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(CNN) -- A Texas district court judge Friday reversed the conviction of a man who died in prison nearly a decade ago, almost two decades into a prison sentence for a rape he swore he did not commit, CNN affiliate KXAN reported. ">snip<"

Former "blogging pedophile" Jack McClellan has been released from jail, following his arrest last week for violating a restraining order in California. His release follows the prediction of observers in law enforcement, child advocacy, and the judicial system who think it will be difficult to take effective or even constitutional steps against McClellan to protect children. The 45-year-old self-professed pedophile was arrested August 13 for violating a three-year restraining order that required him to stay 30 feet away from all children. He was being held in jail with a $150,000 bail bond. But according to Associated Press, he was released...

Last month, Judge Judith Bartnoff ruled that Washington, D.C. administrative law Judge Roy Pearson would not get $54 million for his allegedly lost pants. The decision surprised no one except maybe Judge Pearson, who is expected to appeal the verdict. But the "victory" for Jin, Soo, and Ki Chung, owners of Custom Cleaners, has cost them at least $83,000 in legal fees and counting. The case has drained their life savings and left them with a large debt. I'm thrilled to say that the Institute for Legal Reform and the American Tort Reform Association co-hosted a fundraiser on their behalf...

The prosecutor demanded that the doored bunk beds be called "cages." Other names used to describe the safey beds (which I personally examined) were "slave cages" and "slave quarters." The foster parent Gravelles were convicted instead of commended for caring for eleven developmentally disabled black children. Even one African American "expert" on the case thought that is was prejudicial for these white Gravelles to have so many black children in their charge. Children that no one else would think about adopting. Editorial Many people are wanting to blame Huron County social services, but for the wrong reasons. To put it...

In my daily perusal of the news, I caught two items that illustrate, quite clearly, how liberals view the role of the judiciary, thus revealing, in stark terms, how critically important is the battle over the judicial filibuster. First, I read about a commencement speech at Brandeis University by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court justice who authored the opinion declaring same-sex "marriage" legal in Massachusetts. Newsmax.com reported Justice Margaret Marshall said, "Our courts function as a pressure valve to defuse political and social tension."

With all of the media venues finally calling attention to Terri Schindler Schiavo and her fight to stay alive - I could not help but reflect on all of the articles, affadavits, and medical reports I have read. It is very important to review everything in sequence and cumulatively, so that a proper picture can be painted. Something, by the way, the Honorable Judge Greer has refused to do - you would think after all these years, he would at least need to refresh his memory before condeming a woman to death. But...Nonetheless... My reflections have led me to a...

I can't help but conclude that our system and judges in this Terri Schiavo case are using intellectual legalistic gymnastics to justify the state sanctioned starvation of a woman. On this Easter weekend I would like us all to consider this: In Mark 7:11 A story is told of how Jesus dealings with the Church leaders of the day. At that time church leaders were required by the law to: 1) Support the Church (tithe) 2) Take care of aging parents. Apparently in that time, the leaders devised a way to technically avoid supporting the parents by saying they were...

Thoughtful, intelligent and painfully aware of the gravity of their decision. If, as some have suggested, their guilty verdict restored faith in the legal system, then their action Monday might has restored faith in the jury system. Not because the jurors in the Scott Peterson trial chose death -- the merits of capital punishment in this case can and will continue to be debated -- but because of their comments at the post-verdict news conference and since. Agree or not, the four jurors who have spoken have clearly articulated why they decided Peterson was guilty and why he deserves to...

The American legal landscape is a varied one, and our system of federalism helps to ensure that variety. There are bad federal courts and good state judges, wise federal prosecutors and corrupt state attorneys general. Most tort law is state law, so many blockbuster lawsuits — suits involving liability or personal injury — are handled at the state level. And certain states contain "magic jurisdictions" — counties whose judges are notoriously friendly to plaintiffs and notoriously hostile to big corporations. Perhaps the most magic of the magic is Illinois' Madison County.

<p>A federal judge Monday ruled that Iowa's law prohibiting sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or child-care center is unconstitutional.</p> <p>The Iowa Legislature enacted the law in 2002 in an effort to keep sexual predators away from children.</p>

Judges back clean-up of US party funding By Alec Russell in Washington (Filed: 12/12/2003) The United States Supreme Court has endorsed sweeping reforms to curb the influence of money in American politics. The judgment spoke of "corruption and in particular the appearance of corruption" throughout the political process. Endorsing a law curbing the donating of huge unregulated sums, the court ruled that rooting out corruption justified limits on free speech and on free spending by parties and candidates. But the five-to-four vote reflected the polarisation of views over the law, which has inspired an unlikely alliance of opponents from the...

Many took time off from work, and all ran the gantlet of Houston's torn-up downtown streets to get there. Several admitted they would rather be somewhere else. But the 200 or so people who showed up for jury duty on a recent Thursday morning were motivated by something deeper. "It's really a hassle," said Johnny Cowan. "I came in from 15 miles out and had to fight the traffic and try to find the place. But if we didn't have juries, we wouldn't have the justice system we have. So I guess we can get past the hassles." Turns out,...

A federal appeals panel in Montgomery, Ala., on Wednesday sharply tested the right of Alabama's Supreme Court chief justice to keep a two-ton Ten Commandments monument in the state judicial building. One judge on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said if the panel accepted an argument made by Alabama Chief Justice Roy S. Moore, courthouses around the state could be decorated with murals depicting the life and death of Jesus Christ and the words "What Would Jesus Do?" inscribed above the benches. "Its implications are staggering," Judge Edward E. Carnes said of Moore's argument. Moore's lawyer, Herbert W....

Kerry says justice system becoming too political By Amy Lorentzen, Associated Press, 3/8/2003 23:34 DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Sen. John Kerry said Saturday he is concerned about the politicization of America's judicial system. The Massachusetts senator, one of nine Democrats vying for his party's presidential nomination, used a speech at a Drake Law School banquet to highlight what he called a disturbing trend in the system. He said a number of rights are being threatened because of politics mingling with the legal system, including President Bush's push to get conservative judges appointed to the bench. ''I don't believe we need...

<p>Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly. Thank you for watching us tonight.</p> <p>An absolute disgrace in the murder trial of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam. That is the subject of this evening's Talking Points memo.</p> <p>According to a report in The San Diego Union Tribune, convicted killer David Westerfield's attorneys, Steven Feldman and Robert Boyce, knew their client was guilty.</p>

Back in the early 1970s, the hippie culture chanted "down with the establishment." Today, they are the adults -- teachers, reporters, lawyers, judges, legislators, and they make up the membership of dozens of foundations and non-government organizations -- affecting the establishment. And still, each group, in its own way, seems to be working to dismantle our American establishment. As far as the average American citizen is concerned, our judicial system has become lethargic, cumbersome and ineffective at protecting our rights. Often, the judicial system appears little more then the playground for corrupt lawyers and their partners, the judges. One case...