In a pivotal moment in the double murder trial against Alex Murdaugh , a South Carolina judge ruled Monday that he would allow the jury to hear evidence of financial crimes allegedly perpetrated by the once-powerful lawyer . Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman made the decision after several witnesses, including Murdaugh's former law firm colleagues and banking associates, testified without the jury present so that he could decide on the relevance of the allegations. Murdaugh, 54, is accused of fatally shooting his wife, Margaret, 52, and their youngest son, Paul, 22, on the evening of June 7, 2021. State prosecutors contend the murders were committed to cover up a slew of financial misdeeds by Murdaugh, who they say stole about $8.5 million from more than a dozen victims and sought to garner sympathy ahead of being publicly exposed. "I find that the jury is entitled to consider whether the apparent desperation of Mr. Murdaugh because of his dire financial situation … [Read more...] about Judge allows Alex Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes into evidence at murder trial, a pivotal win for the prosecution
Argues judges must use the original intent of the constitution in deciding cases
The Case of the Eco-Terrorists and the Book Deal
When Robert Eringer first saw Craig Rosebraugh in the news, he knew his professional contacts would be very interested in the young man’s story. A masterful account of Mr. Rosebraugh’s life as a radical environmentalist — not to mention his connections with domestic terrorists — would certainly impress the people who paid Mr. Eringer. He was a pro at getting people to reveal intimate details of their lives in the memoirs he helped them produce. He would reach out to Mr. Rosebraugh and get him to write a book, to tell his story in all of its specifics. That story had begun in the blink of an email one evening in 1998, as Mr. Rosebraugh, a tall, thin environmentalist, was making dinner. Alone in his one-bedroom apartment in Portland, Ore., he spotted an encrypted message in his inbox and decoded it to find a communiqué, addressed to him, from the Earth Liberation Front. Two days earlier, on Oct. 19, 1998, eight fires had torched a mile-long stretch of Vail Mountain in Colorado, … [Read more...] about The Case of the Eco-Terrorists and the Book Deal
William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of Supreme Court, Is Dead at 80
William H. Rehnquist, who died Saturday at the age of 80 almost a year after learning he had thyroid cancer, helped lead a conservative revolution on the Supreme Court during 19 notably successful years as chief justice of the United States. Including 14 years as an associate justice, Chief Justice Rehnquist's tenure on the court was not only one of the longest in the institution's history but also one of the most consequential. With a steady hand, a focus and commitment that never wavered, and the muscular use of the power of judicial review, he managed to translate many of his long-held views into binding national precedent. Chief among those was an enhanced role for the states within the federal system, which the court accomplished under his leadership by overturning dozens of federal laws that sought to project federal authority into what the Supreme Court majority viewed as the domain of the states. In the zero-sum game of the tri-partite separation of powers, the Supreme … [Read more...] about William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of Supreme Court, Is Dead at 80
Ted Cruz Showed Eloquence, and Limits, as Debater at Princeton
PRINCETON, N.J. — By the time he was a senior at Princeton University in 1992, Ted Cruz had developed an arsenal of rhetorical skills and theatrical gestures that made him one of the most polished performers on the college debate circuit. So when he reached the quarterfinals of the national championships at M.I.T., with the title that had eluded him so far now in sight, he decided to try to knock his Harvard opponents off balance with one of his favorite tricks. Instead of the regular practice of defending his proposed topic — the merits of mind-reading — Mr. Cruz let his adversaries choose which side to argue. But the tactic, intended to highlight his confidence, backfired. As he waited for them to decide, the two Harvard students conspicuously dithered, eating up Mr. Cruz’s allotted speaking time as they whispered and searched their pockets for a coin to flip. The audience, now on to the stalling tactic, chuckled as Mr. Cruz snapped: “Gentlemen! You must have decided by now.” … [Read more...] about Ted Cruz Showed Eloquence, and Limits, as Debater at Princeton
The Rise and Fall of America’s Environmentalist Underground
