Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

Trump on Tucker: "Perhaps he should see a good psychiatrist!"

DOJ to Review Mamdani's 'Racial Equity Plan' for New York City

Baltimore Reparations Fund Plagued by Infighting and Struggles for Control

Senate Hearing Live Coverage: Recent Leaks Likely Topic for NSA Director

Posted by Mandy Nagy on June 12, 2013 10 Comments

NSA chief Gen. Keith Alexander will testify today at a previously scheduled Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on enduring cybersecurity threats. He is expected to face questions during the hearing concerning the recent leaks of details into the NSA's phone surveillance activities. You can follow livestream video coverage beginning at 2pm EST; follow this post for updates. [UPDATE: The feed has been removed, as the hearing has ended.] Highlights from the hearing below:

There were other very interesting exchanges between several Senators and Gen. Alexander, most notably with Senators Durbin, Collins and Merkley. You can listen to those audio clips at NPR. Here's what people were saying on Twitter...

NSA Leaker Edward Snowden Speaks Exclusively to South China Morning Post

Posted by Mandy Nagy on June 12, 2013 23 Comments

Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who leaked details about the National Security Agency’s surveillance program to the press, gave an exclusive interview Wednesday to the South China Morning Post. Through a series of articles that have been staggered throughout the day, Snowden tells the outlet...

Mideast Media Sampler – 06/12/2013 – Richard Falk running the UNHRC Asylum

Posted by David Gerstman on June 12, 2013 2 Comments

1) How can you tell the difference between a terrorist organization and a liberal democracy? The title is a trick question. In international fora, the terrorist organization gets a lot more respect. Last week the Ireland led the way to prevent the European Union from designating Hezbollah...

Zimmerman Trial LIVE – Jury Selection Day 3 All-Day Coverage

Posted by Andrew Branca on June 12, 2013 4 Comments

CLICK HERE FOR OUR COMPREHENSIVE SUMMARY OF EVENTS FROM DAY 3 OF JURY SELECTION. Today we will again be covering the Zimmerman Jury Selection Day Three live, all day, along with a separate end-of-day wrap-up post. To catch up on the lastest events in State of...

How to lose 2016 in one easy amnesty bill

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 12, 2013 52 Comments

To say that there is disgust growing in the ranks is an understatement. If adults who broke the law to come here illegally get citizenship, it will be a spit in the face of millions of legal immigrants who followed the rules, and many millions more...

Community College in Minnesota Faces Free Speech Scrutiny Over 'Speech Zone' Policy

Several States Considering New Campus Carry Laws

U. Michigan Closes DEI Office Yet Still Spends Millions on 162 Diversity-Related Employees

Dr. Anthony Fauci and His Wife to be Honored at Macalester College

Professor Turley Comments on AAUP Supporting Campus Anti-ICE Campaign

CCNY to Host ‘Lavender' Graduation Ceremony for LGBT Graduates

It’s 5:30 a.m. and a phone is ringing in Harper, Texas

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 12, 2013 13 Comments

At least we can be comfortable how it will be answered. From Danelle: 5:30 am Harper, Texas Came across this handpainted wall while dodging deer early this morning 20 miles south of Fredericksberg, Texas. Left El Paso at 9pm last night, still have a couple more hours before we...

Zimmerman Jury Selection — Day Two Wrap-Up

Posted by Andrew Branca on June 11, 2013 16 Comments

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE COVERAGE OF THE ZIMMERMAN TRIAL FOR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12 (Note: Link goes live when Court goes into session.) Today the Court continued its preliminary voir dire of prospective jurors, moving through 11 candidates before recessing right at 5PM. As was the case...

Welcome government workers!

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 11, 2013 9 Comments

Someone (a reader?) pointed me to a post at Small Dead Animals (a great blog, btw): Watchers 507 visits per day isn't a lot for a blog, unless they're from one particular entity: The American Spectator is under the watchful eye of the Obama Administration. Since January 1,...

