by Kevin W. Bliss
Criminal justice reform proactivist Governor Kate Brown (D) has granted over 1,100 clemencies during her two terms in office, more than the 50 previous governors before her combined. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and input from the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic (“CJRC”) founded in 2015 ...
by Kevin W. Bliss
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 7 to 4 on September 26, 2022, to adopt a proposed ordinance presented by Mayor London Breed to allow unfettered, instant access to private and business-owned surveillance camera footage with no more than the owner’s permission for public safety ...
by Kevin W. Bliss
A recent study showed that many vendors of hemp products legal under the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, commonly known as the 2018 Farm Bill, actually carry a chemical makeup of higher than 0.3% of tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”), classifying it as marijuana, a Schedule I controlled substance. ...
by Kevin Bliss
Ex-Deputy U.S. Marshall Adrian O. Pena was charged with 11 counts of unauthorized use of law enforcement services for personal gain. The charges involve nine people known to Pena through personal relationships and their spouses between September 2016 and October 2017.
Pena was stationed at the Lone ...
by Kevin W. Bliss
The FBI agreed to return $1 million confiscated from Empyreal Logistics armored car company, which was seized as illegal drug money at the end of 2021. The proceeds belong to a state licensed marijuana manufacturing company that contracted with Empyreal for transport services. In return for ...
by Kevin W. Bliss
Police are avoiding transparency and the public’s right to film by blasting out Disney tunes at a high volume any time a citizen begins video recording interactions between the police and the public. The music triggers certain algorithms on social media sites, which prevents the clip ...
by Kevin W. Bliss
Ralph Petty— retired prosecuting attorney of Midland County, Texas—has been accused of manipulating justice to meet his own ends for the 20 years he served in that role.
Petty served as assistant district attorney for Midland County, Texas, from 2000 to 2020. Incredibly, during that time, ...
by Kevin W. Bliss
Attorney General Merrick Garland released a new set of Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) guidelines March 16, 2022. The guidelines call for more dedication to openness and proactive disclosures from government agencies. Simultaneously, the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) was asked to conduct a comprehensive study on ...
by Kevin W. Bliss
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed Senate Bill S6017 into law March 18, 2022. The Bill, retroactive to December 29, 2021, repeals the state’s Cvil Rights Law subsection 50-a and eliminates the need for a judicial hearing for a public records request under the Freedom of ...
by Kevin Bliss
Florida is still one of the most prolific practitioners of civil asset forfeiture in the United States, seizing $47.8 million in the 2018-2019 fiscal year despite the 2016 reformations setting higher standards necessary to prevail in a successful forfeiture.
Civil rights activists have complained that police departments ...
