Last Monday, on a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the lethal injection used in Oklahoma does not violate the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The dispute was over the drug called midazolam, which is the first drug used in the lethal injection cocktail to make the inmate unconscious. Inmates were arguing …
Cedar Rapids going to court to keep traffic cameras
The city of Cedar Rapids has decided to sue the Iowa Department of Transportation to keep their traffic cameras right where they are. The city’s legal staff and Police Chief convinced the mayor to make the decision after providing strong statistical data. The cameras in dispute are located on the S-curve on Interstate 380. The …
Body Cameras: A question of privacy
The Iowa City Police Department and surrounding departments will soon be equipping body cameras for everyday use. The body cameras are being used to hopefully resolve civilian complaints, but some are worried about their privacy. With body cameras being relatively new to police departments there aren’t many rules governing activity and the privacy of people’s …
John Oliver on the Issues With Bail
John Oliver has some great insights on how courts treat bail in the U.S. …
Supreme Court Ruling Regarding Required State of Mind for a Crime
In Elonis vs. United States (decided 6-1-15), the US. Supreme Court held that criminal statutes require the actual mens rea or state of mind of the Defendant to be considered, not that of the alleged victim or that of a reasonable person. Furthermore, in a criminal case, it isn’t enough that a person knows what they are …
Cedar Rapids Police Attribute Arrests To Bike Patrols
The Cedar Rapids bike patrols have recently been busier than normal. Last week three arrests in Cedar Rapids were due to the bike patrols. These arrests consisted of burglary, drunk driving, and drug charges. Greg Buelow, Cedar Rapids public safety spokesman said their has been an increased awareness across the country about the advantages of increased bike …
American Inmates Released After Decades in Prison
In 1975 three men were convicted of crimes they did not commit. They were charged and convicted of the murder of a businessman in Cleveland, OH. The only significant piece of evidence the prosecution had against them was a 12-year-old boy’s testimony. Channel 4 news sat down with Kyle Morris to discuss what it was like in prison …
Potential New Rule for Police Body Camera
Police body camera’s have become increasingly more common after the public outcry regarding civilian deaths at the hands of the police. These body cameras have been tested in the Iowa City police department and it has been working on finishing its own policy. The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) has recommended new rules that each department …
For the First Time Ever, a Prosecutor Will Go to Jail for Wrongfully Convicting an Innocent Man
In Texas, former prosecutor and judge Ken Anderson pled guilty to intentionally failing to disclose evidence in a case that sent an innocent man, Michael Morton, to prison for the murder of his wife. When trying the case as a prosecutor, Anderson possessed evidence that may have cleared Morton, including statements from the crime’s only eyewitness that Morton …
New Iowa Supreme Court Ruling
Iowa Supreme Court rules that protected parties do have standing to request relief from no-contact orders in criminal cases. “The fact that a crime victim is not a party to the underlying criminal proceeding does not preclude him or her from asking the court for relief.” … “We conclude protected persons under no-contact orders in …
Supreme Court: Judges Are Not for Sale
No more personal solicitation of donations for judges in 30 states. The Supreme Court upheld a Florida rule that prohibited judges from personally asking for donations. Naturally this caused criticism as some believed that the ruling was too vague, but also too narrow in some regards. Though these points were valid, the ruling was designed to eliminate …
City Code change would eliminate jail time for simple misdemeanors
Simple misdemeanors such as remaining in a bar after 10 p.m. while underage and Possession of Alcohol Under the Legal Age violations, traffic and disorderly house conduct may be affected in the near future with a City Code change proposal. For some ordinances in Iowa City there is no set punishment in place, so the policy …