I just don’t get it. A man is presumed innocent. He is put on trial. When the state fails to persuade all members of the jury that the man is guilty, the judge declares a mistrial. How come the judge didn’t just dismiss the case? The state failed to meet its burden of proof; it failed to overcome the presumption of innocence, right?
But Jewu Richardson will almost certainly be tried again.
The 33-year-old New Haven man was shot in the chest by police in the course of a high-speed chase in January 2010. He has since filed a civil suit claiming the police shot him without...
April 18, 2013
The words of Thomas Jefferson: “No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.”
Said James Madison: “Disarm the people — that is the best and most effective way to enslave them.”
And Alexander Hamilton: “The constitution shall never be construed ... to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own...
April 12, 2013
If you doubt the law’s capacity to transform almost anything into a farce, look no further than the case of Disabled Americans for Firearms Rights, LLC, et al., v. Dannel P. Malloy. It alleges that Connecticut’s new ban on assault weapons discriminates against the disabled, and therefore violates the state’s constitution and state laws.
The lawyer filing the suit even wrote a press release to accompany the suit. “I am proud to represent ... Disabled Americans for Firearms Rights in this important case,” Scott Camassar of North Stonington writes....
April 11, 2013
Forgive me if I do not greet with open arms the Green Haven Cohousing project’s attempt to change zoning regulations for the Town of Bethany. The project proposal is, in fact, little more than a Trojan Horse that would, if approved, destroy what remains of Bethany’s rural character. It would do so in the name of peace, love, granola and good feeling for all.
Green Haven is a politically correct group who claims virtuous intent. Its web page announces the following purpose: "In our cohousing community members work together to create a socially rich community that is safe,...
April 9, 2013
April 7, 2013
Soren Kierkegaard got it at least half right: "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." But does it follow from this...
April 4, 2013
Let’s not congratulate ourselves too much about having addressed gun violence. Yes, the General Assembly passed new gun control legislation....
April 4, 2013
Speak to me, Muse. Sing about a continent spawned in chaos, sustained by the wild and untamed hope of tomorrow. Tell me of the promises made to the...
March 28, 2013
Just whose life is now in danger in the wake of the mass shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut? There is no reason to...
March 28, 2013
You can thank the Women’s Christian Temperance Union for the recent firestorm in Torrington involving two former football players on the...
March 22, 2013
The University of Connecticut School of Law turned a new page in its epic identity crisis last week. It snared a tip-top white-shoe lawyer to...