The Courts

2009

American Justice on Trial

David Cole : Law & Justice

To try alleged 9/11 perpetrators without handing Al Qaeda a propaganda victory, the trial must be fair beyond question.
Back Talk: Amy Bach

Christine Smallwood

A conversation with the author of Ordinary Injustice about why the right to trial is no protection against a shoddy legal system.
Hold Ashcroft Accountable

David Cole : John Ashcroft

The Ninth Circuit rules that John Ashcroft can be held accountable for the "paradigm of prevention" that led to unlawful detainment of a US citizen.

The Voter ID Fraud

Garrett Epps : Supreme Court

The conservatives ensconced on the Supreme Court are set to uphold draconian ID requirements on voters that will redefine electoral politics in America.

Stars and Bars

Daniel Lazare : Jails & Prisons

How did the American criminal justice system go so wrong?
In Praise of Red Tape

Christopher Hayes : Government

When lawmakers and the media failed to hold the Bush Administration to account, it was left to bureaucrats to defend the integrity of government.
Gary Tyler's Quest for Justice

Dave Zirin : Racism & Discrimination

Sports figures are joining the crusade to free a Louisiana man convicted as a teenager of a murder he didn't commit.
Putting Science in the Dock

Barry Yeoman : Lawsuits

Judges' ability to discriminate against expert witnesses has ended up empowering large corporations.
The Persecution of Sami Al-Arian

Alexander Cockburn : Constitutional Questions

A Palestinian professor caught in the US legal system needs all the support we can muster, as respect for constitutional freedoms sinks ever lower.
'There Is No Law'

David Cole : Supreme Court

It's now up to the Supreme Court or the Democratic Congress to overturn the Military Commissions Act and restore our right to habeas corpus.

From Whitewater to Blackwater

Jeremy Scahill & Garrett Ordower : Blackwater

Blackwater USA has a new attorney to defend it against a wrongful death lawsuit by families of four contractors killed in Iraq: Kenneth Starr.
For His Eyes Only: Bush's Secret Crimes

Michael Ratner : George W. Bush Administration

By blindly accepting Bush's expansion of state secrets claims, the courts are allowing the executive branch to operate above the law, putting the core principles of our democracy at risk.
Felonious Intent

Patricia J. Williams : Children & Child Care

The prosecution of an 8-year-old in New York for wrongful homicide in a school bus accident invokes the "wild child" hysteria of the Central Park jogger case.
Blood Is Thicker Than Blackwater

Jeremy Scahill : Iraq War

Lawsuits by families of soldiers-for-hire killed in Falluja have put a major war profiteer in the cross-hairs.

Post-9/11 Shell Game

David Cole : Supreme Court

To this day, no explanation has been offered as to why José Padilla spent years bandied around in US courts and detention centers. Now that Padilla faces reduced criminal charges, the government will never have to explain its actions, and never will.
Blank Check for Bush?

David Cole : Terrorism Targeting the US

Recent rulings upholding the right of the executive branch to jail and try terror suspects in military tribunals raise questions about whether the judiciary can keep presidential powers in check. Will a realigned Supreme Court give Bush a blank check to rise above the law?
St. Pat's Four Not Guilty of Federal Charges

Elizabeth Bauchner : Peace Activism

Four peace advocates were acquitted of federal conspiracy charges in connection with a 2003 protest of the Iraq War.