Police

Sean Bell shooting trial to stay in Queens

The latest delay in the trial of police officers for killing Sean Bell comes from defense lawyers. They wanted the trial moved out of Queens. This motion was denied. I don’t really have a position on the trial location. But this is still a big decision. It’s not going to be easy to convict the officers (and for good reason),…

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Police

A drug tax

New York Timesace reporter Sewell Chan reports a proposed New York State tax on marijuana ($3.50/gram) and cocaine ($200/gram). If this tax survives court challenges, it is expected to raise over $10 million per year. These taxes are always a little strange and constitutionally questionable on grounds of double jeopardy. The real goal is to give law enforcement more tools:…

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