Archive for Wendy McElroy
Freeman contributing editor Wendy McElroy is an author and the editor of ifeminists.com.
Jury Nullification: Right, Remedy, or Danger?
Last December a “mutiny” occurred in a Montana courtroom. At least that’s what a stunned county deputy attorney called it. One of 27 members of a jury pool spoke up to ask why taxpayer money was being wasted to prosecute a man accused of possessing 1/16th of an ounce of marijuana. When polled, a large [...]
25May2011 | Wendy McElroy | 8 comments | ContinuedNaming Names in Sexual Assault Cases
Transparency, equal treatment under law, and a defendant’s presumption of innocence all seem to dictate that both accused and accuser should be identified.
24May2011 | Wendy McElroy | 16 comments | ContinuedLibertarianism and Torture
Torture destroys everyone and everything decent it touches, including the torturer’s humanity.
10May2011 | Wendy McElroy | 47 comments | ContinuedSilence: One Way Truth Loses
The Duke lacrosse suits are a rare opportunity to lift the veils that protect academic, police, and court misconduct from public view.
26Apr2011 | Wendy McElroy | 11 comments | ContinuedThe Ominous Expansion of Class-Action Suits: Walmart v. Dukes
In the largest class-action lawsuit in American history, Walmart v. Dukes, Walmart stands accused of systematically discriminating against as many as 1.5 million women in wages and promotions. The Supreme Court has agreed to a limited review, judging solely whether class-action certification was justified. At stake are billions of dollars and the creation of a [...]
21Apr2011 | Wendy McElroy | 6 comments | ContinuedJunk Science Smites Craigslist
Will hysteria or science prevail? I am rooting for science but betting on hysteria.
12Apr2011 | Wendy McElroy | 18 comments | ContinuedWhen Police Interrogate Children
The Supreme Court will now consider what it means both to be a “reasonable person” and to be “in custody.” Whatever the ruling, it will almost certainly impact the authority police exert over public-school students, perhaps dramatically so.
29Mar2011 | Wendy McElroy | 20 comments | ContinuedUnwed Fathers and Parental Rights
A mother lied, a father was denied parental rights, and the bureaucracy created a family tragedy.
15Mar2011 | Wendy McElroy | 25 comments | ContinuedWhen the Police Question Your Child
Do not expect authorities to respect your parental rights or to inform you of your child’s rights.
1Mar2011 | Wendy McElroy | 21 comments | ContinuedPolice Have More, Better Rights than You
Justice itself depends on people being able to document their encounters with government agents, especially the police. If people are prevented from establishing the truth through evidence, then they have no defense against a corrupt, incompetent, or vengeful police officer.
15Feb2011 | Wendy McElroy | 27 comments | ContinuedJury Nullification: Remedy or Danger?
Jury nullification can occur for reasons good or ill, from ingrained justice or from inbred prejudice.
4Jan2011 | Wendy McElroy | 35 comments | ContinuedAsk Not For Whom the Drug Tolls
“Fifty years ago, it made sense to assert that mental illnesses are not diseases, but it makes no sense to say so today. Debate about what counts as mental illness has been replaced by legislation about the medicalization and demedicalization of behavior. Old diseases such as homosexuality and hysteria disappear. New diseases such as gambling [...]
22Dec2010 | Wendy McElroy | 13 comments | ContinuedOminous Copyright Ruling Stands
A stunning but little-noticed Supreme Court ruling signals that the face of business and the boundaries of ownership could soon change dramatically.
21Dec2010 | Wendy McElroy | 12 comments | ContinuedThe Ominous Expansion of Class-Action Suits
At stake are billions of dollars and the creation of a new standard for certifying class-action lawsuits.
7Dec2010 | Wendy McElroy | 13 comments | ContinuedBig Brother Is Watching You Recycle
In 2009, after four years of controversial and piecemeal policies intended to enforce recycling, England imposed a complex and compulsory system of garbage-sorting on homeowners. Citing the British model, Cleveland, Ohio, is taking a giant step toward a similar scheme of compulsory recycling. In 2011 some 25,000 households will be required to use recycling bins fitted [...]
24Nov2010 | Wendy McElroy | 28 comments | ContinuedA TSA Myth in the Making
The “Muslim exemption” is a dangerous myth because it strengthens the TSA by making its critics appear to be foolish conspiracy theorists.
23Nov2010 | Wendy McElroy | 19 comments | ContinuedThe Injustice of Domestic Violence Policies
Domestic violence is a deeply politicized issue used by “get tough” prosecutors and politicians as a career path.
9Nov2010 | Wendy McElroy | 13 comments | Continued-
The Latest
Contraception: Insuring the Uninsurable
Update below. Controversy rages over the Obama administration’s mandate that all employers – including... Read More
The Snow Plowers’ Petition
The following might have happened in a small college town in upstate New York… In a cold and snowy... Read More
Super Bowl versus Education?
In the spirit of Super Bowl weekend I’d like to deconstruct a Facebook status update that a friend... Read More
Capitalism, Corporatism, and the Freed Market
When a front-running presidential contender tells the country that thanks to Barack Obama, “[w]e are... Read More
Creating Jobs versus Creating Value
Picking on New York Times columnist Paul Krugman is one of the largest participation sports on the Internet.... Read More
