Category Archives: Civil Liberties

Life in non-punitive therapeutic civil commitment is not what you think

Posted on October 31, 2019 by Appellate Squawk

Jimmy Pesci, author and publisher of the outlawed blog Duck Soup and its successor FCCC Instigator, is one of 6,000 men in this country who, after completing their sentences, are being held indefinitely behind locked doors and razor-wire fences while the … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, First Amendment, Law & Parody, Prisoners' rights | Tagged | 1 Comment

Buster the civil commitment dog

Posted on October 27, 2019 by Appellate Squawk

Last week the Schoolmarm again haled us into her office to answer “new complaints” that we “needed” either to take down “the offending blog posts that were the subject of the [termination] warnings” or stop sending around any links to our … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Law & Parody, sex offenders | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Putting the brakes on “victims’ rights”

Posted on September 1, 2019 by Appellate Squawk

“The Young Savages,” a 1961 movie about teenage gangs (Italo-Americans vs. Puerto Ricans), filmed on the streets of pre-gentrified New York, opens with three Italo teens killing a Puerto Rican youth who’s not only unarmed but blind. “New York is … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Criminal law | 3 Comments

The Compulsory Program Mystique

Posted on August 25, 2019 by Appellate Squawk

It’s a well-know fact that compulsory programs (CP) originated in ancient times when God felt offended at seeing His people worshiping other gods. “Hand me a couple of thunderbolts, will you?” He said to His Angel of Communications and Human … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Law & Parody | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Fox snarls at pursuing hounds, is shot for bullying behavior

Posted on July 28, 2019 by Appellate Squawk

In another victory for “the offended” over our blog post from two years ago, Are You a Cissy? the boss has condemned us to a course of treatment by Corporate Counseling Associates (“CCA”).  The boss has now added “bullying” to our … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Satire and parody | Tagged | 3 Comments

Big Brother remembers your face

Posted on May 18, 2019 by Appellate Squawk

As someone known for striking up earnest and meaningful conversations with people we’ve mistaken for someone else, we loved the idea of Facial Recognition Technology. You too can learn to love FRT! For instance, assuming you don’t mind forking out … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties | Tagged | Leave a comment

Are your politics acceptable to your cabdriver?

Posted on November 19, 2018 by Appellate Squawk

As Rumpole of the Bailey would tell his clients, a public defender is “a taxi plying for hire,” making him “duty bound to take on any client, however repellent.” But the taxi comparison is no longer operable, now that cabdrivers … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Satire and parody | 1 Comment

The ban on “sex offender” art

Posted on July 15, 2018 by Appellate Squawk

“Leaving the artwork up could serve as a trigger for our students and staff who have been victims of child abuse and sexual assault. Since the display is at the campus main entrance where our students and staff are required … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Satire and parody, SORA | 15 Comments

Criminal defense vs. “social justice”

Posted on July 4, 2018 by Appellate Squawk

A recent communiqué from HR casually let fall that we’re now a “social justice organization” dedicated to the interests of “the most vulnerable.” And all these years we thought we were a public defender! We feel like the hero of Kafka’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Law & Parody, Satire and parody | 22 Comments

The ACLU uncompromisingly defends free speech — unless it’s offensive.

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Appellate Squawk

Why is everybody so down on the poor old ACLU just because of an internal memo proclaiming its zealous defense of free speech unless it offends vulnerable and marginalized minorities?  Even the NY Post joined the affray, moaning, “ACLU Stops Caring About Free … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, First Amendment, Satire and parody | Tagged | 9 Comments

Cake, religion and Summa [obscenity deleted] Laude

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Appellate Squawk

We didn’t make this up: a proud mom ordered a cake to celebrate her son’s graduation “Summa Cum Laude.”  The bakery took it upon itself to eliminate the obscene word “cum,” and replace it with dashes, as shown above. Can’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, First Amendment | Tagged | 10 Comments

The Case of Masterpiece Cakeshop

Posted on December 27, 2017 by Appellate Squawk

What’s an evangelical Christian baker to do when asked to design and decorate a custom cake for a gay wedding? If he complies, he violates his religious objections to same-sex marriage. If he refuses, he’s prosecuted for violating the public … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, First Amendment, Law | Tagged | 11 Comments

Maestro James Levine

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Appellate Squawk

James Levine is one of the greatest living conductors and musicians of our time. We know this because the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, which usually gets up and leaves as soon as they’ve played the last note, would stay in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties | Tagged | 6 Comments

Squawk is interrogated

Posted on September 30, 2017 by Appellate Squawk

Lenny Bruce complained that cops would go to his show, write down every word of his routine and then read it aloud in the Grand Jury, completely ruining his lines. Although not remotely in the league of that great iconoclast, we … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Humor, Satire and parody | 16 Comments

Privacy for me but not for thee

Posted on September 23, 2017 by Appellate Squawk

 Here we see NYPD Police Officer James Frascatore using the “straight arm bar takedown” on Mr. James Blake whom he mistook for a suspect in a credit card scam. Not only did he have the wrong man, Mr. Blake was … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Criminal law | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Squawk has been ungood

Posted on July 1, 2017 by Appellate Squawk

If the wrath of the humorless is a satirist’s badge of honor, we’ve been awarded the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for our recent post “Are you a cissie?” The post (trigger warning!) is a spoof of compulsory workplace “trainings” … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Criminal Defense Appeals, Law & Parody, Satirical cartoons | 10 Comments

“The War on Sex”

Posted on May 28, 2017 by Appellate Squawk

  As anyone knows who litigates SORA hearings, reason and a dime will get you a cup of coffee. The “research,” endorsed by the Supreme Court, showing that sex offenders have a “frighteningly high” rate of recidivism comes from a … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Law, SORA | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Are you a cissy?

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Appellate Squawk

One of the many annoyances of being accused of a crime is having to put up with humiliating questions from your lawyer. Like, “Was your grandmother a drug addict?” “When was the last time you had sex?” or “Do you … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Humor, Law & Parody, Satirical cartoons | 14 Comments

The Court of Appeals rules on SORA

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Appellate Squawk

 

Posted in Civil Liberties, Law & Parody, Satirical cartoons, SORA | 3 Comments

Brooklyn DA prosecutes purse snatching as a hate crime

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Appellate Squawk

A recent press release from the Brooklyn DA’s Office announced that they’re charging a man with hate crimes for purse snatching and lifting a wallet from a handbag left in a shopping cart in T.J. Maxx Department Store. “We will work … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Criminal law, Law & Parody | Tagged , | 3 Comments