Tag: Law

The Takeaway

Pardon Me? Number of people seeking presidential pardons is in the thousands

Monday, July 28, 2008

The number of people of seeking pardons and commutations for federal crimes continues to climb — and the backlog of petitions is in the thousands. With President Bush's term coming to a close, who will he pardon?

Who would you pardon?


Jack Abramoff	Former lobbyist \| Overcharging Indian casinos in lobbying fraud

Conrad Black	Former newspaper tycoon \| Skimming money from his company, Hollinger International

Randy "Duke" Cunningham	Former U.S. Representative from California \| Bribery

Tom Delay	Former Speaker of the House \| Indicted for fundraising violations

Edwin Edwards	Former governor of Louisiana \| Racketeering

Marion Jones	Former Olympic sprinter \| Perjury over the use of performance-enhancing drugs

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby	Former Chief of Staff for Vice President Dick Cheney \| Perjury, obstruction of justice related to leak of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame's identity

John Walker Lindh	Former Taliban fighter \| Aiding terrorism

Michael Milken	Former bond trader \| Insider trading, fraud

Bob Ney	Former U.S. Representative from Ohio \| Conspiring in lobbying fraud

Pete Rose	Former professional baseball player \| Tax evasion

George Ryan	Former governor of Illinois \| Racketeering

Wesley Snipes	Actor \| Tax evasion

Martha Stewart	Homemaking magnate \| Conspiracy related to insider trading

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The Takeaway

Salim Hamdan's interrogation video shown at Guantanamo trial

Thursday, July 24, 2008

The Hamdan trial continues in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Yesterday, U.S. Military prosecutors played an interrogation video of former Osama bin Laden driver Salim Hamdan in which he denied any connections to al-Qaida. Hamdan asked to leave the courtroom as video playback began.

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The Takeaway

Writer exposes Dick Cheney’s war in "The Dark Side"

Monday, July 21, 2008

In "The Dark Side," author Jane Mayer weaves a seven-year narrative detailing what we know and don't know about the decisions made while pursuing terrorists after the coordinated terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Mayer focuses on roles of Vice President Dick Cheney and his chief-of-staff since 2005, David Addington, and infers details from a secret 2007 Red Cross report that says the prisoner abuses at U.S. facilities constitute war crimes.

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The Takeaway

Court cases deepen rifts between the religious and the secular in Turkey

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

In a major court case, Turkey's ruling AK Party has been accused of subverting the country's secular government. The Turkish constitutional court is expected to rule in a few weeks' time on whether the party should be shut down and its leaders banned from national politics. Also, prosecutors in Turkey have indicted 86 people from Ergenekon, a mysterious nationalist group, over an alleged coup. Many are still at large.

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The Takeaway

California hospitals disclose their medical errors

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Guest: Joe McCannon, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement

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The Takeaway

One same-sex couple seeks California marriage and legal legitimacy

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Guests: Daniel and Ben Barnz

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The Takeaway

Debating the writ of habeas corpus for Guantánamo detainees

Friday, June 13, 2008

The Supreme Court ruled that suspected terrorists detained at a prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, have the right to contest their detention via U.S. civilian courts. Glenn Greenwald (Salon.com blogger and Bush administration critic) and Jed Babbin (Human Events editor and former deputy undersecretary of defense under President George H. W. Bush) take two views on the decision.

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The Takeaway

The rights of military prison detainees

Friday, June 13, 2008

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The Takeaway

Supreme Court grants Guantánamo Bay detainees access to civilian court system

Friday, June 13, 2008

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court has ruled that suspected terrorists detained at a prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, have the constitutional right to contest their detentions in U.S. civilian courts. Human rights lawyer Barbara Olshanski, who argued before the Supreme Court in a 2004 Guantánamo case, dissects Thursday's decision.

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The Takeaway

Alleged Sept. 11 planners demand death penalty, martyrdom at military trial

Friday, June 06, 2008

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The Takeaway

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, confessed Sept. 11 attacks mastermind, faces military trial

Thursday, June 05, 2008

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The Takeaway

The Texas polygyny case: Was there evidence of danger to the children?

Friday, May 23, 2008

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The Takeaway

California's top court legalizes same-sex marriage

Friday, May 16, 2008

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The Takeaway

Is Osama bin Laden’s driver too crazy for court?

Monday, April 28, 2008

Salim Ahmed Hamdan argued for his day in court, and won. Now, as the trial of one of the most famous Guatánamo Bay detainees approaches, lawyers will argue Hamdan is mentally unfit to assist in his defense.

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The Takeaway

Photo ID, e-voting, popular vote... How would you improve voting?

Monday, April 28, 2008

By Adnaan Wasey : Web Editor

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that Indiana can require government-issued photo identification when voting. It's a win for Republicans in an election year.

Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that states such as Indiana have an obligation to prevent fraud in close races, and that heading to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to get the free photo IDs is no burden for voters.

Which leads us to our Takeaway question: Tell us one thing that would improve the election process for you, the voter.

The Takeaway

Fewer immigrants arrested crossing the U.S.-Mexican border

Friday, April 11, 2008

The United States has spent millions per mile to build a border fence to keep unauthorized migrants out of the country, and recently, there has been a substantial drop in migrants arrested at the border. Professor Josiah Heyman says it's not solely because of the wall. There are other deterrents, such as the struggling U.S. economy and the downturn in the housing and construction markets.

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