The intellectual leader of the nation’s most powerful courtThe longest-serving member of the High Court of Australia is no judicial rock star. Matthew Knott profiles William Gummow, Justice of the High Court of Australia.
The Law
‘Gossip as usual next week’: Firm Spy back but dodging questions
Law firm gossip clearing house Firm Spy is back online today, one day after its account was shut down for unknown reasons.
Was it legal to kill Osama?
It’s much easier for US authorities that Osama resisted arrest and was shot dead. But the laws around assassination are confusing and the public needs to be aware how easy it is for the government to abuse them.
PHOTO GALLERY: 200 mugshots of Chicago crims
The mug shot is a particularly American phenomenon and here’s 200 mugshots of local Chicago citizens, arrested for crimes from murder to animal cruelty. But innocent until proven guilty and all that.
I reported on the Iran elections and all I got was a lousy 13 years in prison
Newsweek journalist Maziar Bahari was thrown into an Iranian prison for 118 days and then sentenced in absentia to 13 years imprisonment and 74 lashes. What did he do to receive such a punishment?
The world’s most humane prison
Flat-screen TVs, minifridges, stainless steel kitchens, music lessons and cooking classes. It isn’t a holiday resort — it’s Norway’s Halden Fengsel Prison.
Is prison rape “too expensive” to stop?
Make all the “don’t drop the soap!” jokes you want, Amanda Hess talks to US prison rape victims and nobody is laughing. New standards have been released showing how prison rape can be prevented, so why do prisons think it’s too expensive to bother?
News v Guthrie: Nixon, Murdoch, Calvert-Jones and other dirty linen
The massive court book prepared on Bruce Guthrie’s behalf threatens to unleash a treasure trove of privileged News Limited information. Andrew Crook was in court for the first day of the trial.
Carl Williams broke the criminal code — that’s why he’s dead
Putting Carl Williams on the front page of the Herald Sun outraged at “benefits” he was receiving was a mind-blowingly stupid idea and it was no surprise he was killed on the same day, writes Lionel Elmore.
Tiny nations vs. giant polluters
Small island nations are suing massive corporations for their carbon emissions causing sea levels to rise. Yes, it’s a David and Goliath battle, but can you accuse a company for causing climate change to your whole country — and win?
An interview with the Pope’s US lawyer
What’s it like being the advocate for the man who is supposed to be God’s representative on Earth? And what happens when he’s caught up in a worldwide sex abuse cover-up scandal? Meet Jeffrey Lena: the California litigator who may have one of the worst jobs on the planet.
Terror scoop: The Oz tries to stop OPI briefing
The Oz is trying to prevent the Victorian OPI from briefing public prosecutions about a “serious criminal offence”, allegedly committed during the research for reporter Cameron Stewart’s terrorism scoop last year.
The nanny state is here: “sorry sir, you’re too fat to buy a burger”
There’s a major change coming to consumer credit laws — credit providers can only lend if it is in the client’s best interest — that has nanny state written all over it and no one’s making a fuss. Do we really need to be protected from ourselves? asks Stephen King.
Deaths in custody: did the Royal Commission get it wrong?
Public knowledge of aboriginal deaths in custody is warped. Aboriginals are less likely than non-Aboriginals to die in custody and being imprisoned actually reduces likelihood of death, writes former head of research into the Royal Commission, David Biles.
Part five: money, power and uncertainty in a disadvantaged town
In the fifth and final chapter in a special report into the family feud in the indigenous Noongar community, Kayt Davies sums up an enduring environment of unemployment, disadvantage and race-fuelled tension.
Part four: race relations in WA — is Narrogin a redneck town?
In part four of a special report into the family feud in the indigenous Noongar community that made national headlines, Kayt Davies examines the prickly issue of race relations.
Crikey Clarifier: DNA evidence — it’s not foolproof
A slew of recent cases has brought DNA profiling into question as criminal evidence. Crikey intern Nicole Eckersley talks to an DNA criminology Jeremy Gans about just how accurate those swabs are.
Part three: Hatred and retribution after gunfire in town
In part three of a special report into a family feud in the indigenous Noongar community that made headlines around the country, Research Journalism’s Kayt Davies examines the aftermath of the gun fight.
Part two: The family feud that made national headlines
In part two of a special report into the family feud in the indigenous Noongar community that made national headlines, Kayt Davies details the night in question.
The simmering family feud in a WA town
Shots fired during a brawl last November in a tiny Western Australian township made national news. In the first in a series of special reports on the incident, Kayt Davies explains what they’re fighting about.
Vioxx case: Merck legal team ‘successfull’ despite $287k compo payout
The Australian court case on Vioxx, pitched as a landmark judgement against its makers Merck, flashed past in a blur, writes Paul Smith.
DNA doesn’t guarantee guilt
With the High Court to hear an appeal for a case reliant completely on DNA evidence, the value of DNA in legal proceedings is being questioned. It’s not clear-cut scientific evidence but simply a statistical probability.
PHOTO GALLERY: Drunkards of Edwardian England
A fascinating collection of vintage mugshots of men and women arrested for public drunkenness in Birmingham, England, in the early 20th century — including “Pock-pitted” Harry Davies and old “Dirty Dick” Flemming.
Do NT cops need more hugs and less arms?
Why were NT Police officers wandering around a recent Triple J-sponsored concert with Glock 22 .40 calibre sidearms, pepper spray and Tazers? asks Bob Gosford
Spinning the Media: When PR really means Police Relations
Our Spinning the Media study found that 70% of police stories published in the major newspapers originated from Police PR, report Nicholas Hollins and Wendy Bacon.
