Franklin Zimring quoted by ArkansasOnline, Feb. 22, 2017
“All pressure toward execution is concentrated in the cotton South,” Zimring said. “These appeals were attempts to push what was a low number even lower.”
U.S. Supreme Court declines Arkansas execution challenge; can reschedule 8, state AG says
State legislators may modify Prop. 57, expand definition of violent crimes
Franklin Zimring quoted by The Daily Californian, Feb. 22, 2017
“My guess is that you could get a lot of political mileage out of popping this in,” Zimring said. “But it is so strange to have something automatically follow a successful proposition in the legislator.”
Trump’s mentions of ‘honor killings’ betray the truth of his ‘Muslim ban’
Leti Volpp writes for The Hill, Feb. 22, 2017
There is an additional and little noticed piece of evidence within the executive order itself, which buttresses the idea that the order is indeed a ban on Muslims, and not merely a “geographic” restriction. The executive order, “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States” invokes, twice, the idea of “‘honor’ killings.”… Why is this significant? Honor killings … are mistakenly thought to be a uniquely Muslim practice and specific to Muslim communities.
California secession advocate faces scrutiny over where he’s based: Russia
David Carrillo quoted by The New York Times, Feb. 21, 2017
David A. Carrillo … is not among the supporters. “California seceding is so unlikely to happen it’s a waste of our time even to discuss it. … Even if the state could secede, it’s a terrible idea.” In the United States Constitution, Mr. Carrillo said, “there is a no procedure for allowing states to leave, and if you want a practical example, there is the Civil War.”
As an age of nationalism dawns, a multinational deal collapses
Steven Davidoff Solomon writes for The New York Times, Feb. 21, 2017
Kraft Heinz’s $143 billion bid for Unilever would have been the biggest cross-border deal in nearly two decades. But instead of being a triumph of global capitalism, it induced only whiplash as the offer was withdrawn just days after its disclosure. The short life span of the deal can be blamed in large part on national barriers — which are likely to rise even further as a new mercantilism emerges.
Two books argue the case for police reform from within
Franklin Zimring quoted by The New York Times, Feb. 21, 2017
Zimring’s most explosive assertion — which leaps out of a work that is mostly policy-wonk nuance — is that police leaders don’t care. “The circumstantial evidence suggests that police departments do not regard whether the victims of police shootings live or die as a matter of great moment,” he writes. … The default assumption is that a perceived threat is real and a police killing is righteous.
Neil Gorsuch might stand against abuse of power
Daniel Farber writes for The Daily Californian, Feb. 21, 2017
In terms of Gorsuch’s general temperament, he seems to care deeply about the importance of following the law, regardless of personal inclinations about the outcomes of cases. That respect for the law and for the role of judges is a good sign.
‘Charge the cockpit or you die’: Behind an incendiary case for Trump
John Yoo quoted by The New York Times, Feb. 20, 2017
Mr. Yoo, now a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley, recalled with amusement a dinner last summer with a dozen Claremonters at a Philadelphia restaurant famous for singing waiters …. “Between arias, I had to listen to these very distinguished scholars go on about the great intellectual virtues of Donald Trump,” he said. “It was hard to keep down my wonderful Sicilian meal.”
Snyder commission: Racism played role in Flint crisis
john a. powell cited by The Detroit News, Feb. 17, 2017
Authors of the report delve into the history of segregation and racist social mores in Flint, cite 20th century political philosopher John Rawls and UC Berkeley School of Law African studies professor john powell.
Lawyers ready to pounce if companies forget IoT privacy
Jim Dempsey quoted by Bloomberg BNA, Feb. 17, 2017
“We live in an always-on world, of ubiquitous data collection through a variety of services, the most powerful of which is a mobile phone,” Dempsey said. Consumers tend to ignore risks to gain perceived value of a new technology in a kind of “desensitization” of privacy and security risks that go along with IoT technology, he said. The “technology is so compelling, so convenient and so easy to use that most people can’t and don’t want and shouldn’t have to resist it,” he said.