Free Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that authorities do not have to provide a quick hearing when they seize cars and other property used in drug crimes, even when the property belongs to so-called innocent owners. By a 6-3 vote, the justices rejected the claims of two Alabama women who had to wait more than a year for their cars to be returned. Police had stopped the cars when they were being driven by other people and, after finding drugs, seized the vehicles. Civil forfeiture allows authorities to take someone’s property, without having to prove that it...

Under questioning by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga) at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Attorney General Merrick Garland denied that enforcing the Constitution's right to a "speedy and public trial" for those accused of crimes during the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol is his responsibility. Clyde pointed out that "it's been more than two years since the alleged crimes occurred. Nearly two dozen of the accused have spent almost two years imprisoned. As the nation's top-ranking law-enforcement officer shouldn't you be doing more to protect these defendants' civil rights?" "Look," Garland replied, "my job is to prosecute these...

New trial dates were set Thursday for six bikers in the Twin Peaks trial. Two of the six bikers, Richard Lockhart and Marcus Pilkington, did not show up. Lockhart did not attend due to his attorney being out of the country and Pilkington’s attorney recently filed a motion to quash and object his re-indictment. The trial dates are below: Reginald Whethers: Feb. 25, 2019 Marshall Mitchell: Feb. 25, 2019 Richard Cantu: March 25, 2019. A fourth biker who showed up, David Martinez asked for a trial date in April or May 2019. However, the judge has not decided if a...

The Sixth Amendment states, “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed….” Those words stand a clearly as they did when the Bill of Rights was adopted, but these days, Americans who insist on a jury trial may find themselves punished for doing so. Here’s the problem. The American judicial system is so overwhelmed with cases that prosecutors don’t want to bother with trials. They would much rather strong-arm the defendant into a plea bargain, thus...

Here's another reason why al Qaeda terrorists don't belong in US civilian courts: the right to a speedy trial. The lawyer for embassy bomber Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, the first Guantanamo Bay detainee to receive a civilian trial, this week claimed that his client's years in detention violated his right to a timely adjudication of the case. He's demanding Ghailani's release. Insane? You betcha. But it's the predictable consequence of Team Obama's efforts to shoehorn Islamist cutthroats into a justice system that was never designed for them. Consider: POWs -- uniformed soldiers of a belligerent state -- can be legally held...

Injustice in the United States November 30, 2006 by John J. Abele On August 28, 2005, Miguel Padilla, of Gallitzin, PA, once again avoided being officially sentenced to death. This time the delay was caused by the Mexican government stepping into the case on his behalf. Is anyone sure that Mexico has a government today? The old regime is due to be replaced at midnight tonight, but by whom? As of yesterday legislators were fighting and rolling on the floor, disputing just who the incoming president will be. The Mexican government obviously considers him a citizen of Mexico. Let's go...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal judge on Friday set former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's trial date in the CIA leak case for January 2007, two months after the midterm congressional elections. The trial for Libby, who faces perjury and obstruction of justice charges, will begin with jury selection January 8, said U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton. Walton said he had hoped to start the trial in September but one of Libby's lawyers had a scheduling conflict that made an earlier date impractical. Walton said he does not like "to have a case linger" but had no...

One Suspect In Critical Condition HOUSTON -- A northeast Houston man opened fire on suspected car thieves who were trying to steal his vehicle, police told Local 2 Friday. Officers said two men driving a stolen tow truck were trying to tow a car out of the Swiss Village Apartments parking lot on Homestead near Tidwell shortly before 5 a.m. Roosevelt Grant is a neighbor of the car owner. He said he knew something was wrong when he saw the white Buick LeSabre hooked up to a tow truck. Then, he said he saw his neighbor running after his car...