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A DEA agent accused of killing a cyclist in Salem while on duty had his case presented before a federal appeals court today in Seattle. At the center of today’s hearing was whether the agent could claim immunity from state prosecution because he was an on-duty federal agent. On March 28, 2023, Marganne Allen was riding her bike home from work in southeast Salem. Video from that day shows a black pickup truck running a stop sign moments before striking and killing the cyclist.

A criminal justice professor who has worked at various California colleges pleaded guilty Thursday after being charged with setting a series of blazes near the massive Dixie Fire in 2021. Gary Stephen Maynard, 49, pleaded guilty to three counts of arson to federal property in Sacramento federal court before U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta. Maynard, who is being held without bail in the Yuba County Jail, was arrested in August 2021 after a three-week investigation that included the use of a tracking device hidden on his vehicle by authorities who followed his movements throughout Northern California for hundreds of...

Ghislaine Maxwell wants to get her hands on the diary of a teenage girl who says she was sexually assaulted by Jeffrey Epstein in 1996. On Friday, a federal court in New York City nixed that request. The alleged accomplice to the dead pedophile’s elite empire of sexual abuse has been trying to obtain Annie Farmer‘s teenage diary since early April of this year. U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan barred a subpoena request for the diary aimed at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP in late April but held open the possibility that it could eventually be produced - asking the...

The sad case of Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14-year-old gay kid who committed suicide after being bullied, has inspired Lady Gaga to try to get involved in the situation. She’s insisting that bullying be made illegal. Since she’s a spoiled pop star suggesting an idea that’s about as sensible as wearing a meat suit, she probably won’t have much luck with it. And she certainly shouldn’t.That being said, I have more empathy for Jamey Rodemeyer and other kids like him because I was bullied in high school and can tell you that it’s a horrible experience. Not only are you afraid...

Hollywood is allowed to discriminate based on anything. "Sorry, but you're too black." "You're good, but you're too fat." "I like you, but you aren't pretty enough." Hollywood can pick whomever they want, for whatever reason and with no repercussions. Discrimination for the sake of art. But the military, the people who protect the nation, can't choose whom they want now that gays got their win with the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Now they can be openly gay. What exactly is openly gay, anyway? Gays are individuals and not defined by their sexuality -- at least not the...

The White House expressed its outrage Thursday over a column posted on a CBS News site that predicted Solicitor General Elena Kagan, the leading candidate for the Supreme Court, may become the first "openly gay justice."

There has been some speculation that Elena Kagan, the allegedly lesbian Solicitor General, is a favorite for Supreme Court nomination. Perhaps this is to be expected, but it remains to be seen what the American public’s reaction would be to having a radical feminist up for a position as a Supreme Court justice, which is one of the most powerful positions in the United States. Kagan’s appointment as Solicitor General was enthusiastically endorsed by the Feminist Law Professors blog, which gives a good indication of exactly what her positions are in regards to feminism.

Justice Stevens announced his intention to quit on April 9th. President Barack Obama is expected to nominate a replacement within weeks. Leaks suggest that he has a shortlist of about ten candidates, including a couple of big political names: Janet Napolitano, the homeland-security secretary, and Jennifer Granholm, the governor of Michigan. Most pundits, however, expect him to nominate a professional jurist. The most-mentioned names include Diane Wood and Merrick Garland, both appeals-court judges, and Elena Kagan, the solicitor-general. His nominee must be confirmed by the Senate, which should be easy, since his party has a hefty majority. In theory, Republicans...

MSNBC's David Shuster said he wanted to "vomit" after the conclusion of Donald Trump's announcement that Miss California USA, Carrie Prejean, will keep her title. Shuster said the decision represents "everything that is wrong with the superficial nature" of pageants. "Donald Trump seemed to be saying lying is okay," he added.

CINCINNATI -- An Army sergeant from Ohio who was wounded in Iraq and wanted to remain in the military as an openly gay soldier was officially discharged Tuesday, according to an advocacy group. Sgt. Robert Stout, 23, was awarded the Purple Heart after a grenade sent shrapnel into his arm, face and legs while he was using a machine gun on a Humvee in May 2004. Stout, of Utica in central Ohio, told The Associated Press in April that he wanted to remain in the military and be openly gay, but that would conflict with the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't...

Judge lowers sentence of ex-county Democratic chairman by 17 months. Andrew Reyes, the former Mecklenburg Democratic chairman convicted in one of Charlotte's biggest embezzlements, could be out of prison in May after a federal judge trimmed nearly a year and a half off his sentence. Sources say the reduction is likely due to his cooperation in an ongoing investigation. U.S. Chief District Judge Graham Mullen didn't handle Reyes' case and would not talk about it specifically. But Mullen, asked when federal judges can cut sentences, said: "The only way a judge can reduce a sentence is if the government moves...