Jezebel: Justice

Classy New York Post Prosecutes Kelly Rape Accuser

Erin Gloria Ryan — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:35:00 EST

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Every once in awhile, a newspaper front page comes along that makes you want to punch the nearest inanimate object until you break the small bones in your hand. Well, get out the gauze and your insurance card, ladies: today's New York Post cover features the face of an alleged rape victim, an attack on her character, and — as a bonus! — the word "rape" in sarcastic quotation marks. More »

Judge Prescribes Bowling and Red Lobster as Remedy for Domestic Violence

Erin Gloria Ryan — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:35:00 EST

A Florida judge has ordered a man accused of grabbing his wife by the neck and shoving her into the back of their couch to take the woman out on a proper date: Red Lobster, and bowling. Anything else shitty and totally inappropriate you want to suggest, judge? A gentle fingerbanging session, perhaps? More »

Mississippi Wisely Prevents Governor From Pardoning a Bunch of Murderers

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:10:00 EST

In response to the outrage over Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour pardoning a slew of convicted murderers on his way out of office, the state's corrections commissioner said, "This is just something that happens." Thankfully, officials in the state refuse to accept that there's simply nothing you can do when a governor decides a criminal is actually a good dude. More »

Gloria Allred Puts Pee-Flinging Mean Girls on Trial

Erin Gloria Ryan — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:40:00 EST

Gloria Allred, who apparently has a whole show wherein shut-ins watch her Dispense Justice on the teevee, took on a doozy of a case in a recent show, a case that pitted three popular girls against one girl who couldn't hack it with their crew. Regina George on trial! More »

Lesbian Confirmed As Federal Judge; World Does Not Stop Spinning

Erin Gloria Ryan — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:20:00 EDT

The US Senate has confirmed the federal judicial appointment of Alison Nathan, an out lesbian, with no Republican support. She's the second lesbian to receive a federal lifetime judicial appointment in the US and will join two other currently active gay judges in raining gay rainbow justice all over Real America. Those opposed to her appointment say she's an "activist," and is therefore unfit for the bench, but by now we all know that "activist" is Republican code for "homosexual, brown, or female." More »

Female Vigilantes Bring Some Focus And Pragmatism To The Superhero Racket

Doug Barry — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:25:00 EDT

For Seattle's masked vigilante Phoenix Jones, shit just got real. More »

Amanda Knox Acquitted In Italian Court; Released From Custody

Erin Gloria Ryan — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:10:34 EDT

Amanda Knox, the American college student convicted two years ago of the 2007 sexual assault and murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher, has had her conviction overturned by an Italian appeals court and her release has been ordered by the presiding judge. This acquittal frees Knox to leave the country on her own accord, even though the court's verdict will almost certainly be appealed to Italy's highest court. More »

Group Hopes To Determine Number Of Untested Rape Kits

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 22:04:00 EDT

How bad is the problem of rape kits going untested? We don't even know how many are lying around on police department shelves. Several groups in New York have teamed up to put an end to the rape kit backlog, and their first step is to finally get an idea of what they're dealing with. More »

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Slides Down Emergency Chute To Safety

Irin Carmon — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:50:00 EDT

Seventy-eight year-old Ruth Bader Ginsburg was on a plane today that had to be evacuated for engine trouble. Luckily, she wasn't injured, and simply slid down the emergency chute. More »

Obama's Judicial Picks Are Most Diverse Yet

Irin Carmon — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:10:00 EDT

Bill Clinton may have popularized the phrase "looks like America" for his administration, but Barack Obama has him beat, according to a new analysis. "More than 70 percent of Obama's confirmed judicial nominees during his first two years were 'non-traditional,' or nominees who were not white males." Bill Clinton's percentage was 48.1 percent, and George W. Bush's was 32.9 percent. Judges were only counted once, meaning that, say, Sonia Sotomayor wouldn't be double-counted. More »

Two New West Memphis Three Movies In The Works

Margaret Hartmann — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 23:46:00 EDT

The campaign to free the West Memphis Three, the men convicted of the 1993 murder of three 8-year-old boys in Arkansas, drew a lot of support from Hollywood, so perhaps it isn't surprising that in the next year or so we'll see not one, but two new films about their case. Both of these projects have been in the work for years, but now those behind the films have the very happy task of retooling the endings. More »

