Carroll Andrew Morse
I was surprised to read in Sunday’s Projo that the Taricani case continues. There is still a fundamental question I have yet to see answered anywhere in public. Did Taricani waive his right to a jury trial in this case? If so, why? If not, how has Judge Torres’ managed to skirt the whole right-to-trial-by-jury…
On Sunday, Bob Kerr wrote about Rhode Island native Molly Little’s experience with airport security. Here’s the one sentence summary: Kerr believes she was hassled at the airport because she is a “peace” activist (quotes are mine). Let me begin with the slight note of hypocrisy that Kerr ends with. Kerr writesIt might never be…
Apologies for the unexpected absence. I’ll be back blogging in-force this week. For now, let me leave you with a quick thought. Instapundit last week referenced a New York Times article involving plagarism problems with “managed books” (books where the person listed as author delegated significant portions of the actual writing to research assistants). I…
I have question about a “detail” in the Jim Taricani case that I have yet to see explained. Perhaps one of my fellow contributors or one of Anchor Rising’s readers can help me with this… Did Taricani voluntarily waive his right to a trial-by-jury in this matter, and if so, why?
There is a legal maxim that says “hard cases make bad law”. This has taken on a new urgency with respect to the Jim Taricani case. As a result of Judge Torres’ Thursday ruling, Senator Christopher Dodd from Connecticut has proposed a federal shield law for journalists. Let me make an important point I haven’t…
From today’s Projo story on the Taricani case: Yesterday, as Taricani’s legal team has argued in the past, Murphy challenged DeSisto’s authority to prosecute the contempt case against Taricani. He asserted that only the U.S. Attorney’s office has jurisdiction to prosecute such cases.Here’s part of Judge Torres’ response, where he explains why it is necessary…
The Providence Journal provides a link to Judge Torres’ order (pdf format) compelling Jim Taricani’s testimony about his source. Two things leap out at me. 1. It is clear from the memo that the leaking of the tape is not a violation of the law. It is a violation of a “protective order” issued by…
I also was intrigued by Cox’s article on urban-versus-rural-versus-Democrat-versus-Republican. For Marc’s thoughts, click here. For Justin’s thoughts, click here. Here’s my plausible-but-not-proven stab at explaining the trend: Urban areas are the most dependent on other areas to survive. Imagine the following: One Sunday night, impenetrable force-fields appear along the borders of every town in Rhode…
Over at National Review Online, John J. Miller previews the 2006 Senate races. With all due respect to the conservative mothership, he gets Rhode Island completely wrong. Lincoln Chafee, the sort-of Republican, isn’t well liked by many of his GOP colleagues because they worry he’ll bolt the party if it means he can stay in…
Reason 1: Why Pardoning Taricani is the Right Thing. Reason 2: Why the Right Thing is Consistent with the President’s Agenda. Institutionally, American democracy has forgotten something — all three branches of government are charged with defending the rights of the individual. Somewhere that idea was lost, replaced by the idea that the court system…
