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31 May 2011 19:09

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Politics: Blagojevich defense: Prosecution is “making faces” (no really)

  • We just ask that they stop making faces while he’s testifying.
  • Lauren Kaeseberg, defense attorney for Rod Blagojevich • Complaining to the presiding Judge James Zagel that the prosecution team was making faces and having animated discussions during the testimony of ex-Governor Blagojevich. The defense’s argument would seem to be that the prosecution, who directly face the jury, might be swaying opinions with their reactions. Prosecuting attorney Reid Schar said he’d be mindful of it, but that he didn’t believe they had been making any unusual faces during the testimony — Judge Zagel, similarly, agreed to “watch the government very carefully,” but said he didn’t notice anything. source

23 Jul 2010 14:44

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U.S.: Bad uses of top-secret clearance: Accessing child porn online

  • bad Dozens of Pentagon officials and contractors with clearance have been tied to purchasing child porn.
  • worse While some cases have been prosecuted, many have languished over a number of years. source

18 Jun 2010 13:28

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Tech: Protip to Mark Zuckerberg: Don’t go to Pakistan, dude

  • Pakistan’s deputy attorney general is pushing for his prosecution. Why? Because he allowed “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” to take place on his site. Despite the fact that it was blocked in Pakistan by Facebook and is no longer an issue. He’s seriously trying to get Interpol involved. This is beyond stupid. It’s like arresting Alexander Graham Bell because someone tried to make an offensive phone call, isn’t it? Zuckerberg simply can’t control his users. Nor should he. source

09 Nov 2009 09:35

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U.S.: Good grades for good reporting? Prosecutors attack journalism program

  • Why are we talking about our grades when we should be talking about whether there’s an innocent man in prison?
  • Evan Benn • A former student of Northwestern journalism professor David Protess. Protess’ investigative journalism class is under investigation in the case of a 1978 killing of a security guard in Illinois. Why’s that? His class tends to uncover leads in cases such as this one (where they have evidence to prove they have the wrong man), and the prosecutor’s suggesting that students do it not for the reporting or the investigation, but for better grades. Deplorable action by the prosecution. (FYI: This is an AP story we linked; we don’t like to do this, but felt the subject matter was too good and vital to not run.) • source

22 Apr 2009 10:18

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U.S., World: The U.S. doesn’t deal with pirate prosecutions very often

  • 1885 the time the last major case was tried source

16 Apr 2009 20:28

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U.S.: Obama administration: The CIA was bad, but we won’t punish them

  • The decision The Obama administration chose not to prosecute CIA officials who admitted to harsh interrogation tactics against terror suspects during the Bush administration, a controversial decision but one the Obama administration is standing behind.
  • The gory details The tactics used – and more importantly, signed off on – during the Bush administration include slamming detainees against walls, waterboarding (which is not as fun as the name suggests) and leaving suspects naked in cold rooms for long periods.
  • Critics rebuffedObama, while understanding the concerns of human rights organizations and critical of the interrogation methods, nevertheless defended the decision. “Nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past,” he said. source

21 Jan 2009 10:34

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U.S., World: Obama pauses Gitmo prosecutions, for now

  • 21 detainees will have their prosecutions put on hold; Obama did not shut down Guantanamo Bay, though
  • 120 days, the length of the moratorium on prosecutions at the Cuba-based prison camp source