Chicago police officer Anthony Abbate---caught on video beating up a young woman bartender---has been sentenced. He got probation. Note that Abbate is still a police officer. The Independent Police Review Authority has recommended he be fired, and it sounds like he was convicted of a felony, which should disqualify him for the police force, but God only knows what the Police … [Read more...] about Not Much Punishment For Abbate, Even Less For Conspirators
Lawyer as Juror in a Murder Trial
Illinois's own Jeremy Richey does some actual journalism and interviews California civil attorney Brian Pedigo about his experience as a juror for a murder trial. He talks about deliberations, and what he thinks each side did wrong or right. By the way, he has one piece of advice for the prosecutor that I'd like to second if I'm ever on a jury again: When handling a firearm, … [Read more...] about Lawyer as Juror in a Murder Trial
Mathematics In Gangland
Scott Greenfield, font of so much that I can riff off of, has a complaint about gang experts who try to paint every action by the defendant as related to his membership in a gang: If a defendant has a tattoo, the expert will testify that tattoos are "brands" typically worn by gang members. If the tattoo happens to say "Tiffany", then the testimony is changed ever so … [Read more...] about Mathematics In Gangland
A Couple More Thoughts About Healthcare
Back on my latest I'm-going-to-be-blogging-about-healthcare post, reader Seth makes a few points in the comments. Here's the first one: Making healthcare cheaper by saving money on billing data, etc. is saving money on clerks and bookkeepers. Whether the amount is large or small, it has no effect on the amount of healthcare provided (except perhaps by doctors who do their own … [Read more...] about A Couple More Thoughts About Healthcare
It’s Not Supposed To Be About Street Justice
[I started to comment on this over at Simple Justice, but there's so much going on here that I decided to do my own post. As usual these days, it's a bit late.] I may be a libertarian, but I'm not a cop hater. Sometimes, however, cops make it very hard not to hate them. Go read Scott Greenfield's story about a cop who hit a surrendering suspect and put him in a coma. … [Read more...] about It’s Not Supposed To Be About Street Justice