• main
• /
• news
• /
• views
• /
• books
• /
• biography
• /
• letters
• /
• links
• /
• contact

Opinion

Above the law, Part 2

While America and the world look on, we here in Arkansas are struggling with a capricious state supreme court that increasingly has come to symbolize our tattered legal system. Here’s my latest attempt in the Arkansas Times to explain just a little bit of what the WM3—and the rest of us—are up against.

Mutts like us

Though this site might suggest otherwise, I’m not all about crime and corruption. Here’s my latest cover story in the Arkansas Times. It’s about the deteriorating language of race. Personally, whenever I’ve been asked my race I either decline to answer, explaining that the concept means nothing to me, or, if pressed, I check the box called “other.” Been doing that for about 20 years.

more

Article Categories

Buy Mara's Books

letters

No dearth of lessons

Devil’s Knot is an absolute stunner, a terrific read that brings such depth and substance in accompaniment with the Paradise Lost videos. Your use of footnotes was extraordinary, and I have used this book and the PL videos in college courses I teach.
Though I am not a lawyer, nor in the field of justice, police, or law, Devil’s Knot, in my view, ought to be required reading for introductory law courses, as it is truly a “course within itself.” You are to be congratulated on your thoroughness and tireless efforts. What are you working on next?
John Dunne
Buffalo, NY

Glad you use the book. Many teachers tell me they do, especially in high school English classes. With regard to this case, my focus now is on how it relates to “criminal justice” in Arkansas—and the U.S.—as a whole. There’s so much to look at here: First Amendment issues, false confessions, investigative practices, juvenile law, prosecutors’ conduct, judges’ conduct, prison conditions, the death penalty… The list goes on and on. I want to draw as much attention to these concerns in Arkansas as I can, so that at least some of what’s wrong with this case (and others) can be corrected. At the same time, I stress the universality of some of the issues, especially when the secrecy that surrounds narcotics operations and drug informants overlaps onto a murder case. The ever-optimistic Jason Baldwin has noted that one of the up-sides of this saga may be that Americans pay better attention to their police and courts.