In February, TChris wrote about the death of 14 year old Martin Anderson at a Florida boot camp. The first autopsy said Anderson died of causes related to sickle-cell anemia, rather than the beating he sustained by guards.

A second autopsy has been performed. It concludes guards suffocated Anderson while trying to restrain him.

A female, lesbian Duke student alleges she was raped by a male student following a dorm pot-smoking, drinking party on the last day of classes. The male denies they had sex.

DA Mike Nifong says it's not his job to be involved unless police ask for his help.

"The Duke lacrosse case was very different from the way we normally get rape cases," Nifong said. "The District Attorney's Office is normally not contacted during the course of an investigation unless the law enforcement agency needs some special kind of assistance," such as obtaining a court order, he said. "That has not been the case in [the latest] investigation."

Duke police did get a search warrant and order for DNA testing. Nifong's explanation:

by TChris

This question has occurred to many:

"They say a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich. I'm beginning to wonder if a regular jury will convict it," the 49-year-old Queens man said.

The question was posed by David Lipshultz, a juror in the trial of Osama Awadallah. The perjury trial ended with a hung jury yesterday. Lipschultz was the only juror who refused to convict. Today he explains his reasoning:

by TChris

The Bush administration wants to make it easier for law enforcement agencies to wiretap calls made over the internet. The FCC made its pitch to a panel of federal judges today, and the response is priceless:

A judge said the government's courtroom arguments were "gobbledygook."

The judge also characterized the arguments as "nonsense." It gets even better:

"Your argument makes no sense," U.S. Circuit Judge Harry T. Edwards told the lawyer for the Federal Communications Commission, Jacob Lewis. "When you go back to the office, have a big chuckle. I'm not missing this. This is ridiculous. Counsel!"

Bump and Update: Patrick Kennedy announced today he will be entering rehab due to a prescription drug problem.

Kudos to him for acknowledging a difficult personal issue and dealing with it.

*********
Original Post 5/4/06

Rep. Patrick Kennedy, son of Ted Kennedy, drove to the capitol last night around 2:30 am believing he had to vote. He had taken Ambien and Phenergan for gastroenteritis.

He crashed his car into a security guard rail and was not hurt. He also got in a car accident three weeks ago at 10:00 a.m. He is adamant no alchohol was involved. He says the drugs made him disoriented.

by TChris

Breaking news:

CIA Director Porter Goss has resigned, President Bush said Friday.

Wonkette asks whether this abrupt announcement precedes new news of a scandal.

Update: Here's "a primer on the connection between Goss and the Cunningham scandal," courtesy of Think Progress.

by TChris

Students at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky. are scrambling to erase their MySpace profiles after university officials discovered that Jason Johnson's profile mentioned his boyfriend. Johnson was expelled for being gay, which is contrary to the private school's "high standards." According to President James Taylor:

"We tell prospective students about our high standards before they come. There are places students with predispositions can go, such as San Francisco and the left coast or to many of the state schools."

The Kentucky Legislature gave Cumberlands $11 million. Should Kentucky continue to assist a school that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation? Kentucky Sen. Ernesto Scorsone doesn't think so.

by TChris

High profile lawyers capture headlines, but less heralded lawyers, laboring in the trenches daily, go out of their way to make the legal system work for ordinary people. They rarely get the recognition they deserve. One of them, Ray Brescia, is profiled in the NY Times.

Mr. Brescia, 39, is director of the community development project at the Urban Justice Center in Manhattan, a nonprofit legal clinic founded in 1984. ...

Last month, lawyers from the Urban Justice Center's community development project sued Jing Fong, the largest restaurant in Chinatown, alleging that it had violated labor laws violations by, among other things, siphoning off tips from waiters and busboys.

"As a former busboy and waiter, I care about this stuff," he said.

I'm getting ready to head back to Denver (see post below)--will there be a Rove indictment today? Here's some space to talk about it - or anything else -- before I get back online.

I'll be sending out individual thank you emails this weekend to those who sent in contributions. They are much appreciated and as I noted below, you all sent enough to cover blog expenses for the next quarter -- including the cost of hosting and downloading court pleadings in the major cases.

My quick little trip to New York turned out to be huge fun because of the diverse cast of characters and the best weather I've experienced in New York in years. I'm just about to head to the airport to fly home.

I spent yesterday afternoon taping two tv shows which will air sometime in the next few weeks with Montel Williams, CNN's Lou Dobbs, MSNBC's Rita Cosby, Former EPA Secretary (and N.J.Governor) Christine Todd Whitman, Political guru Joe Trippi, actor Joey Pantoliano (who played the now deceased Ralphie on the Sopranos and as co-President of the Creative Coaliton has testified before Congress on First Amendment protections, actor and political activist Esai Morales (La Bamba, NYPD Blue, to name a few) and conservative Phoenix attorney Rachel Alexander, who also is co-editor of the blog Intellectual Conservative and private investigator and tv pundit Rod Wheeler.

by TChris

When schools censor the political expression of students, they teach kids that the Constitution is meaningless. That's the wrong lesson.

Camille Pontillo, the principal of Park Springs Elementary in Coral Springs, Florida, needs to learn a lesson of her own. Pontillo's school is having a talent show, but Pontillo won't allow 10-year-old Molly Shoul to sing Pink's new song, "Dear Mr. President." Pontillo doesn't think students should sing songs that are "too political."

Molly's mother nails it:

"If this was a student singing a pro-administration song, no one would quibble with it," Shoul said. "The principal is just running scared and doesn't want to upset any parents."

Kent State, May 4, 1970. . Don't forget. If you do, I'll remind you every year.

Neil Young, Ohio.

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.

Don't let the music die.