7-year old Pop-Tart gun offender loses first appeal

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 11, 2013 31 Comments

You may remember the story of the 7-year old disciplined for biting his Pop Tart into the shape of a gun at school, Maryland school offers counseling for students troubled by “pastry gun” incident. The evidence against the young lad was overwhelming and unimpeachable: The young perp...

ACLU Files Lawsuit Over NSA Phone Surveillance

Posted by Mandy Nagy on June 11, 2013 12 Comments

The ACLU has just filed a lawsuit challenging several in the Obama administration over its indiscriminate scooping up of phone records. From the ACLU's website: In the wake of the past week's revelations about the NSA's unprecedented mass surveillance of phone calls, today the ACLU filed a...

Five Clarifications We Can’t Ask of Edward Snowden

Posted by Mandy Nagy on June 11, 2013 27 Comments

Edward Snowden, the now-former NSA contractor who leaked secret documents to The Washington Post and the Guardian, said he didn’t want to become the story. "I don't want public attention because I don't want the story to be about me. I want it to be...

Regardless of how Sup. Ct rules in Fisher, race-based affirmative action’s time has come and gone

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 11, 2013 20 Comments

We will find out by the end of the month, maybe sooner, the Supreme Court ruling in Fisher v. U. Texas and whether the Court further limits the use of race in college admissions. The main problem with affirmative action, particularly when there is competition for a...

Zimmerman Jury Selection LIVE — All-Day Coverage

Posted by Andrew Branca on June 11, 2013 13 Comments

Today we will again be covering the Zimmerman Jury Selection Day Two live, all day, along with a separate end-of-day wrap-up post. To catch up on the lastest events in State of Florida v. Zimmerman, click here to take a look at last night's wrap-up...

Turkish government cracks down on protesters, arrests lawyers (Updates)

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 11, 2013 9 Comments

We've covered the Turkish protests extensively. To boil it down to basics, its Turks who value the country's secular political history trying to slow down the steady Islamization of political institutions by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Legal Insurrection readers long have heard of Erdoğan's dangerous antics and bullying towards Israel. Overnight there was a massive police crackdown on the protesters, as well as attorneys sympathetic to the protesters. Erdogan pledges ‘no more tolerance’ for protest amid police crackdown:

Turkey has ‘no more tolerance’ for violent protest, Prime Minister Erdogan told the parliament. He was speaking as police used water cannons and tear gas to take over Taksim Square in Istanbul from anti-government activists. Erdogan lashed out at the protesters as he was addressing MPs on Tuesday. In his speech he separated the peaceful protesters concerned with the development plans at Gezi Park from those in Taksim Square, who he said are responsible for violent clashes with police forces. The prime minister blamed the Taksim protesters of injuring security troops, damaging public property, disturbing public order and damaging Turkey’s image among international investors. Erdogan’s speech came hours after hundreds of police walked into Taksim Square just after dawn and used tear gas and water cannons to fend of protesters attempting to enter it. Police removed protest banners from buildings overlooking the square. The prime minister hailed the move, which he described as tearing down “rags”.

(video added) https://twitter.com/UlasDogaEralp/status/344434491961536514 https://twitter.com/ozlemecedemir/status/344434553668120577

Will the last sane person leaving Charlottesville

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 11, 2013 3 Comments

please wear this bumper sticker? From J: Is this the last sane person in Charlottesville, VA? (besides me, of course) ...

“When did the government become a jealous girlfriend?” (for me, January 1979)

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 10, 2013 24 Comments

When I first traveled the Soviet Union, and two guys we didn't know got out of a car and escorted me and some American friends past the long line waiting to get into a night club in Tallinn, seated us at a prime location table which...

Zimmerman Jury Selection — Day One Wrap-Up

Posted by Andrew Branca on June 10, 2013 8 Comments

For live video and coverage for Tuesday June 11th, click here. Just a quick note here to provide a brief wrap-up of today, Monday the 10th's, events in the Zimmerman trial. The morning saw the discussion of some motions and other open business. Notably, George Zimmerman's...