LONDON — THERE is something almost reassuring about the enduring ability of the British establishment to place itself beyond parody. This month, as the government announced an inquiry into historical allegations of child sex abuse by leading political figures, Parliament pushed through a broad surveillance bill with the justification that tapping everybody’s cellphones would, among other things, … [Read more...]

One is a California family law attorney documenting alleged judicial crimes, the other a Pennsylvania civil rights attorney who has lost his law license for speaking out against judges. Both say they will continue to do what most lawyers won’t. “They don’t speak up. The reason is you get targeted and you could lose your license,” said Barbara Kauffman of lawyers who witness judicial misconduct. … [Read more...]

DETROIT — Wade McCree Jr. lost his job, but he won't lose his shirt. The disgraced judge — who once texted a shirtless photo of himself to a female court bailiff — had an affair with a woman while overseeing her child custody case, had sex with her in his chambers and sexted her from the bench. But he can't be sued for money damages over any of that because judges are immune from civil … [Read more...]

When Ronald Lee Haskell was accused of killing six members of his ex-wife’s family in Texas this month, I wondered how long it would take for a news report to suggest that the suspect had “snapped.” The scope and horror of the crime — the victims included four children ages 4 to 14 — meant it took a little while for this media narrative to show up. But there it was, two days later, familiar from … [Read more...]

CONNECTICUT, July 22, 2014 — In a hearing yesterday in Hartford Superior Court, accused pedophile rapists Dennis Harasz, 48, and Douglas Wirth, 43, waived their right to a jury trial in favor of a trial before Judge Julia Dewey. This is not surprising given how well things have gone for the defense, now that a GAL affiliated with one of the defense attorneys’ and the judge herself has been … [Read more...]