A bevy of beauty queens got together yesterday to express their beliefs. Present and former winners of Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Miss Universe, and Miss California titles recorded a PSA that included these memorable lines:

"I believe when I express my opinion I have a responsibility to do it in a way that respects others who may not agree … I believe in love … I believe when two people with opposite views communicate with love and respect both points of view can be heard … I believe no one should be silenced if they are speaking from their heart with respect … I believe in the beauty of California."

Carrie Prejean couldn't make it, but we already know what she believes. What do you believe?

This is an open thread.

Given the unprincipled performance of prosecutors from the Justice Department's Public Integrity Unit during the Ted Stevens trial, it's time for Eric Holder to demand prosecutorial integrity from his Public Integrity lawyers. The Attorney General showed some integrity of his own when he dumped the tainted Stevens prosecution, but he may have signaled a tolerance for the unit's unethical behavior when, a week later, he assured the unit's prosecutors "personally that I’ve got your back" and called them "among the finest lawyers in the entire government."

[A] decision by the Bush administration eight years ago to shake up the section has had some troubling consequences, like frequent leadership changes and the loss of experienced prosecutors, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former officials. Against that backdrop, court records show that the Stevens case has not been the only one in which the unit may have failed to disclose evidence favorable to the defense, as required by law.

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In early March, Karl Rove reached an agreement with the House Judiciary Committee to answer deposition questions concerning the firing of U.S. Attorneys. When will that happen? Rove's lawyer anticipates that the deposition will take place next month.

Robert Luskin told TPMmuckraker that the Obama White House has been painstakingly sorting through the documents related to the firings, and is providing them to Rove and to the House Judiciary committee simultaneously.

As Jeralyn observed in her discussion of Rove's agreement to be deposed, the documents are likely to be more valuable than Rove's testimony. For those of you who are looking for a new drinking game, downing a shot every time Rove can't remember a key fact should lead to quick intoxication.

As TalkLeft noted in 2002, Joseph Salvati had good reason to sue the FBI. The nation's premier law enforcement agency encouraged false testimony against Salvati at his state court murder trial because it knew the murder had actually been committed by FBI informants. Protecting its informants became a higher FBI priority than protecting the liberty of innocent people.

In its defense of Salvati's lawsuit, the Justice Department attempted to convince District Court Judge Nancy Gertner that the FBI didn't know Salvati's accuser would commit perjury, and that even if it did it had no duty to disclose evidence of Salvati's innocence because Salvati was being prosecuted in a state court. As TalkLeft noted in 2007, Judge Gertner rejected those arguments and awarded $101.7 million to Salvati and three others who were wrongly convicted of the murder.

Salvati is still waiting to collect. He's 76 years old, living with his wife in a one bedroom apartment. They get by on Salvati's social security benefit and his wife's small pension. The FBI should have apologized and written a check years ago. Instead, the Justice Department continues to insist that the FBI did nothing wrong. [more ...]

It is difficult to square President Obama's proclamation of May 7, 2009 as a National Day of Prayer with the founding belief that the government should be neutral on religious matters. In his proclamation, the president expressly "call[s] upon Americans to pray in thanksgiving for our freedoms and blessings and to ask for God's continued guidance, grace, and protection for this land that we love." With all due respect, Mr. President, whether I choose to pray or not is my business, not yours and not the government's.

Perhaps it it is asking too much to have a president who agrees that lobbying for prayer is not an appropriate exercise of official authority. President Lincoln approved the Senate's request to designate April 30, 1863, "as a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer," Congress passed a joint resolution in 1952 establishing the National Day of Prayer, and the president has proclaimed a National Day of Prayer every year since 1975. We may one day have a president willing to buck that trend, but it isn't Obama. [more ...]

Derek and Meredith head to the chapel tonight on the 100th episode of Grey's Anatomy. Something tells me it won't go smoothly.

American Idol was a let-down last night, Allison was the wrong one to send home. What's on your screen tonight? Or on your mind if you aren't watching tv?

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Jeffrey Rosen's now infamous piece on Second Circuit Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor has led to many evaluations of Rosen's intellect and qualities as a legal journalist. The consensus appears to be that Rosen is deficient and not considered a reliable source of information and analysis in this area.

Glenn Greenwald writes:

The recession and its impact on state tax revenues and budgeting may be the excuse that politicians need to shift their public positions from "just say no" to "just tax the smokers." California's Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this week called for "a large-scale study" to assess the potential impact of legalizing and taxing the recreational use of marijuana in the state.

“I think it’s time for a debate,” he said. “I think all of those ideas of creating extra revenues; I’m always for an open debate on it. And I think we ought to study very carefully what other countries are doing that have legalized marijuana and other drugs. What effect did it have on those countries?”

A rational political debate is long overdue. The public is much more accepting of the medical and recreational use of marijuana than the legislators who represent them. Most legislators (particularly those who have served several terms) are stuck in the 1980's mindset that nobody ever won an election by being soft on crime. Whatever merit that assumption about voter attitudes retains as to violent and property crimes, it does not reflect the growing public acceptance (or at least tolerance) of recreational marijuana use. [more ...]

For once, Megan's Law has accomplished something positive in the area of civil liberties for sex offenders. The New Jersey Supreme Court has thrown out two muncipal ordinances restricting where sex offenders can live. The opinion is available here (pdf). Shorter version: Megan's Law trumps the local ordinances.

Under Megan's Law, convicted sex offenders may only live in a residence approved by a parole officer, and must notify authorities when they change addresses and employment. The law forbids anyone from using an offender's criminal record to deny housing.

Both New Jersey towns have ordinances that prohibit sex offenders convicted of offenses against minors from living within 2,500 feet of schools, parks, playgrounds and day care centers.

118 other NJ towns have similar laws, and I presume those are invalid as well. [More...]

I'll be offline for the next several hours so here's an open thread for you.

All topics welcome.

Don't miss this article in the Washington Times about an upset juror. Here's his letter to the Court (pdf) which is causing quite a stir.

The jury had acquitted the defendants of all but some small drug sales. Juror #6 learned from a press release the defendants could still get 40 years.

I write because I recently saw a press release from the US Attorney’s Office which states that Gregory Bell and Joseph Jones were sentenced to 16 years and 15 years, respectively, “for their roles in this case”. It also states that Antwuan Ball, Desmond Thurston, and David Wilson “each face up to 40 years imprisonment for the narcotics crimes for which they were convicted.”

Can this be true? We as a jury found these individuals guilty of somewhere around 20 instances of selling drugs, but as I remember it, most of these were very small amounts. And this was over a period of nearly 10 years. Now
I’m not a lawyer, but after 30 years of living in the District, I believe people selling small amounts of crack on the street usually end up with probation or only a year or two in prison if they have a previous offense.

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Looks like the medical pot raids under Obama and AG Eric Holder are continuing. The latest victim is the Green Cross in Bakersfield. It was raided yesterday as a search warrant was executed and there are reports of three arrests.