Outside the Beltway

Nearly three years to the day after it started, the George Zimmerman case is essentially over.

Yet another attack on religious freedom in Europe.

Not surprisingly, the Federal investigation of the Michael Brown shooting is ending much like the state investigation did.

The men responsible for the Charlie Hebdo massacre are dead, but the problems for France, and the rest of Europe, may just be at the beginning.

New details in the shooting of 12 year old Tamir Rice raise more questions.

NYPD Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot dead while sitting in their patrol car In Brooklyn. And those suggesting that anyone other than the killer has “blood on their hands” are being absurd.

The Supreme Court says that police who have a “reasonable” misunderstanding of the law can still pull you over.

A hostage crisis has been unfolding overnight at a cafe in Sydney, Australia that has apparent links to international terrorism.

Many have suggested that prosecution of cases involving police misconduct should be handled by prosecutors who don’t work with local police departments on a regular basis. They’re right.

Thinking about that the state, law, violence, and the Garner incident (and contributing to the tl;dr phenomenon).

Not surprisingly a new poll finds that African-Americans perceive the American justice system far differently than whites.

But, hey, don’t worry, there’s nothing racial going on here. Nothing at all.

While conservatives have been generally as appalled as others with the news out of Staten Island, some of them are looking in the wrong place for blame.

A former RNC chair says a black man’s life isn’t worth a ham sandwich.

A New York City Grand Jury refuses to indict a cop who appears from all available evidence to choked a guy to death for no good reason.

Michael Brown’s stepfather made incendiary comments in the wake of the Grand Jury announcement, but they do not amount to a crime.

The man who shot and killed Michael Brown has resigned, but that’s unlikely to satisfy protesters who still seem to be demanding criminal charges that are never going to come.

Regardless of the outcome of the Michael Brown investigation, there are legitimate problems that need to be addressed.

Not surprisingly, last night’s announcement that there would be no state court indictment in the Michael Brown shooting led to violence and confrontations with police. That’s not going to solve any of the real problems that face Ferguson, or any other community in the United States.

All the warnings of violence in the wake of an expected imminent announcement from the Grand Jury in the Michael brown case could become self-fulfilling prophecy.

We appear to be just days away from an announcement from the Grand Jury investigating the Michael Brown shooting, and the consensus seems to be that there will be no indictment at all.

Civil asset forfeiture gives “highway robbery” a whole new meaning.

The Fourth and Fifth Amendments do not prevent the police from compelling you to unlock your phone if you used fingerprint scan technology to lock it, Virginia Judge has ruled.

Reports from the Justice Department seem to be laying the groundwork for more disappointment for those hoping for charges against Officer Darren Wilson.

We may have our first legal challenge to an Ebola quarantine order by tomorrow

Mandatory quarantines are a massive violation of personal liberty. We ought to be careful in how, when, and why we impose them and who they are directed toward.

The Koch Brothers are putting money behind an effort to reform a part of the legal system that is ignored far too often.

What if the Grand Jury investigating the Michael Brown shooting fails to indict Officer Darren Wilson? We may find out if newly leaked evidence is accurate.

Yesterday’s apparent terrorist shooting in Ottawa reveals again a phenomenon that seems difficult if not impossible to stop in advance.

New York State’s gun law takes rights away from nearly 35,000 people without any due process whatsoever.

Law enforcement remains unhappy about the recent changes that will make it harder to break into a locked smartphone.

The numbers don’t lie.

It appears that there will be no Federal charges against George Zimmerman for shooting Trayvon Martin. This is not a surprise.

In the current situation, speaking out forcefully as some are demanding can only do more harm than good.

The streets of Hong Kong have been filled with protesters upset over China’s efforts to control the city’s political future.

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies are pushing back against Apple and Google’s efforts to provide greater privacy to users.. They’re wrong.

A recent change by Apple is good news for advocates of privacy and civil liberties in the Internet Age.

Two men in North Carolina are free after spending 31 years in prison for a crime they didn’t commit.

There is a good possibility that Darren Wilson could be acquitted in the shooting of Michael Brown.. Are the protesters ready to accept that reality?

What you think about the events in Ferguson depends quite a lot on whether you’re black or white.

17-year veteran of the LAPD says, “If you don’t want to get hurt, don’t challenge me.”

We should not tolerate them acting otherwise.