MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE - JUNE EDITION

One lawsuit away from bankruptcy

• Heard about Roy Pearson, the Washington, D.C. administrative law judge, who is suing his local dry cleaners for $67 million for losing his trousers? The family-run business owners -- Jin Chung, Soo Chung (see above), and their son, Ki Chung -- offered $12,000 (!) to settle the case, but Judge Pearson, the judicial branch's royal douchebag, refused anything short of $67 million. Despite nationwide mockery, Pearson insists on going to court, only lowering his damages estimate to $54 million. The trial begins tomorrow, as the Chungs slowly lose their life savings to defend themselves against these frivolous charges. Support the Chungs by contributing to the Custom Cleaners Defense Fund. (With thanks to AngryAsianMan.)

• The U.S. military needs -- and has long needed -- Arabic translators. Badly. Important messages went untranslated on Sept. 10, 2001 that might have prevented the attacks on Sept. 11. But in compliance with our indefensible national don't-ask-don't-tell policy, our military has now discharged over 58 badly-needed Arabic-speaking translators simply because of their sexual orientation. Stephen Benjamin is one of them; he wrote an op-ed for the NYTimes that should be igniting massive protests in Washington, D.C. Apparently, our country's homophobia trumps our need for national security.

In brighter legal news:

• Remember Genarlow Wilson, who was sentenced to a decade in prison for receiving consensual oral sex from a female 15-year-old high school sophomore while he was a 17-year-old senior? A Georgia state judge has finally voided the sentence against him and removed him from sexual predator status. Let's hope the state AG doesn't appeal. Update: the state AG appealed and Genarlow is still in prison. (Hat tip to J. Lo.)

• Also, in a victory for those who believe in enforcing the U.S. Constitution, the conservative Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals just ruled that the Bush administration can't detain an immigrant labeled an "enemy combatant" without charging him. The panel held that the Military Commissions Act doesn't strip Ali al-Marri -- who has been held in solitary confindement in a Navy brig for four years -- of his constitutional rights to challenge his accusers in court.
  
  

--Junichi

WHAT TO READ: MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE EDITION

Georgia Inmate No. 1187055

Here are three stories of individuals who don't deserve to be behind bars:

• ESPN's online magazine profiles the outrageous/incensing tale of Genarlow Wilson, a high school honor student, football star, and homecoming king from Georgia, who is now serving a 10-year sentence for receiving consensual oral sex from a female 15-year-old high school sophomore while he was a 17-year-old senior. Everybody and their mother agrees that that the act was consensual, and that the girl initiated it. Yet, Wilson was convicted under an antiquated Georgia law that makes it a felony for teenagers less than three years apart to have oral sex, even though it's only a misdemeanor for the same kids to have vaginal intercourse. That nonsensical law has since been revised, but the new legislation doesn't apply retroactively to Wilson, who has spent almost two years in prison now. The NY Times is one of many that have called for his release, but he still remains in jail. You can find out more and sign a petition here.

Credit: Darius M.

• Julie Amero, a 40-year-old substitute teacher, is now facing a whopping 40 year prison sentence for exposing her seventh grade class to pornographic images. She alleges that she is the victim of a software virus that caused her computer to shoot out a swarm of pop-up ads with explicit images that Ralph, from The Simpsons, would describe as "Everybody's hugging." The facts seem to support her version of the story. According to this AP article, the DA claims that Amero intentionally clicked onto some pornographic websites. As anyone who has visited porn sites knows, however, a deliberate visit to one website may still lead to a viral infestation in the form of a pornucopia slide show that can't be stopped without unplugging the computer. That's what my friends tell me, anyway.

• Here's yet another story of how high school students' self-incriminating posts on MySpace have led to their criminal arrests. Only this time, six 14- and 15-year-old girls in Tennessee have been charged with homicide conspiracy after their principal merely found a list with 300 names along with a message by one student that said, "Let's kill everyone on the list." In light of Columbine and its progeny, I don't blame officials for taking threats seriously. But what makes this arrest ridiculous is that the list included Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey and the Energizer bunny. Please.
  

--Junichi