by TChris

The Bush administration's effort to suppress disturbing images of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib has been rejected (once again) by Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who ruled in favor of the ACLU's request for disclosure of the photographs and videos. Freedom of information trumped the government's claim that the nation's image would be tarnished, and that terrorism would be fueled, if the pictures were made public.

[I]n his 50-page ruling, the judge said: "My task is not to defer to our worst fears, but to interpret and apply the law, in this case, the Freedom of Information Act, which advances values important to our society, transparency and accountability in government.

"Our struggle to prevail must be without sacrificing the transparency and accountability of government and military officials," he added.

by TChris

Update: Recent video, via CNN, can be accessed here. Earlier video, via Crooks and Liars, can be accessed here.

.....

In the aftermath of Katrina, some opportunists took advantage of chaos to enrich themselves by theft, while others, desperate to survive, took food and water and other supplies that enhanced their chances of staying alive. The media have done a less than spectacular job of sorting out the two groups.

Starting to come to light, however, is a group of opportunists who were charged with the duty of enforcing the law: members of the New Orleans police department.

by TChris

In light of the FEMA disaster, this TV show sounds more like a comedy than a drama:

"DHS" — a show about the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security "who risk their lives every day to keep us safe”

Problem is, it’s neither. It doesn’t exist, as duped investors learned.

by TChris

No surprise here: John Roberts is the new Chief Justice, confirmed by a vote of 78-22. He'll be sworn in quickly so he can preside over the opening day of the new term, commencing (as always) on the first Monday of October.

Attention now turns to Justice O'Connor's successor. The president's nominee should be announced within days. A photo gallery of some of the contenders for the job is here.

by TChris

Human Rights Watch reports that the sheriff's department in New Orleans left hundreds of inmates locked in a city jail as flood waters began to rise.

Inmates in Templeman III, one of several buildings in the Orleans Parish Prison compound, reported that as of Monday, August 29, there were no correctional officers in the building, which held more than 600 inmates. These inmates, including some who were locked in ground-floor cells, were not evacuated until Thursday, September 1, four days after flood waters in the jail had reached chest-level.

More than 500 inmates are missing. Were any of them left to drown?

by Last Night in Little Rock

Indicted Congressman Tom DeLay (R-TX,22) called the prosecutor who obtained his indictment yesterday a "partisan fanatic."

by Last Night in Little Rock

The NY Times today has interesting articles about the "DeLay Effect," my choice of words, not theirs, on the DeLay indictment. DeLay's successor, picked by the Republicans as Majority Whip, is Rep. Roy D. Blunt (R-MO,7).

Blunt is named in a 9/26 posting on the website of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) of the most corrupt members of Congress, and it names Blunt first. What timing.

by Last Night in Little Rock

JURIST's Paper Chase, a blog written by law students, has a heavily hyperlink annotated posting last night: Judge rejects Aschroft's claim that appeal rules are not applicable in emergencies. The government detained two Muslim men in the wake of 9/11, held them in solitary confinement, and then deported them, denying them all access to the courts while in the U.S. The court ruled that they could sue, rejecting former AG Ashcroft's defense that the rules just don't apply during national emergencies.

by Last Night in Little Rock

The widow of slain Atlanta Superior Court judge Rowland Barnes has served notice on the Atlanta Sheriff that she intends to sue over the negligence of the Sheriff's Office in the judge's March 11th murder as noted on Law.com. As previously reported here, the Sheriff investigated and fired several officers.

For those who want to vent against Tom DeLay, here's a chance. Just respect the comment rules applicable for all comments

The Timesonline has been profiling the case of Algerian pilot Lofti Raissi. This commentary today, the Dawning of Jackboot Justice, today is a great read.

Barge in first, ask questions later: we should all be worried by the police’s gung-ho tactics...

Yesterday The Times reported the case of Lofti Raissi, an Algerian pilot who was being watched by the FBI as a possible suspect in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. The request to Scotland Yard was to monitor him “discreetly”. Instead, police mounted a dawn raid, put a gun to his head and led him naked to a waiting police car. It turns out he was innocent.

I just found out that Tom DeLay has got himself the best lawyer in Texas and one of the best trial lawyers in the country - Houston's Dick DeGuerin. The other best one in my opinion is his brother, Mike DeGeurin. (Yes, they spell their last names differently.)

Dick has also been a very good friend of mine for 20 years. You may remember him as David Koresh's lawyer in WACO, or Kay Bailey Hutchinson's lawyer, or the lawyer (along with Chip Lewis) who got Robert Durst acquitted of murder even though he admitted hacking up the body.

That means I'll be reporting the news on the case and analyzing it legally, but I won't be slamming DeLay any more. Sorry, folks, but loyalty is loyalty. Just thought I'd be up front about it.

Of course, TChris and Last Night in Little Rock are welcome to slam DeLay all they want.