Legal Commentary

Monday Night Open Thread

By Jeralyn

I've been out all day and am just getting to the day's news. Did anyone watch Bristol Palin on DWTS? How did she do?

The Justice Department has asked the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals for en banc review of its decision holding a warrant is required for GPS surveillance. In August, a 3 judge panel reversed a conviction and life sentence in a drug case because the defendant was tracked through a GPS device installed on his car without a warrant. The earlier opinion is here.

Paris Hilton was placed on a year's unsupervised probation on two misdemeanors today. Here's a picture of her and her excellent attorney, David Chesnoff, entering the courthouse. The judge gave her a strong warning: [More...]

"The purpose of this, at this point, is that you to change your conduct. If you're not changing your conduct the purpose then shifts to punishment," Bonaventure told Hilton in front of a packed courtroom at the Clark County Regional Justice Center. "When you break the law here (in Clark County) there are consequences.

"I'm going to warn you Miss Hilton, you've now been sentenced to one year in the Clark County Detention Center. The Clark County Detention Center is not the Waldorf-Astoria. But I assure you that if you violate the terms of your probation you will serve one year in the Clark County Detention Center," Bonaventure said.

Considering Nevada's unemployment rate has jumped to an all time high of 14.4% , I would think the state has more important things to worry about than whether Paris Hilton had a gram of cocaine and tried to talk her way out of it.

Sad news for the Denver Broncos: Wide Receiver Kenny McKinley committed suicide today. He was 23.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on September 21, 2010 (boomark / email).