When police ask a judge for a search warrant, they are required to explain why they have probable cause to search the person or location in question. The Constitution requires it. To justify a search of someone's residence, for example, it's not enough that the...
Month: August 2017
Overdose deaths among young adults rise after declining for years
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a troubling report on Wednesday. After years of steady decline, fatal overdoses among Americans aged 15 to 19 rose in 2015 over the previous year. Unfortunately, it's not clear what caused the change. Since...
DOJ forensic science group to set standards for testimony
In 2015, the Department of Justice initiated an effort to review federal standards for forensic evidence and testimony. The move was in response to FBI revelations that its microscopic hair analysis unit had overstated the scientific certainty of their evidence in...
A new school year begins at PSU: Keep your record clean
The fall semester is only a few weeks away at Penn State University, along with Penn Tech, Bucknell and Lock Haven. Soon, thousands and thousands of college freshmen will flood the area, anxious to experience their first brush with independence from their parents. For...
Penn. drug-crisis vigilante pleads guilty to gun charges in NJ
After his daughter's overdose death, a 52-year-old gun range owner from the Lehigh Valley dedicated his life to intervening when young people become involved with drugs and the collateral dangers associated with them. He's not performing your standard drug...
DOJ appears poised to crack down on marijuana possession
Is ordinary, adult use of marijuana a precursor to violent crime? Whether you think it is or not, ask yourself if putting recreational weed smokers behind bars is likely to be an effective strategy at combating violent crime. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions...