- One of the two best legal blogs out there, Grits for Breakfast, talks today about creeping overcriminalization, the decline of mens rea, and the unbalanced push for more security at the cost of liberty. My own contribution to this discussion comes in the February issue of D Magazine, which will hit the stands in late January, and it looks at the growth of the nanny state in Dallas.
- Ron Kirk’s appointment is a good sign Dear Leader is not a total moonbat on international trade, but there’s a lot of territory between here and the final judgment. The real test will be whether his boss tries to force other countries to abide by ridiculous American labor and environmental laws.
- Another question via Grits: “The single best solution would be to mandate an “open file” policy in every Texas jurisdiction (right now it’s done at the discretion of the local DAs and county attorneys) so that defense counsel could have access to the same police reports, witness statements, and other documents the prosecutors get to see. That system works wonderfully in Tarrant County, where these files are kept online and defense counsel can access files on their cases via a password that lets them see everything in there.” The question is, why isn’t that SOP?
- Here’s why gun control won’t work – “His weapon was recovered at the scene and later determined to be stolen during a separate offense in Terrell, according to police…” — and why it’s never smart to go out socially naked. (Nice shooting, btw.)
- A 12-year-old in Galveston is the latest “isolated incident” of police misconduct, getting roughed up for her troubles by plainclothes officers and arrested at her school despite police errors every step of the way. (Via Radley.)
- Driver with a baseball bat attacks someone who cut her off on I-30. Is she a woman? Why, yes she is.