Iranian Woman Blinded By Acid Saves Attacker From Eye For An Eye

Margaret Hartmann — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 20:38:00 EDT

In 2004, Majid Movahedi threw a cup of sulfuric acid in Ameneh Bahrami's face because she refused to marry him after years of sexual harassment. She was left blind and disfigured, and fought in Iranian court for the right to do the same to Movahedi. Three years ago the the court ordered that five drops of the chemical be put in his eyes, but today Bahrami granted him a pardon minutes before the sentence was to be carried out. More »

Mom Won't Be Jailed For Son's Jaywalking Death

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:19:00 EDT

In April 2010, Raquel Nelson's 4-year-old son A.J. was killed when he darted into traffic as they were crossing a busy road. Unbelievably, Nelson was convicted of misdemeanor jaywalking charges that could have put her behind bars for three years, longer than the time served by the hit-and-run driver who killed her son. Thankfully, at her sentencing today a judge acted with the sanity and compassion that other law enforcement officials lacked. More »

Juror On NYPD Rape Case: "A Woman Knows When She Is Penetrated."

Irin Carmon — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:35:00 EDT

Melinda Hernandez says of voting to acquit two New York City police officers of rape, "I am a feminist. This was devastating to me. But I had to do my job and be fair and impartial." More »

Judge Rules Against Shackling Pregnant Woman

Irin Carmon — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:30:00 EDT

At nine month pregnant, Juana Villegas was arrested on a driving charge and, when found to have a previous deportation order, shackled despite significant risk to herself and her child. Federal court rightly found this to violate her rights. More »

Why Hasn't Clarence Thomas Asked A Question In Five Years?

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 12:03:00 EST

Our most Laconic Supreme Court Justice has spent the last 5 years sitting silently on the bench and not asking any questions, not unlike the popular kids who always sat in the back of your sophomore year World History class. He says he acts that way because he's self conscious of the way he speaks, he owes those arguing cases his attention, and also Antonin Scalia never shuts up, ever, but some would argue that he just sits there looking bored and whispering because he sucks. More »

Honorable Woman Becomes Your Honor

Lauri Apple — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 17:20:16 EST

[Columbus, Ohio, January 8: Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland administers the oath of office to Supreme Court Justice Yvette McGee Brown during her swearing-in ceremony. An advocate of children and women, she's the first female African-American justice on Ohio's Supreme Court. Image via AP.]

Convicted Rapist Seeks Right to Starve to Death

Lauri Apple — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 12:25:18 EST

A state court has agreed to hear the case of a prisoner who's protested his rape conviction by hunger-striking for the past four years. Being force-fed is "torture," he says—and not just because prison food tastes bad. More »

Should People Sue Their Ex-Fiances for Calling off the Wedding?

Lauri Apple — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:50:00 EST

A Chicago-area woman has filed suit against her husband-would-have-been, who called off their nuptials four days before the ceremony. She's seeking damages totaling $100K—the amount she says she spent on the wedding. Is litigation the way to go? More »

Justice For Time's Mutilated Cover Subject

Irin Carmon — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:14:00 EST

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The father-in-law of Bibi Aisha, an Afghan child bride who was brutally disfigured for running away, has been arrested in connection with that crime. Sadly, that fact is more unusual than her treatment. More »

California's Gay Marriage Challenge Resumes

Irin Carmon — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 12:28:00 EST

Arguments for and against California's Proposition 8, banning gay marriage, have reached the Ninth Circuit as of today. Next stop, probably, Supreme Court. More »

Lady Lawyer Appointed to Replace the Sexting DA

Lauri Apple — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 13:15:02 EST

The governor of Wisconsin has appointed a woman to replace Sexting (ex-)DA Kenneth Kratz, who resigned after his harassment of abuse victims and all-around creepitude became national news. Incoming DA Jerilyn Dietz starts work on December 19. Hooray, justice! More »

Courthouse Rapist's Probation Overturned, Gets Three Year-Sentence (Updated)

Irin Carmon — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 16:13:51 EST

The judge said Tony Simmons, who raped at least three girls in his custody as a court counselor, hadn't shown enough remorse to merit his probation. Surely the massive public outrage and protests had nothing to do with it. More »

Michigan's Gay-Bashing Assistant Attorney General Finally Fired

Irin Carmon — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:45:00 EST

Yesterday, Michigan's favorite homophobe, Andrew Shirvell, was finally fired. What took them so long? More »

