Controversies

Prosecutors Are behind Inconsistent Federal Sentencing Laws across U.S.

Mandatory minimum sentencing laws for drug offenses were supposed to result in consistency within the U.S. judicial system when it came to punishing those caught using or selling illegal drugs. But the sentencing laws have not been consistently enforced, thanks to local prosecutors, some of whom have zealously punished small-time drug offenders. read more

Law Enforcement Clashes with Drug Companies over Regulating Meth Ingredient

Methamphetamine production has become so rampant in fueling crime that many law enforcement organizations are calling for states to remove the drug’s key, over-the-counter ingredient from pharmacy shelves. But the pharmaceutical industry, which makes that ingredient—pseudoephedrine—is fighting new laws that would make this drug prescription-only. read more

PG-13 Movies Have More Violence than R Movies

An example from the movies analyzed in the study was the “Die Hard” film series. The 1990 adventure “Die Hard 2” was rated R, but a later sequel, 2007’s “Live Free or Die Hard,” was rated PG-13 in spite of having more gun violence. read more

Bystanders Hit by Police Bullets in New York City Get Little Sympathy and No Compensation

The most recent bystander shooting occurred in September, when two officers near Times Square fired at a man they mistakenly believed had a gun. The man was not wounded, but two female bystanders were, one of whom is now preparing to file a lawsuit. The lawsuits that are filed by innocent bystanders as a result of officer shootings are referred to by New York City as “no-pay cases,” an indication of how black-and-white city lawyers view these incidents. read more

6 States Refuse Benefits to Gay National Guard Spouses

six states—Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and West Virginia—have refused to comply, despite the fact that the president has the power to call National Guard units into federal service and that the federal government pays for nearly all Guard funding. Nevertheless, the states say the units are state agencies that must abide by state laws. read more

Drug Industry Sues Maine to Stop Import of Prescription Medicines

The case is really all about money. The law was inspired by the city of Portland, which back in 2004 gave public employees the option of buying their prescriptions from licensed pharmacies outside the U.S. The move wound up saving workers hundreds and even thousands of dollars by not buying their medications through U.S. drug stores. read more

Prosecutor Gets 10 Days in Jail to Make Up for Sending Innocent Man to Prison for 25 Years

Ten days in jail—not prison, only jail—for engineering the wrongful murder conviction of an innocent man who languished in prison nearly 25 years is the state of Texas’ idea of justice. That was the sentence handed down on former Williamson County, Texas, district attorney Ken Anderson, who will also surrender his law license and perform 500 hours of community service to settle allegations that he hid favorable evidence from Michael Morton, who was convicted of killing his wife in 1987. read more

Judge Orders NASA to Release Climate Change-Related Documents

CEI has long received the bulk of its funding from fossil fuel interests hostile to climate change science, including the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, ExxonMobil, the Koch Brothers, General Motors, the American Petroleum Institute, the American Plastics Council, the Chlorine Chemistry Council and Arch Coal. Other big donors include the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and Pfizer. read more

Philadelphia Shuts Down Witness Intimidation Website

The account, called rats215, exposed more than 30 witnesses from February to early November, posting photos, police statements, and testimony—much of it taken from proceedings that were supposed to be secret. In one case, rats215 posted evidence and pictures of a shooting victim who had testified before a secret grand jury, and once posted a photo that seemed to have been taken while a witness was testifying in court—where cameras are not allowed. read more

Reports of Military Sexual Assaults up by 50% as Top Navy Nominee Raises Ire

A new report produced by the Department of Defense showed sexual assaults rose significantly during much of the last fiscal year. Figures showed 3,553 sexual assault complaints were reported to the military from October 2012 through June, representing a nearly 50% increase over the same period a year earlier. The statistics included cases of rape, sodomy and other unwanted sexual contact, but not sexual harassment. read more

West Point Hosts First Male Gay Wedding

Larry Choate III and Daniel Lennox got married in the chapel at West Point, marking the third homosexual wedding at the famed military school. The previous two same-sex marriages involved women. Choate, who graduated in 2009, and Lennox, a member of the 2007 class, met after they left the academy. Both are now out of the military. read more

ALEC Lobbying Group Accused of Masquerading as a Charity to Avoid Taxes

ALEC registers itself with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization or “charity.” ALEC thus gets several valuable benefits—including tax deductibility of donations made to it and being allowed to keep its donors’ names secret—in exchange for agreeing to behave like a charity, which means refraining from engaging in political activities like campaigning for candidates or lobbying for legislation. read more

Doctors Working for U.S. Military Took Part in Detainee Torture, and Army Field Manual Still Allows It

"The Army Field Manual on Human Intelligence Collector Operations, which binds both military and CIA interrogators, permits methods of interrogation that are recognized under international law as forms of torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Such methods include sleep deprivation, isolation, and exploitation of fear.” read more

Many Herbal Supplements Don’t Contain the Ingredients They Claim

The echinacea included Parthenium hysterophorus, a plant that can cause rashes, nausea and flatulence. St. John’s Wort contained, in one instance, only rice, and in another instance Alexandrian Senna, an Egyptian shrub that acts as a powerful laxative and can cause liver damage. read more

Steve Jobs’ Scheme Costs Disney and Intuit Penalties of $20 Million in Non-Recruitment Collusion Scandal

Back in 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) got wind of allegations that several Silicon Valley tech companies had been colluding among themselves since at least 2006 to drive down salaries by agreeing not to recruit each other’s employees. The plan was evidently hatched by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. DOJ filed a civil suit alleging violations of the federal antitrust laws. read more

Louisiana Sues Pfizer over Alleged Zoloft Fraud

The lawsuit claims that Pfizer pursued a two-prong approach, publishing only data that supported Zoloft’s efficacy and engaging in a “ghostwriting program to misleadingly enhance Zoloft’s credibility.” Defining ghostwriting as “a process where someone with a vested interest in an article, like Pfizer, that does not want their association with the article to be known, provides a written draft to an author who then publishes the article under that author’s name.” read more