Legal Commentary

Zodiac's Ghost: Letter citing infamous serial killer as inspiration claims kill in N.C.
UPDATES AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST. If there was ever a good reason to break my hiatus from updating this blog, this is it. From FayObserver.com: "'I'm killer' of Spc. Touma." A quote from the article -- bold emphasis has been added:A person claiming to be the killer of the pregnant soldier found dead in a motel has written an anonymous letter calling the murder a "master piece" and

Justice must be done: But why has it cost £6M
Justice must be done: But why has it cost £6M?I am aware of the principle that not only must justice be done, but it must be manifestly seen to be done. Having said, that why has this case cost £6M so far and what will it cost for the retrial?

Actual innocence and mistaken identification
“Our procedure has been always haunted by the ghost of the innocent man convicted.” That observation was made by Judge Learned Hand in a case back in 1923.  Those of us in the criminal justice system keep that ghost at bay by reminding ourselves that the vast majority of accused criminals plead guilty, and that with [...

Good Content AND Get People to Talk About You
There has been a conversation going on lately on a Listserv I am on. It centers around ghost writing for a blog. The conversation started out with someone asking if they should have a ghost writer for their blog...

"Dead Man Standing" or "I see a dead person"
The man in the picture is Angel Pantoja Medina and he is dead. Angel died on August 15, 2008 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His brother explained that Angel told him that he wanted to be standing during his wake...

NYT Metro on Ghost Jails
Don’t miss this strong piece from the New York Times Metro section on the struggle over the proposed plan to close the “ghost jails” in upstate New York.

Child Support
Finding the Noncustodial Parent ( Deadbeat Dads )

Oklahoma Bacterial Outbreak
One Person Dead, 14 Hospitalized

Refco
Ex-CEO Gets 16 Years

Nail Guns
Injury Rate More Than Doubles in Three Years

False Arrest
City of Greer pays $50,000 settlement after imprisoning a woman whose charges had been dismissed years earlier.

TACA Airlines
Five Dead, 65 Injured in Crash

Raptiva
3 Patients Dead from Therapy-Related PML