Potential Jurors Use Any Excuse To Get Out Of Chandra Levy Trial

Sadie Stein — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:40:00 EDT

So far, 14 jurors have proffered excuses as to why they can't serve on the jury of accused killer Ingmar Guandique. These include watching too much TV, a wife who was recently mugged, and...hate crime bias. More »

Suck It, Jim Bunning: Ginsburg "In Good Health"

Irin Carmon — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:20:00 EDT

"I am pleased to report that, contrary to Senator Bunning's prediction, I am alive and in good health," Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recently said. A year ago, the Republican Senator from Kentucky had said she would live nine months. [UPI] More »

Waiting For Obama

Katy Kelleher — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:20:00 EDT

On the night of May 26th, 2009, Sonia Sotomayor was waiting at her office in New York for a call from the President. He did call (eventually), but he very nearly forgot. More »

When Everybody Loses

Sadie Stein — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:20:00 EDT

When an 18-year-old man with severe mental disabilities was convicted of performing sex acts on a six-year-old neighbor, a Texas jury sentenced him to 100 years in prison. "He couldn't understand the seriousness of what he did," says his father. More »

Jacko's Sparkly Concert Costume; Anna Read What You Wrote About Her On Facebook

TatianaTheAnonymousModel — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:30:00 EDT

Michael Jackson has settled on a costume for his upcoming tour: an ensemble made entirely from Swarovski crystals. His wardrobe uses 300,000 of the sparklers. Of course, this is the man who once wore a gold-plated jacket. [WWD]

Archbishop To Excommunicate All Who Aided Pregnant 9 Year Old • Manliest Men Live In Ohio

Katy Kelleher — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:30:00 EST

• Update: A Brazilian archbishop says that everyone who was involved in aiding the 9-year-old victim of abuse get an abortion will be excommunicated from the Catholic Church. • More »

The Roman Polanksi Lawsuit: Unwanted, Undesired

Dodai Stewart — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST

The woman at the center of the Polanski case wants it dismissed. The events happened 31 years ago, and Samantha Geimer, 45, (pictured at the premiere of documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired) says: More »

Cranky Old Women

Maria — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:20:00 EDT

Remember that 89-year-old woman from Ohio that was arrested for keeping a child's ball that had landed in her yard? Well, authorities in Blue Ash, Ohio announced on Wednesday that they would be dropping the petty theft charges against the woman because they lacked sufficient culpability to pursue her prosecution. What a win for old curmudgeons! Now get off my lawn, you hooligans! [UPI] More »

Foreign Firsts: Egypt Jails A Man For Sexual Harassment Of A Woman

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:40:00 EDT

In Cairo last June, Sharif Gomaa, 28, pulled alongside Noha Rushdie Saleh, 27, in his van while she was in the street, stuck his arm out of the car, and grabbed her breasts so forcefully that she fell. Earlier this week, Gomaa was sentenced to three years in prison with hard labor, marking the first time a man has ever been jailed for sexual harassment in Egypt. More »

Girl Scout Robber Stefanie Woods: Sociopath? Or Helpless Victim Of The Terrible Disease Of Painkiller Addiciton?

Moe — Thu, 29 May 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Stefanie Woods is a photogenic 18-year-old whose crime spree has captivated idyllic Palm Beach. If Law & Order taught me anything it's that she's also a sociopath. But see if you think I'm giving humanity too much credit: it all started when Woods, a part-time model, started chatting up a nine-year-old Girl Scout selling cookies outside a Wynn Dixie. Then she had a friend grab the kid's envelope of $168 and ran back to her car. (This crime was convicted as petty theft and has been referred to in media reports as a "ripoff" but I am pretty sure there are states in which you'd call it "robbery," especially if her name had been so curiously spelled by a non-Caucasian parent, but whatevs.) Okay, then she came back to the same grocery store, and bragged about what she'd pulled off. Then she gave the finger to news cameras. She declared her lack of remorse before a camera. More »

Jennifer Aniston Proves Wit And Charm Don't Matter In A Man: It's All About Having A Tight Ass

Jennifer — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 19:35:51 EDT

Jennifer Aniston just says no to that more rotund Vince Vaughn and picks herself up a male model named Paul Sculfor (who we show you almost-nudie, to the left) to date instead. [People.com]