North Carolina law would make discussing fracking chemicals illegalAFP Photo / David Mcnew North Carolina legislators are considering a bill that would make it a crime to publicly disclose toxic chemicals that energy companies use in the hydraulic fracturing process, with offenders on the hook for fines or even jail time.
Philly judges face corruption charges for getting politicians off the hookA number of Philadelphia city judges will stand trial in the coming weeks after being accused of organizing a ticket-fixing scheme that benefited politically-connected members of the city, an issue that compelled officials to ban traffic court altogether. After a delay, Monday opening statements in the corruption trial were scheduled to begin next week.
Everyone should know just how much the government lied to defend the NSAIf you blinked this week, you might have missed the news: two Senators accused the Justice Department of lying about NSA warrantless surveillance to the US supreme court last year, and those falsehoods all but ensured that mass spying on Americans would continue.
Glenn Greenwald: U.S. Corporate Media is “Neutered, Impotent and Obsolete”In the final part of our extended interview, Glenn Greenwald reflects on the Pulitzer Prize, adversarial journalism and the corporate media’s response to his reporting on Edward Snowden’s leaked National Security Agency documents. “We knew that once we started publishing not one or two stories, but dozens of stories …
Mexican citizen sues ICE for beatings, 5 months in solitaryReuters / Mike Blake A Mexican citizen is suing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for beating him, denying him medical treatment and keeping him in solitary confinement for five months after a traffic violation. Local police arrested Fernando Figueroa-Barajas at a roadblock near his Mississippi home in August 2013 for driving without a license.
Washington pot grower sues state over taxing federal crimeAFP Photo / Miguel Rojo A Washington man is suing representatives of that state for taxing his marijuana crop, saying the state can’t tax him because he’s being federally prosecuted for that very crop, and that paying the tax would be a violation of his 5th Amendment rights. Martin Nickerson Jr.
Vermont governor signs first in US GMO-labeling law to go into effectVermont will become the first state to enact a law requiring labels on foods with genetically modified ingredients after the governor signed the bill into law on Thursday afternoon. The bill will go into effect in July 2016. “I am proud of Vermont for being the first state in the nation to ensure that Vermonters will know what is in their food.
Federal judge orders FBI to reveal name of informantsAFP Photo / Mandel Ngan A District Court judge in Washington, DC has ordered the Federal Bureau of Information to release documents likely to reveal the identity of two confidential informants. Since 2012, photojournalist Laura Sennett has been attempting to get her hands on any and all documents the FBI has collected on her ahead of an armed raid they conducted at her Arlington, Virginia home four years earlier.
Phone Company Bid to Keep Data From N.S.A. Is RejectedWASHINGTON – A telephone company asked the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in January to stop requiring it to give records of its customers’ calls to the National Security Agency, in light of a ruling by a Federal District Court judge that the N.S.A. program is likely unconstitutional, according to court papers declassified on Friday.
Supreme Court Refuses Challenge To NDAA Indefinite Detention Of AmericansThrows out case against provision that could see Americans kidnapped by government without charge Steve Watson Infowars.com April 30, 2014 The Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal against the clause of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which, the plaintiffs argue, allows for indefinite detention of Americans by the military.
Judge, siding with accused pirate, orders ‘copyright troll’ to pay upReuters / Petar Kujundzic High-powered law firms have for decades won massive settlements from accused online pirates based on legal claims that are now in doubt. Initiating so many battles has created a lot of enemies, though, as one firm recently found out.
Florida man arrested for filming another arrestA screenshot from CBS video A Florida man is facing criminal charges after an officer arrested him – all for taping the officer as he attempted to detain another individual. The incident began on St. Patrick’s Day, when Miami-Dade Officer Michael Valdez arrived at a store in Cutler Bay in order to arrest the owner on misdemeanor traffic charges.
Mortgage Whistleblower Stands Alone as U.S. Won’t Join LawsuitTwo years after Lynn Szymoniak helped the U.S. recover $95 million from Bank of America Corp. and other lenders for mortgage-fraud tied to the housing bubble, the whistle-blower said the government is ignoring a chance to collect more money for identical claims against other banks. Szymoniak got $18 million when the U.S.
Jail-breaking point: Overcrowded prisons strike White House clemency chordThe enormous outlay for overcrowded US federal prisons is forcing the White House to consider clemency and entreat non-violent, low-level felons serving terms for drug-related crimes to apply for early release. Next week the US Bureau of Prisons will make the inmates aware of the six criteria elaborated by the US Justice Department for those who deserve early parole.
Family awarded $3 million in first US fracking trialReuters / Shannon Stapleton After three years of legal wrangling, a Texas family has won its case against a company engaged in hydraulic fracturing near their home. The family, which suffered tangible health deterioration after the fracking began, was awarded $3 million.
Police may stop drivers based only on anonymous tip, rules Supreme CourtLaw enforcement officials may now stop US drivers based only on the information gleaned in an anonymous tip phoned in by a caller who dialed 911, the Supreme Court ruled in a tight decision Tuesday.
In prison forever: Gitmo detainees might not see freedom even after Afghan War endsReuters / Brennan Linsley / Pool The United States military plans to end its combat role in Afghanistan later this year and close the chapter on America’s longest-running war, but the Afghan men being held at the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay aren’t expected to see any changes.
US govt must provide details to justify drone killing of American – judgeThe US Department of Justice must turn over important details from a key memo which the government has used to justify targeted killings across the Middle East – including the drone strike that killed an American who joined Al-Qaeda, a US judge has ruled.
Defense Council’s Video Catches 5 Cops Lying on Witness Stand “Many, many, many, many times”In a ‘Perry Mason’ moment, a video played in court contradicts police officers who testified their drug arrest was proper April 15, 2014By Steve SchmadekeChicago Tribune One by one, five police officers took the witness stand at the Skokie courthouse late last month for what would typically be a routine hearing on whether evidence in…
Consumers may be barred from suing General Mills for ‘liking’ company on FacebookReuters / Brendan McDermid Under a new privacy policy, Fortune 500 corporation General Mills claims that anyone who has received anything from it that can be deemed a benefit – even agreeing to “like” it on Facebook – withdraws rights to sue the company.