News

Fire officers cleared over deaths

BBC - News - Sun, 2025-06-08 05:22
Two senior fire officers are acquitted of the manslaughter of four colleagues who died in a blaze in Warwickshire in 2007.
Categories: BBC, News

Obama team to focus on Romney's record in Mass.

AP - U.S. News - Sun, 2025-06-08 05:22
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama's campaign is opening a new critique of Mitt Romney, focusing attention on the Republican's economic record as governor of Massachusetts....
Categories: Associated Press, News, US

Obama team to focus on Romney's record in Mass.

AP - U.S. News - Sun, 2025-06-08 05:22
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama's campaign is opening a new critique of Mitt Romney, focusing attention on the Republican's economic record as governor of Massachusetts....
Categories: Associated Press, News, US

Obama team to focus on Romney's record in Mass.

AP - Politics - Sun, 2025-06-08 05:22
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama's campaign is opening a new critique of Mitt Romney, focusing attention on the Republican's economic record as governor of Massachusetts....

WI: Issuing search warrants not a purely judicial function and non-elected court commissioners can issue them

FourthAmendment.com - News - Sun, 2025-06-08 05:22

Issuance of a search warrant in Wisconsin is not purely a judicial function under state law or the Fourth Amendment. Accordingly, court commissioners can issue search warrants. State v. Williams, 2012 WI 59 (May 30, 2012):

¶3 Throughout Wisconsin's history, including before the ratification of the Wisconsin Constitution, non-judges have been authorized by statute to issue search warrants. Therefore, we conclude that the issuance of a search warrant is not an exercise of "[t]he judicial power," as that phrase is employed in Article VII, Section 2 of the Wisconsin Constitution. Instead, issuance of a valid search warrant requires that the individual be authorized by law to issue the warrant, that he or she be neutral and detached, and that the warrant be issued only upon a showing of probable cause.

¶4 Because we also conclude that Wis. Stat. § 757.69(1)(b), which allocates the power to issue search warrants to circuit court commissioners, does not impermissibly intrude upon "[t]he judicial power" granted to the courts by Article VII, Section 2 of the Wisconsin Constitution, we hold that § 757.69(1)(b) is constitutional. Therefore, the circuit court commissioner's search warrant was validly issued. Accordingly, we affirm the circuit court's denial of Williams' motion to suppress.

. . .

¶26 Therefore, we recognize that Article I, Section 11's warrant requirement has not mandated a determination of probable cause by a judge or a court of record. Non-judges who are "neutral and detached" and are able to ascertain whether probable cause exists have been expected to issue search warrants in the past, provided that they are authorized by statute to do so. Accordingly, issuance of a search warrant does not require an exercise of the judicial power that is vested exclusively in courts under Article VII, Section 2. Although issuing a search warrant may require some exercise of
quasi-judicial power, it is something less than and distinguishable from the power vested in courts and elected judges.

I remember the briefs in Leon pointing out the large number of non-trained judicial and quasi-judicial officers (like state JPs) who could issue warrants. Leon didn't address this, and this case doesn't cite Leon, but it doesn't have to. If the warrant is valid, good faith doesn't matter.

h/t to a reader

Orient eye West Ham groundshare

BBC - News - Sun, 2025-06-08 05:22
Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn is interested in bidding for the Olympic Stadium as a ground share with West Ham United.
Categories: BBC, News

Egyptians rally against Mubarak-era candidate

AP - World News - Sun, 2025-06-08 05:22
CAIRO (AP) -- Thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Egypt on Friday to demand that Ahmed Shafiq, a former senior official in Hosni Mubarak's ousted regime, be disqualified from next month's presidential runoff....

Foie gras feeding frenzy grows as Calif. ban nears

AP - U.S. News - Sun, 2025-06-08 05:22
This is not a good time to be a duck with a fatty liver in California, though better times lie just ahead....
Categories: Associated Press, News, US

Foie gras feeding frenzy grows as Calif. ban nears

AP - U.S. News - Sun, 2025-06-08 05:22
This is not a good time to be a duck with a fatty liver in California, though better times lie just ahead....
Categories: Associated Press, News, US

AP Exclusive: Video draws animal cruelty charges

AP - U.S. News - Sun, 2025-06-08 05:22
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- Prosecutors have filed animal cruelty charges against the owner and seven employees at a Southern California livestock auction house after undercover video shot by an animal rights group showed workers kicking, hitting and tossing the animals as they were readied for sale....
Categories: Associated Press, News, US

AP Exclusive: Video draws animal cruelty charges

AP - U.S. News - Sun, 2025-06-08 05:22
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- Prosecutors have filed animal cruelty charges against the owner and seven employees at a Southern California livestock auction house after undercover video shot by an animal rights group showed workers kicking, hitting and tossing the animals as they were readied for sale....
Categories: Associated Press, News, US

AM's cancer diagnosis 'delayed'

BBC - News - Sun, 2025-06-08 05:22
A Conservative assembly member may have lived longer but for a five month delay in his colon cancer diagnosis, an inquest hears.
Categories: BBC, News

VIDEO: Group convicted of firebomb riot

BBC - News - Sun, 2025-06-08 05:22
A group of men and boys are found guilty over a firebomb attack on a Nottingham police station during riots last August.
Categories: BBC, News

French reporter freed in Colombia

BBC - News - Sun, 2025-06-08 05:22
Colombia's Farc rebels release French journalist Romeo Langlois, who was abducted during an ambush last month.
Categories: BBC, News

Computer virus briefly hits Iran's oil industry

AP - World News - Sun, 2025-06-08 05:22
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's key oil industry was briefly affected by the powerful computer virus known as "Flame" that has unprecedented data-snatching capabilities and can eavesdrop on computer users, a senior Iranian military official said Wednesday....

ACLU lawsuit challenges Ill. gay marriage ban

CHICAGO — More than two dozen gay and lesbian couples filed lawsuits Wednesday arguing that it's unconstitutional for Illinois to deny them the right to marry, a move advocates hope will lead to legalized same-sex marriage in the state.

The two lawsuits — backed by the American Civil Liberties Union ...

Jurors in Edwards trial deliberate for 8th day

AP - U.S. News - Sun, 2025-06-08 05:22
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) -- The jury in John Edwards campaign finance corruption trial has started its eighth day of deliberations....
Categories: Associated Press, News, US
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