Justice
Metro predominantly white and male as it nears milestone
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department marks its 50th anniversary on July 1, 2023, a landmark it may reach without ever having a woman in the highest ranks of leadership — sheriff, undersheriff or assistant sheriff. Black police of both genders are also a rarity among Metro’s hierarchy, evidenced by the department’s organizational chart featured […]
Sisolak, Ford press corrections officials on low vaccination rates among prison staff
Less than half of corrections staff within the Nevada Department of Corrections have been vaccinated, which Gov. Steve Sisolak called “atrocious and not acceptable” during a meeting Tuesday. The Nevada Board of Prison Commissioners, which includes Sisolak, Attorney General Aaron Ford and Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, was informed 41.9% of the 2,393 prison staff […]
ACLU, NV Press Association sue to assure NDOC transparency at execution
The ACLU of Nevada filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the Nevada Press Association against the state to assure Zane Floyd’s pending execution is conducted in a transparent manner. The complaint, Nevada Press Association v. Sisolak, scrutinizes limitations on witnesses, specifically members of the press, observing the execution, saying that the state’s “procedures violate […]
Wolfson, Lombardo panned for ‘generic responses’ at NAACP forum
Toward the end of an NAACP Las Vegas panel on race and the justice system, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Joe Lombardo were asked by an audience member how their respective offices identify and address racial disparities in arrests and convictions. Earlier in Saturday’s forum, which was […]
Metro sued in federal court over death of Byron Williams
It’s been nearly two years since Byron Williams, an unarmed Black man who was pursued by officers because of a broken bicycle light, died in police custody after uttering “I can’t breathe” more than 20 times. Williams’ family is still seeking answers and trying to find justice after Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson decided […]
NDOC hasn’t implemented law capping deductions on inmate bank accounts
To test if a new law restricting deductions on inmate bank accounts was working properly at the beginning of the month, Jodi Hocking deposited $10 for her husband, an inmate with the Nevada Department of Corrections. Since September 2020, Return Strong, a prisoners advocacy group Hocking started, along with the ACLU of Nevada and other […]
Legislation prompts hunger strike at Ely State Prison
Nevada prison officials confirm a dozen inmates at Ely State Prison are on a hunger strike to protest “changes made to package and canteen protocols” according to Teri Vance, a spokeswoman for the department. Inmates who are in administrative segregation have reportedly been denied access to the commissary because of misbehavior by prisoners in disciplinary […]
House votes to create select committee to probe Jan. 6 insurrection; Amodei votes no
WASHINGTON—The U.S. House voted Wednesday to establish a select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection, in which a mob of pro-Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol. In a 222-190 vote that was almost entirely party-line, just two Republicans joined Democrats in passing the resolution, which calls for a probe into “one of the darkest days […]
U.S. House votes to oust statues of Taney, Confederate leaders
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted Tuesday to remove from the Capitol a bust of the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney, a Marylander who wrote the despised Dred Scott decision—as well as evict statues and busts of men who fought for the Confederacy or served in its government. The legislation passed on a vote of 285-120, with all […]
Supreme Court affirms transgender rights in declining to hear Virginia school bathroom case
The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday that it will not hear a case of a transgender student in Virginia who was barred from using the boys’ bathroom, a decision that affirms lower-court rulings that said treating transgender students differently violates federal law. Justices on the top court offered no comment in declining to take up […]
Traffic ticket decriminalization takes effect July 1, but law’s major provisions don’t
While legislation decriminalizing traffic tickets and preventing driver’s license suspensions for minor traffic offenses technically go into effect July 1, major provisions of the bills won’t be effective until months, if not years, later. Assembly Bill 116 makes minor traffic violations, such as driving with a broken taillight, a civil infraction, while Senate Bill 219 […]
Company demands return of drug ‘surreptitiously’ obtained for execution
The maker of the drug Ketamine is threatening to sue the state of Nevada if it does not return some 50 vials purchased for use in the scheduled execution next month of Zane Floyd. Floyd went on a shooting rampage in a Las Vegas Albertsons grocery store in 1999, killing four people. His execution is […]