Author: Thomas L. Knapp

When Legal Methods Become Rhetoric

Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Marcos Giansante

“In well-ordered legal traditions, disagreement about outcomes is expected. Disagreement about methods is tolerable. But the abandonment of method altogether marks a deeper rupture, one that transforms law from a system of constraint into an instrument of will. Contemporary Brazilian jurisprudence increasingly reveals such a rupture. The problem is often framed as a conflict between legal theories, or as the natural evolution of constitutional interpretation. Yet this framing misidentifies the phenomenon. What is at stake is not the triumph of one doctrine over another, but the quiet dissolution of the very structures that once constrained judicial power.” (04/21/26)

https://mises.org/power-market/when-legal-methods-become-rhetoric

Thomas L. Knapp

Focus on the Sixth Amendment

Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Rachel Chiu

“The Confrontation Clause bars certain out-of-court statements when the witness does not testify at trial and there is no opportunity for cross-examination. Although there are many situations in which different forms of out-of-court statements may be admissible, the circumstances triggering the Confrontation Clause often involve evidence that is high-stakes and accusatory. In these specific cases, a defendant’s freedom is on the line, and the statements in question can have a disproportionate and decisive impact in the absence of cross-examination. Compared to other criminal justice topics such as qualified immunity and civil asset forfeiture, this issue receives far less attention, even though the risk to a defendant’s life, personal liberty, and property is great. The erosion of the Confrontation Clause deserves scrutiny, and the Supreme Court has recently signaled possible intervention to address the problem.” (04/21/26)

https://fee.org/articles/focus-on-the-sixth-amendment/

Thomas L. Knapp

Trump’s Memory Loss

Source: The American Spectator
by Lloyd Billingsley

“With support from President Trump, Congress passed a bill to extend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) through April 30. The president seems to have forgotten FISA’s power to harm innocents, override the judiciary, and even threaten the executive branch. That invites a look back at how it all started.” (04/21/26)

https://spectator.org/trumps-memory-loss/

Thomas L. Knapp

Nigeria: Regime charges six with treason over alleged coup plot

Source: Seattle Times

“Nigerian authorities have charged six people, including a retired major general and a serving police inspector, with terrorism and treason, over an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu, according to a charge sheet seen by The Associated Press on Tuesday. The six were all in custody. A seventh suspect, former Bayelsa state Gov. Timpre Sylva, is accused of helping to conceal the plot and is still at large. … The Nigerian government first said it had foiled a coup attempt in January, when it announced that several military officers would stand trial.” (04/21/26)

https://archive.is/pqylD

Thomas L. Knapp

Trust and Gullibility in the JFK Assassination

Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger

“It is understandable that fearful and trusting Americans would place a deep, abiding, and blind trust in the federal government in 1963, which caused many of them to automatically fall for the official ‘a communist has killed our president’ narrative. But today, Americans know full well that the U.S. national-security establishment is fully capable of committing extremely violent and vile acts in the name of ‘national security’ and that the national-security establishment is more than willing to lie and cover up its misdeeds if ‘national security’ requires it.” (04/21/26)

https://www.fff.org/2026/04/21/trust-and-gullibility-in-the-jfk-assassination/

Thomas L. Knapp