Earlier this month, a federal judge in the state of New York struck down a policy in New York City dealing with a police procedure known as “stop and frisk,” citing the city’s use of the procedure as unconstitutional. Stop and frisk, as some of our readers may know,...
Month: August 2013
AG gets rid of mandatory minimums for low-level drug offenders
Mandatory minimum sentences may not be something all of our readers have heard of, but for those who’ve been through the criminal justice system on federal drug charges, it probably is. Mandatory minimum sentences are something the federal government implemented back...
Chicago woman accuses officers of framing her in 2009 drug arrest
Our readers may have heard about the Chicago woman, formerly from a South Side housing development, who is suing three police officers for allegedly kicking her apartment door in and placing bags of crack cocaine outside her window back in 2009. The woman was...
Federal judge calls into question ATF sting operations
Our regular readers will remember that we wrote, last month, a set of posts on investigation tactics used by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). As we pointed out in those posts, the agency has been criticized for its use of sting...
Illinois may soon allow medical marijuana
Governor Pat Quinn is expected to sign into law today a measure that would legalize medical marijuana in Illinois. The bill, which would take effect in January, calls to the creation of a pilot program in which qualifying patients would be able to use up to 2.5 ounces...