Thomas Chittum

Young people these days…

It has become fashionable to badmouth young people. (Or maybe it always has been.) They are: “Lazy.” “Entitled.” “Self-absorbed.” “Clueless.” This badmouthing is often followed by handwringing or doomsaying. “God, help us.” “America is in trouble.” But that just hasn’t been my experience, and I don’t share those forecasts. Oh sure, I’ve come across some […]

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Forfeiture by Wrongdoing

On my birthday in 2021, Ashanti Hines was shot and killed as she sat in her car in Elkhart, Indiana. She was not the intended target. ShotSpotter detected the shooting and alerted police, who responded to the scene and collected fired cartridge casings. Witnesses saw a silver car depart the area after the shooting. Police

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I can’t believe my eyes

Sometimes we can’t believe our own eyes. So why should a jury trust them? That’s what the “Telfaire instruction” is about. Police responded to a ShotSpotter alert. They arrived to hear gunshots and see people running. One officer encountered a man holding a gun but not wearing a shirt. The man had tattoos. The officer

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The Short Shooter

Cornell R. Tarte is diminutive. Did being called “short” in front of a jury entitle him to a new trial? Weed dealer Michael Milton was shot in the head as he sat in his green Dodge Charger in a gas station parking lot in Camden, NJ. ShotSpotter detected the gunshot at 11:17 p.m. Unfortunately, no

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The Alto Rango Lounge

The Alto Rango Lounge doesn’t look like much on the outside, and must be bigger on the inside than you’d think. Situated on 12th Ave., in the Wrigley Park area of Paterson, NJ, it’s tucked in between an autobody shop and a two-story, multifamily dwelling with bars on its windows (save for a little space

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Nosy code inspectors

Even if you’re not a criminal, the government—nosy busybody that it can be—might still violate your rights with an illegal search. I’ve written before about how the government can be nosy (https://lnkd.in/gaWmSxCG). That serves it well in ferreting out crime. Consequently, most caselaw on the Fourth Amendment (which protects us from unreasonable government searches and

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Gucci Gun Club

Full disclosure: I’m not an expert in trademark law. I also don’t own any luxury goods. And I’ve never been accused of having “more money than skill” (though on occasion have lacked both). But I love Las Vegas and I’ve previously written about the interesting ways you can enjoy shooting guns there (https://lnkd.in/gdHSeUgH). I also

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The Lorraine Motel

The Lorraine Motel looks much the same today as it did on April 4, 1968. I took this picture of it last week. It’s frozen in time because it has been preserved as a memorial and expanded into a museum to civil rights. It was there on the balcony, of course, that Dr. Martin Luther

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