In a way, I’m not sure why the President made a jobs speech to Congress yesterday at all. Clearly all of our job worries have been solved with the passage of a patent reform bill.

If you’re a heterosexual man or woman, and/or if your appearance is one where you’re perceived as not violating western society’s sex and gender norms, your life is more valuable than mine. That’s because I’m transgender.

At least, that’s what the hung jury in Brandon McInerney’s murder trial for the killing of Larry King tells me. The hung jury in the case tells me gay panic and trans panic defenses — “blame the victim” defenses — are still alive and well in my home state of California.

Following a surprise announcement, three men convicted of murder in 1993 were suddenly set free today following protests and efforts to have new evidence of their innocence considered. The West Memphis Three left prison today with all their belongings.

The Appeals Court of the 11th Circuit just ruled that the individual mandate in the new Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. The ruling does, though, leave the rest of the law intact.

There should be little doubt now that the issue will end up before the Supreme Court.

[Editor's Note: David Dayen has more, 11th Circuit Rules Individual Mandate Unconstitutional.]

The ACLU has launched a massive effort with more than thirty of its state affiliates to uncover just how law enforcement agencies, large and small, are using cell phone location data to track Americans. The national organization and its affiliates submitted 379 requests through state Freedom of Information (FOI) laws and hope to unearth documentary evidence to show just how law enforcement is using new technology to invade Americans’ privacy.

A man with profound courage and great character, climate activist Tim DeChristopher, went to jail today for bidding on oil and gas leases on federal land when he didn’t have the money to pay for the bids he placed. Sentenced to two years and fined ten thousand dollars, DeChristopher was taken into custody immediately following his conviction of two felony counts of interfering with and making false representations at a government auction.

Lost in the dust of the national debt this week was a Texas execution. While every execution is an egregious violation of human rights, this was distinguished in it blatant disregard for not only human life but for the rule of law.

Was it just a year ago when we were told it was impossible to hold a civilian terrorist trial in NY?

It is not often you see the total implosion of a major criminal case in quite such a spectacular fashion as we have witnessed with the Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK) case in the last 24 plus hours.

The United States government will seek to hold activists that engage in freedom of association or freedom of speech accountable. It will seek to hold accountable those who have connections to Islam and hail from impoverished and neglected communities. It will look backward to prosecute those who try to call attention to government abuse and misconduct and those whose voice in society is doubted because of race, class and religion. On the contrary, when government officials stand accused of crimes, it will work overtime to move forward and prevent anyone in government from looking backward to hold accountable those in government that should be investigated for crimes.