This past Friday's Raleigh News and Observer contained a troubling article about James Coman, the special prosecutor appointed to take Mike Nifong's place on the Duke rape case. If the article is to be bedlieved - and I have absolutely no reason to question the facts set forth in the article - Mr. Coman ...
Monthly Archives: January 2007
Is the Libby Case a Personal Vendetta?
An editorial in the weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal doesn't come out and say as much, but makes a strong case that such might be the case. Read the piece, and judge for yourself. For what it's worth, it has always struck me as odd that Patrick Fitzgerald would spend time and ...
A Cornucopia of Philadelphia Crime News
Several good stories in this morning's Inky relating to criminal law. Without further ado: Defense lawyer found naked with 14 year old girl. The facts aren't good here.Hard to explain exactly why your naked with a 14 year old girl. And the guy has a record. Hey, I believe in the presumption of innocence as ...
BALCO Prosecutor Steps Down
It was reported today that Kevin Ryan, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of California and the mastermind behind the BALCO investigation has submitted his resignation. Who now will keep the world safe from athletes on steroids? The mind boggles. Good riddance.
Former Federal Prosecutor Charged with Running Escort Service
I just love these stories. According to the New York Law Journal, Paul Bergrin, a former federal and New Jersey state prosecutor has been charged with a variety of crimes arising out of his operation of a Manhattan based escort service. The article doesn't specify what all the charges are, but does identify ...
More Charges for Nifong?
Today's Raleigh News & Observer reports on more possible trouble for our favorite prosecutor, Mike Nifong. Seems Nifong was warned very early in the acse by defense lawyer Joe Cheshire that his comments to the press appeared to cross ethical boundaries. Ethics experts believe that this could undercut any effort by Nifong to argue ...
Nifong Out
The North Carolina Attorney General today granted Mike Nifong's request to be removed from the Duke Rape Case, the AP reports. Nifong claims he is disappointed to have to leave the case. I expect he might be more disappointed if he gets disbarred.
Nifong Asks To Be Removed (and some predictions)
News outlets are reporting this evening that Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong has at long last asked the North Carolina Attorney General to remove him from the Duke Rape case. A couple of predictions: 1. The AG will in fact remove Nifong and appoint a special prosecutor. 2. The special prosecutor, after rveiewing the body ...
Technology + Law Enforcement = Privacy Risk
In the January issue of Reason (again), Julian Sanchez has a very interesting, and very disturbing, article about the increasingly sophisticated uses to which technology can be put in the search for illicit conduct (or, more accurately, conduct that someone in authority has decided ought to be illicit), and the serious risks that this ...
Why the 9th Circuit’s BALCO Decision Is a Threat to Privacy Rights
Jacob Sullum, of Reason Magazine, has posted this very insightful op-ed explaining why the 9th Circuit's recent decision allowing the government to rifle through reams of electronic files in the pursuit of, presumably, Barry Bonds, is a bad omen for privacy rights. Hat tip: Tom Kirkendall, of the always thought provoking Houston's Clear ...