Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd has waited 28 years for Paul Johnson's execution. It looks like he's going to have to wait a little longer. ...more

October 29, 2009

The federal appeals court in Atlanta has declined to overturn lower court decisions against a new sentencing hearing for Patrick Charles Hannon, condemned for cutting one man's throat and fatally shooting another in Tampa 18 years ago. ...more

March 19, 2009

Mr. Dettwiller, your conservative desires are understandable but what do they have to do with what actually happened over the last eight years? Where did they play in when Bush suspended habeas corpus (protection from unlawful detention) and used the Patriot Act to trample citizen's rights? ...more

January 28, 2009

In a column written by Howard Troxler, appearing Sunday, Dec. 7, in the St. Petersburg Times, it became clear just how much of an intrusion into citizen's private lives has reared its very ugly head. Why not expect this when illegal wiretapping of our people has gone unpunished? Kenneth City in Pinellas County attempted to pass what Troxler referred to as the "Mother of All Code Enforcement Ordinances." "The city would have the power to enter private homes to see that all was neat and tidy. If the homeowner refused entry, then the city could go to court and obtain something called an 'administrative search warrant.'" ...more

December 12, 2008

Obama won the electoral vote by 364 to 162, and this constitutes a landslide victory. ...more

November 13, 2008

On June 23, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia overturned the government's classification of a Guantanamo Bay detainee as an enemy combatant. The court directed the military to release him, to transfer him or hold a new proceeding promptly. This type of legal process is authorized by Congress and the president to afford prisoners adequate due process, yet keep sensitive military matters out of the civilian court system. (As a matter of fact, this ruling contained classified military information, so a sanitized version is now being prepared for public release.) ...more

July 4, 2008

On June 23, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia overturned the government's classification of a Guantanamo Bay detainee as an enemy combatant. ...more

July 3, 2008

A week ago, Justice Anthony Kennedy was a liberal hero. Joining the court's four liberal jurists, he declared that while Sept. 11 may have changed everything, it didn't change the Constitution. ...more

July 2, 2008

In "Henry VI," Shakespeare wrote, "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." ...more

June 27, 2008

Sanctuary In U.S. Courts Regarding "Supreme Court Says Detainees Can Seek 'Relief' " (front page, June 13): ...more

June 21, 2008