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From convicted murderer to exoneree to law grad

What would you do if you were falsely accused and convicted of a brutal rape and murder you didn’t commit? How would you handle a violent maximum-security prison, sentenced 16 years to life, at age 17? And what would you choose to do, if you won your freedom back after exoneration? Jeffrey Deskovic, 45, graduated from Pace University School of Law three weeks ago to rousing cheers from friends, family and faculty. On its own, the achievement warrants celebration. Any graduation does. But Deskovic’s feat is just one of an extraordinary set of milestones in the extraordinary ...

Are some ‘trying to childproof the presidency?’

That was a pretty stunning story about the White House asking some Navy officials to move the warship USS John McCain “out of sight” during President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Japan. The obvious fear was that sharing any stage with the war hero would unhinge the president. McCain died last August from brain cancer. This is pretty wild stuff. Higher-ups in the Navy reversed earlier efforts to cover the ship’s name with a tarp. Trump denies he knew about the request, as does acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan. Believe them, or don’t. What cannot be denied is ...

Robert Mueller’s upside-down variety of justice

It’s a familiar quote from Charles Dickens’ classic “Oliver Twist,” but with special contemporary relevance in light of a statement last week by Special Counsel Robert Mueller: “’If the law supposes that,’ said Mr. Bumble… ‘the law is a ass — a idiot.’“ But it isn’t so much that the law is fractured, rather it is practitioners who sometimes do it an injustice. In a statement at the Justice Department during which he resigned and announced the closing of his office, Mueller said this about indicted Russian hackers who attempted to influence the outcome of ...

Use the brain, not your gut, Mr. President

Putting aside analysis, calculation and any semblance of substantive thought, President Trump once more bounced off intuition in calling for a big-time tariff on Mexico. The purpose? To get Mexico to help more with the immigration flood from Central America. The possible consequences if ...

Gig may be up soon for gig workers

Uber just filed its first quarterly report as a publicly traded company. Although it lost $1 billion, investors may still do well because the losses appear to be declining. Uber drivers, on the other hand, aren’t doing well. According to a study, about half of New York’s Uber drivers are supporting families with children, yet 40 percent qualify for Medicaid and another 18 percent qualify for food stamps. It’s similar elsewhere in the new American economy. Last week, the New York Times reported that fewer than half of Google workers are full-time employees. Most are temps and ...

How we beat anti-immigrant fervor

COMMENTARY by Azadeh Shahshahani, Tribune News Service In May, Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp did something surprising. He signed into law legislation that dismantled a state body that allowed anti-immigrant vigilantes to file complaints against local governments perceived as friendly to immigrants. The Immigration Enforcement Review Board had long been plagued by due process violations and lack of oversight. Its mere existence scared cities and towns with limited resources from taking steps to welcome immigrants. The action by Kemp was the result of years of ...