Central America

Afternoon Briefs: Former judge pleads guilty to murder; parents sue over Sharpie haircut punishment

Former judge pleads guilty to murder of his ex-wife Former Ohio judge Lance Mason pleaded guilty Tuesday to fatally stabbing his ex-wife, Aisha Fraser, in November. Mason had resigned his judgeship in 2015 after a previous guilty plea for assaulting the same woman. A University of Michigan law grad, Mason…

Aug 20, 2019 4:06 PM CDT

Strangers in a strange land: ‘Metering’ makes asylum rights meaningless, immigrant advocates say

Metering has created further barriers of all kinds in the legal process, including barriers to finding a pro bono lawyer, to those lawyers’ ability to provide effective representation and even to notifying the immigrants of their hearings. Most concerning to immigrant rights advocates, it leaves immigrants so unsafe that they may be deterred from claiming asylum in the first place.

Jul 24, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

Federal judge blocks ICE from making civil immigration arrests at courthouses

On Thursday, a federal judge in Boston granted a preliminary injunction that blocks U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from making civil arrests at state courthouses in Massachusetts. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled in a suit filed by two district attorneys, public defenders and immigration advocates, report the Boston Globe,…

Jun 21, 2019 4:01 PM CDT

At a loss for translators, immigration courts dial up unreliable interpreter services

Migrants often speak languages that are little known in the U.S. (except maybe in New York City): k-iche from Central America, urdu from Pakistan, Creole from Haiti. American immigration judges have a hard time finding enough interpreters to show up in courtrooms.

Mar 22, 2019 12:51 PM CDT

When do rants exceed First Amendment boundaries and become true threats?

While spoken words are protected by the First Amendment, offensive expressions can fall into the category of true threats, a type of unprotected speech.

Aug 1, 2018 12:05 AM CDT

Shut up! The art and craftiness of cease-and-desist letters

The demand letter has joined the extreme style of public discourse. The speed of communication and cost of trial prompts the strong letter to follow a more dramatic and colorful model.

Jul 1, 2018 12:25 AM CDT

Suit filed to block Trump’s proposed end of Temporary Protected Status for Salvadorans, Haitians

Citing racial motivations, advocates in Massachusetts are suing the Trump administration for ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from immigrants from El Salvador and Haiti. The complaint, brought by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice and Centro Presente, says the administration’s reasons for ending TPS status “are nothing…

Feb 22, 2018 1:17 PM CST

Web 100: Best law blogs

Our inaugural year of the Web 100 list honors 50 blogs (and adds five more to our Blawg 100 Hall of Fame.)

Dec 1, 2017 12:02 AM CST

Girls' courts under scrutiny

As courtrooms specializing in girls’ cases crop up around the country, the U.S. Department of Justice is examining whether they actually work.

Nov 1, 2017 12:05 AM CDT

Advocates work to keep young female offenders out of prison through early intervention

In pockets around the country, the movement to keep kids out of detention homes and prisons is beginning to give more focus to girls, whose experiences and vulnerabilities are markedly different from those of boys.

Nov 1, 2017 12:01 AM CDT

Jeff's Law

A special preview from the October issue: The attorney general sees his role as pushing present-day law enforcement toward a rose-colored past.

Oct 1, 2017 12:15 AM CDT

With Gorsuch on the bench, the Supreme Court’s new term will address hot-button issues

The President’s Court: The Supreme Court’s new term will address the travel ban and other hot-button issues with President Trump’s first appointee on the bench.

Oct 1, 2017 12:10 AM CDT

Relatives of undocumented children caught up in ICE dragnet

This summer, a Kansas City man named Edwin got a call from immigration officials. They had picked up his nephew at the southern border and wanted to release the teen into his care. So Edwin went online and bought a bed. Later that week, he was contacted again, this time…

Sep 12, 2017 3:45 PM CDT

How ICE uses secret police databases to arrest immigrants

In 2011, then 19-year-old Luis Vicente Pedrote-Salinas was leaving a relative’s house and getting into his car when he was stopped by Chicago police. Officers found an unopened can of beer in the cupholder and booked him for underage drinking. He spent a night in jail, and the charges were…

Aug 29, 2017 3:48 PM CDT

Lies and Libel: Fake news lacks straightforward cure

The confusion and misinformation caused by fake news is undermining America’s ability to govern itself, experts fear.

Jul 1, 2017 12:15 AM CDT