Outside the Beltway

A Chicago Police Officer has been charged with murder in the death of a 17 year old African-American male that, from the evidence that has been released, seems completely unjustifiable.

After thirty years in Federal Prison, Jonathan Pollard is a free man. Make no mistake, though. Pollard is not, and never has been, a hero and he deserves to be remembered as nothing but the criminal that he is.

French officials have confirmed that Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the man believed to be the plotter of last Friday’s attacks in Paris, was killed in a police raid early Wednesday morning. This doesn’t mean authorities in France or elsewhere in Europe are any less concerned about future attacks, though.

This is likely to outrage a lot of people, but it may not be incorrect under the law.

The Supreme Court is now considering a case that deals with the problem of overly broad civil asset forfeiture laws and a Defendant’s right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment.

Thanks apparently in part to body camera footage, two police officers in Louisiana are facing murder charges in the shooting death of a child during a police chase.

My favorite sports team employs a thug.

Senator Bernie Sanders wants to let states decide how to regulate marijuana, or to not regulate it at all if they choose. Intellectually honest conservatives should support his effort.

Up to 13 people are dead and as many 20 injured after another mass shooting on a college campus.

Prosecutors in South Carolina announced that they will seek the death penalty for Charleston shooter Dylann Roof.

Four months in jail, no opportunity for bail, no trial, no access to mental health care. And, now Jamycheal Mitchell is dead.

A front page cover on yesterday’s murders in Virginia crosses the line from reporting to exploitation.

A reporter and cameraman for a local television station were killed, and a third person wounded, live on the air this morning.

Somewhat surprisingly, a jury in Colorado was unable to agree on a unanimous death sentence for Aurora movie theater shooter James Holmes.

A police officer in Cincinnati has been indicted for murder in a case that seems to be a pretty clear cut example of improper use of force.

Chris Christie says he would ignore states that have legalized marijuana if he became President. Fortunately, he will most likely never be President.

After 30 years in prison, Jonathan Pollard will be released later this year.

Reports are circulating that the Obama Administration is considering releasing Jonathan Pollard, and many are seeing it as an effort to placate Israel in the wake of the Iran deal.

A big win in Court for the former Texas Governor, but it’s unclear what this means politically.

Removing the responsibility to investigate police misconduct from the prosecutors who have to work with those police on a daily basis is a good idea.

Dylann Roof has been indicted in Federal Court for completely unnecessary reasons.

A few days late, but a story worth noting if it has escaped notice.

Almost exactly three years after the attack on a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, James Holmes was found guilty late yesterday.

Tragedy in Tennessee.

Contrary to what Donald Trump claims, immigrants are less likely to commit crime than others.

A good first step, but there’s a lot more than needs to be done to reform the criminal justice system.

Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is likely going to Federal Prison very soon.

The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the way the death penalty is administered, dealing a serious blow to opponents of the death penalty.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev appeared in public for what is likely the last time in his life, apologized for the crimes he committed, and was unsurprisingly sentenced to death by a Federal Judge.

The debate is ultimately academic.

A 19 year old from Indiana faces a quarter century as a registered sex offender because he met a girl who lied about her age.

Nine people died overnight in a shooting at an historic African-American Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

The head of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has resigned in the wake of criminal charges for covering up sexual abuse of children.

A Judge in Cleveland has found that there is probable cause to charge a Cleveland Police Officer with murder in the death of Tamir Rice, but that is hardly the end of the matter.

So much for freedom of speech.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has been charged criminally for its role in covering up sexual abuse of children by Priests.

The Supreme Court has narrowed the means by which Federal prosecutors can prosecute someone for making statements online that could be perceived as threats.

The next shoe drops in the Dennis Hastert case.

Despite a veto from the state’s Governor, today Nebraska became the latest state to repeal the death penalty. Hopefully, others will follow.

Several of the top representatives of soccer’s governing body have been indicted by a Federal Grand Jury in New York.