge rejected their arguments, attorneys for Death Row inmate Loran Cole on Friday appealed to the Florida Supreme Court as they try to prevent his scheduled Aug. 29 execution. A notice of appeal, as is common, did not detail arguments that Cole’s attorneys...

Condemned killer appeals to Florida Supreme Court

Oklahoma State

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs recently highlighted the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s use of the Oklahoma Constitution’s prohibition on special laws to invalidate laws it finds politically uncongenial. (https://ocpathink.org/post/analysis/tort-reform-case-shows-how-oklahoma-supreme-court-acts-like-a-super-legislature ) That same brand of judicial activism was also on display in a decision to judicially abrogate a sentence...

Another example of the Oklahoma Supreme Court's problematic use of the 'special law' provision

A St. Louis, Missouri, judge vacated Christopher Dunn’s murder conviction on Monday and ordered that the man, who has spent 34 years behind bars, should be released from custody “immediately.” However, despite the finding that Dunn was wrongfully convicted, he is still incarcerated — making him the second inmate in two weeks to have been […]
The post Missouri prison refuses to release exonerated inmate as attorney general fights against judge who ruled the man innocent first appeared on Law & Crime.

Missouri prison refuses to release exonerated inmate as attorney general fights against judge who ruled the man innocent

Independence, MO

ST. LOUIS (CN) — Finding that the plaintiffs lacked standing, the Eighth Circuit on Friday tossed a lawsuit filed by a group of parents challenging a suburban Kansas City school district’s book-banning policy. The unanimous decision by the three-judge panel upheld a decision from a federal court, which...

Eighth Circuit tosses lawsuit challenging Missouri school district’s book-banning policy

Savannah, GA

Contributors represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. They have also demonstrated their experience writing hard news for other outlets. Contributors are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

contributor

Daily Coffee Press

Newly returned indictments in the Southern District of Georgia include felony charges for illegal firearms possession and drug distribution, while additional defendants have been sentenced to federal prison or await further proceedings after pleading guilty to federal gun charges.

Federal Charges in Southern GA: Indictments and Sentences for Firearms and Drug Offenses

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Supreme Court has affirmed a state law restoring voting rights to formerly incarcerated felons, denying a challenge filed by the Minnesota Voters Alliance.The 2023 law restored voting rights to 55,000 Minnesotans on probation, supervision and work release who previously had to wait for those periods to end before they could vote again.  The Minnesota Voters Alliance filed a challenge to the law, arguing it returned the right to vote to felons after they had a single civil right restored, while the Minnesota Constitution prohibits felons from voting "unless restored to civil rights," emphasizing...

Minnesota Supreme Court upholds law restoring felon voting rights

Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville Today

A former Jacksonville police officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Josue Garriga III, 34, faces a mandatory penalty of 10 years to life in federal prison and must register as a sex offender. A sentencing date has not been set.

Former cop pleads guilty to enticing 17-year-old girl

Colorado State

David Heitz

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law. As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

Arizona State

CBS News

The Arizona grand jury that indicted 18 Republican supporters of former President Donald Trump who falsely claimed he won the state in the 2020 election wanted to consider also charging Trump, but prosecutors urged them not to, according to court documents filed this week.The court records filed by Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes' office contain exchanges between prosecutors and the grand jurors, who heard 18 days of testimony.As grand jurors were considering possible charges, a prosecutor asked them not to indict Trump, citing a U.S. Justice Department policy that limits the prosecution of someone for the same crime twice, and...

Prosecutors asked grand jurors not to indict Trump in fake electors case

Illinois State

According to Courthouse News, the Seventh Circuit Court recently reviewed an appeal concerning a class action against Walmart filed by Yoram Kahn. Kahn’s original complaint, initiated in 2022, alleged that after making a purchase at a Walmart store in Illinois, he discovered that the prices on his receipt were higher than those advertised on the display racks.

Federal Class Action Against Walmart Revived By Seventh Circuit

New Jersey State

Jersey City, NJ

The meeting comes nearly two weeks after a federal judge declined to weigh in on whether federal law bars cops from using cannabis off duty. (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Nearly two weeks after a federal judge said he wouldn’t weigh in yet on whether it’s legal for New Jersey cops to use marijuana, the Civil Service Commission is set to decide the fate of another police officer who was terminated for ingesting cannabis.

N.J. panel to hear new case of cop fired for using cannabis

Jackson County, MO

Jackson County officials said Monday they are evaluating potential legal challenges to an order by the State Tax Commission they argue was only issued to cover for Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey. The Missouri State Tax Commission last week ordered the county to roll back most of its 2023 property...

Jackson County claims property tax order was meant to shield Missouri AG from deposition

Maryland Heights, MO

Season 29 “Dancing With the Stars” alum Nelly was arrested by the State of Missouri Highway Patrol Gaming Division at the Hollywood Casino on August 7, 2024, Officer Terry McComas of the Maryland Heights Police Department told Heavy via email. The rapper, whose real name is Cornell Haynes...

DWTS Alum Arrested in Missouri

Kentucky State

Louisville, KY

FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Court of Appeals has rejected efforts by the office of the state Attorney General to use a Franklin County grand jury subpoena to get employment records in a case that appears to involve two University of Louisville physicians who performed abortions at EMW Women’s Surgical Center and trained residents at the clinic.

Kentucky appeals court rejects AG’s efforts to get employment records in abortion case

NewsBreak

One year after Marion raid, Kansas officials still don’t care about constitutional freedoms

Marion County Record editor and publisher Eric Meyer takes a smoke break on July 25, 2024, at the back door to his newspaper office — where...

One year after Marion raid, Kansas officials still don’t care about constitutional freedoms

Comments / 0