To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android . Late one summer evening in 2018, an American citizen named Joseph Mahmoud Dibee was sitting in José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cuba — trying, unsuccessfully, to sleep — when he was approached by three men. Dibee, a civil engineer, was in Havana on a layover. After a long business trip in Ecuador, he was heading home to Russia, where he lived with his wife and stepson. The men demanded his passport, then led him out of the terminal and into a waiting sedan. Dibee asked where they were going, but got no response. Sandwiched between his captors, he was driven miles through the night before finally arriving at what appeared to be a jail. For the next three days, Dibee would claim in a subsequent court filing, he was imprisoned without explanation and, in effect, tortured. His small concrete cell was open to the elements; during the day, the cage baked. As … [Read more...] about The Rise and Fall of America’s Environmentalist Underground
Legal Effort Expands to Disqualify Republicans as ‘Insurrectionists’
A legal effort to disqualify from re-election lawmakers who participated in events surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol expanded on Thursday, when a cluster of voters and a progressive group filed suit against three elected officials in Arizona to bar them under the 14th Amendment from running again. In three separate candidacy challenges filed in Superior Court in Maricopa County, Ariz., voters and the progressive group, Free Speech for People, targeted Representatives Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs and State Representative Mark Finchem , who is running for Arizona secretary of state with former President Donald J. Trump’s endorsement. It was unclear whether the challenges would go anywhere; an initial skirmish, also led by Free Speech for People, failed to block Representative Madison Cawthorn’s candidacy in North Carolina. But they were the latest bids to find a way to punish members of Congress who have encouraged or made common cause with those who stormed … [Read more...] about Legal Effort Expands to Disqualify Republicans as ‘Insurrectionists’
How we got into the messiest war in our history
See the article in its original context from November 12, 1972 Section Page Buy Reprints View on timesmachine TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. “The Best and the Brightest;” Pulitzer Prize winner David Halberstam's latest, most important and impressive book, sets out to discover why America got involved in the worst and messiest war in our history. “What was it about the men, their attitudes, the country, its institutions and above all the era which had allowed this tragedy to take place?” They were, after all, “the best and … [Read more...] about How we got into the messiest war in our history
Excerpts From Rehnquist Speech Urging Curb on Death Penalty Appeals
See the article in its original context from May 16, 1990 Section Page Buy Reprints View on timesmachine TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Following are excerpts from Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist's speech to the American Law Institute today on death penalty appeals: Today we have a serious malfunction in our legal system - the manner in which death sentences imposed by state courts are reviewed in the Federal courts. Today the average length of time between the date on which a trial court imposes a sentence of death, … [Read more...] about Excerpts From Rehnquist Speech Urging Curb on Death Penalty Appeals
White House; ON THE STATE OF THE STATE OF THE UNION
See the article in its original context from January 12, 1982 Section Page Buy Reprints View on timesmachine TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Is the state of the union good? Is it bad? If it is bad, would it be politically wise to describe it that way? These are the kinds of questions that keep Ronald Reagan poring over a sheaf of typewritten pages at his desk these days as he prepares his State of the Union Message, which he will deliver in a televised appearance before a joint session of Congress Jan. 26. Like his … [Read more...] about White House; ON THE STATE OF THE STATE OF THE UNION
‘AGT: The Champions’ Episode 4 Results & Recap
AGT: The Champions episode 4 airs Monday night with performers like Tape Face, Kechi, Drew Lynch and more returning to the stage. Find out who made it through, who got the Golden buzzer, and who was eliminated in our complete recap and results. AGT: The Champions returns Monday, January 28 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC as 10 former contestants return to perform again for the judges and earn a chance at the title of World Champion. AGT: The Champions featured performers who previously competed in one of the several "Got Talent" franchises around the world. Last week saw Angelica Hale and Paul Potts advance to the Finals. This week fan favorites like Tape Face, Kenichi and Drew Lynch are set to perform. Once the show kicks off, we'll be adding live-blogged updates about each contestant's performance including results for who made it through and who was eliminated. AGT: The Champions Episode 4 Recap and Results - Which Contestants Made It Through Tonight? Tonight's Golden … [Read more...] about ‘AGT: The Champions’ Episode 4 Results & Recap