All articles tagged with #law and order
Arizona State University senior Eryn Bonner faces two misdemeanor charges in Tempe City Court following a July arrest that went viral. The case has intensified calls for police oversight, with Bonner’s attorney accusing the city of vindictive prosecution to avoid civil liability, while the police union defends the officers' actions.
Michigan State Police have clarified that Larry Nassar is not on the state’s sex offender registry because he is incarcerated out of state, not because he was removed under a recent Supreme Court ruling. The court’s decision to strike 20,000 names from the registry for pre-2011 offenses has sparked debate, with prosecutors initially claiming Nassar was among the removed, a claim later corrected.
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the 2011 Sex Offender Registration Act cannot be applied retroactively to crimes committed before July 1, 2011. Consequently, Michigan State Police removed over 20,000 individuals, including disgraced former gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, from the public registry. While Nassar remains in prison and still legally required to register if released, the decision has sparked outrage among prosecutors and survivor advocates who view the removal as a safety risk.
Christa Pike is scheduled for execution in Tennessee on September 30, 2026, marking the first female execution in the state in 200 years. Her case underscores the rarity of women on death row, with only 18 executed in the U.S. since 1977. While Pike's legal team cites childhood trauma and mental illness, the state maintains the sentence is justified for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has rejected a clemency request for Christa Pike, clearing the way for her execution by lethal injection on September 30, 2026. Pike, 50, was convicted in 1996 for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer when Pike was 18. If carried out, Pike will be the first woman executed in Tennessee in over 200 years and the 19th woman executed in the U.S. since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Her attorneys have filed an emergency petition with the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that her severe childhood trauma and mental illness warrant a stay. The victim's mother supports the execution, while advocates highlight Pike's history of abuse and the disparity in sentencing compared to her juvenile co-conspirator.
The Tennessee Supreme Court has denied a stay of execution for Christa Pike, the only woman on the state's death row. Pike is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on September 30 for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer. Her legal team and advocacy groups argue that her history of severe childhood sexual abuse and untreated mental illness makes the execution cruel and unusual, as the process would trigger traumatic flashbacks. The state maintains that justice requires the sentence to proceed. With the court's rejection, Pike's final hope rests on a clemency decision from Governor Bill Lee or a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court.
A U.S. internal assessment warns Latin American drug cartels are rapidly expanding drone use, a shift fueled by fighters returning from the Russia-Ukraine war that could complicate the Trump administration’s campaign to halt narcotics flows and dismantle trafficking networks.
The U.S. Treasury’s OFAC designated BitBank, an Iranian crypto exchange controlled by Babak Zanjani, for moving hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Bitcoin to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) between June and July. The Hormuz Safe Marine Services Authority has been using BitBank to route payments collected from vessel tolls in Bitcoin to the Iranian regime since June, as part of Operation Economic Outcast. The designation also targets Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company and three executives linked to BitBank, illustrating a broader crackdown on Iran’s digital assets-based sanctions evasion network.
Taylor Swift and her cat Olivia Benson appear in a surprise Emmys sketch with Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson in a Law & Order spoof, using a crime-board clues gag to tease Swift’s attendance; Ice-T jokes along, and Swift quips she won’t be performing that night.
Russia released former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman, who had been imprisoned in Voronezh since 2022 amid health concerns, citing humanitarian reasons. He is aboard a U.S.-bound plane to Washington after Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev announced the release; the United States said no concessions or prisoner exchange occurred amid broader tensions over the Ukraine war.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s former criminal-defense lawyer, is sworn in as attorney general but faces a DOJ strained by vacancies and low morale, while balancing the president’s demands with legal obligations amid a skeptical judiciary and ongoing investigations.
Jeanine Pirro, DC’s U.S. attorney and a longtime Trump ally, faces political and legal headwinds after dropping vandalism charges tied to the Reflecting Pool renovation, signaling a rare rift with President Trump over how high-profile cases are pursued.
A veterinarian who said she picked up debris near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was arrested on a misdemeanor related to pool damage; charges were later dropped after it was revealed the damage was due to a repair error. She says the experience was heartbreaking and humiliating, and President Trump publicly criticized the decision, calling the actions vandalism.
Reid Scott is leaving Law & Order in Season 26, with James Badge Dale replacing him as a senior detective; the show moves to Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC and premieres October 8, while Riley’s exit will be written over several episodes, keeping the door open for a potential return.
Reid Scott is leaving Law & Order after three seasons as Senior Detective Vincent Riley; James Badge Dale will replace him as the new Senior Detective in Season 26. The exit is described as amicable, with Scott citing a cross‑country commute and time with family. Dale joins a returning cast including Tony Goldwyn, Hugh Dancy, Maura Tierney and Odelya Halevi; Season 26 premieres October 8 at 10 PM on NBC.