A police department, a district attorney, and a court with apparently nothing to do

Thanks to my good friend (and loyal Debris reader) Stuart Lichten for bringing this decision to my attention (and also suggesting the post title). It seems like an April Fool’s joke, but it is absolutely real. The case involved a man charged with criminal damage to property, under the most absurd circumstances:
[T]he alleged facts are [...]

Woman faces jail time for cursing at toilet

Her precise words were “oh, shit!”:
A Pennsylvania woman who allegedly shouted profanities at her overflowing toilet within earshot of a neighbor was cited for disorderly conduct, authorities said.
Dawn Herb could face up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $300.
“It doesn’t make any sense. I was in my house. It’s not [...]

Is this a common occurrence?

Stein calls attention to a bemusing memorandum posted at Alabama’s Limestone Correctional Facility:
When an attorney arrives intoxicated at the prison for a legal visit, the policy shall be that he shall be escorted out of the facility. If correctional officers assess the attorney as too impaired to drive, the Madison County Sheriff shall be called.

Maaren Choksi — Sex Offender Re-Entry: A Summary and Policy Recommendation on the Current State of the Law in California and How to ‘Safely’ Re-Introduce Sex Offenders into Our Communities

Another interesting paper by another former student:
This paper attempts to provide a comprehensive review of the current and pending sex offender legislation in California, examine their effectiveness or ineffectiveness and any possible loopholes, and conclude with a broad recommendation on where the state of California’s law and policies surrounding the safe release and supervision of [...]

Ben Carrasco: Assessing the CCPOA’s Political Influence and its Impact on Efforts to Reform the California Corrections System

I’m proud to say that the author of this paper (which I haven’t yet read, but am looking forward too) was one of the very first law students I taught. Even a stalwart union supporter like me has no love lost for CCPOA, and, judging from the abstract, it looks like Ben’s got their number.
Abstract:
Over [...]

No fair trial for fair-fight defendant

Graeme of Left in East Dakota has called my attention to what appears to be a grave miscarriage of justice.
Mevludin Hidanovic was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in jail for his alleged role in a brawl at a West Fargo, ND fair last summer. Hidanovic, who was at the fair with his family, has [...]