#High Court Bail Order

[seemabhatnagar]

"Supreme Court Overturns Premature Bail in Murder Conspiracy Case, Emphasizes Witness Testimonies"

In a #criminalcase, #keywitnesses #play a #crucialrole in the judicial process as they provide #vitaltestimony that can #significantly #influence the #outcome of the #trial. Vibhuti Kumar Singh v Pritesh Kumar & Anr Crl. Appeal 5719/2024 Before the Supreme Court of India Heard by Hon'ble Mr. Justice Surya Kant J & Hon'ble Mr. Justice Ujjal Bhuyan J

The #SupremeCourt #setaside the #PatnaHighCourt's #order granting #bail to Pritesh Kumar. The Court directed Pritesh to #surrender within two weeks. It also instructed the #TrialCourt to #expedite the trial by recording the #statements of#keywitnesses within four months. After these depositions, Pritesh would be at liberty to apply for bail again, which should be considered on its merits. The Court emphasized the need of thorough examination of the evidence before making a decision on bail in cases like murder. Background: Chandan Kumar Singh was allegedly #murdered by his #wife, Nisha Kumari, and her #lover, Pritesh Kumar. Chandan’s cousin, Vibhuti Kumar Singh, filed an FIR against them, accusing them of 3conspiracy after Chandan discovered their affair. On October 27, 2023, Chandan was attacked in his bedroom with a knife, resulting in his #death #onthespot and Pritesh was seen #fleeing #fromthescene half naked. Pritesh was arrested on December 4, 2023, but granted bail on March 14, 2024 within three months of his arrest, on the ground of the time already spent in custody. Issue before the Apex Court Whether the High Court's decision to grant bail to Pritesh Kumar, the accused in a murder case, was justified given the gravity of the allegations and the stage of the trial? Observation of the Apex Court The #HighCourt should have #waited for the #deposition of #keywitnesses, especially those who claimed to have seen Pritesh at the scene of the crime or were aware of the alleged extra-marital relationship. The Court noted that these depositions could provide #crucialinsights into the #culpability of the #accused. The Court also remarked that the High Court's decision to grant bail was #premature, given the early stage of the trial and the importance of the testimonies yet to be recorded. Seema Bhatnagar

[townpostin]

Supreme Court Upholds Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's Bail

ED’s plea challenging Jharkhand High Court’s decision dismissed The Supreme Court dismissed the Enforcement Directorate’s plea against Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s bail in a money laundering case. RANCHI – The Enforcement Directorate’s challenge to the parole of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a money laundering case has been rejected by the Supreme Court. The Jharkhand High Court’s…

[retiredteabag]

soft!Toji dog-sitting for a generous!reader

pt. 1 - pt. 2 - pt. 3 - pt. 4 - pt. 5 - pt. 6 - pt. 7

Synopsis: Toji was quite accustomed to objectifying himself for a check. And to be frank, far worse actions as well. Now he’s not sure what to do with himself after meeting the kind and generous owner of the dog he pet-sits for.

read along as Toji grows more comfortable around you despite his past.

〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰

Toji was flipping his burner phone around in his hand over and over. Waiting patiently for a recognizable man to come stand beside him.

It hadn't rained in days but the streets he had been loitering were damp, the drainage was clogged with leaves and trash. This place was shitty. Quite in a way that was dangerous to those from an area with high crime rates.

Three days prior, Toji watched as you shook, hiding your fear behind explanations. That night when he got to his run down apartment, he contacted a "private bail bondsman" (a glorified bounty hunter) to take on the favor he asked of his old boss, Shiu.

Toji knew better than anyone the kind of paper trail left in the wake of corporate abuse crimes. Though the man had never worked an office job a day in his life, it wasn't uncommon for a high roller to request his services. To think, you worked in an environment even remotely similar to the ones he had seen. It made him sick.

Toji had the bondsman look into HR files from your company. Look into the shareholders, those shareholder's families, and that was really all it took. Toji might not have known what to look for, but his little agent certainly did. The connections were obvious, all leading to one man.

A slimy bastard with a dozen write-ups, yet for reasons unknown, no trials, no court dates, no absence from work.

Perhaps a few years ago, this endeavor would give Toji a power trip, to be the one calling the shots, and handing out orders, he might have taken pleasure in the experience. Somehow that wasn't the case. Somehow the connection to you made him want to get it over with quickly. Somehow something had changed.

He told you none of this, of course. You with your big eyes and soft words. You and your endless kindness. No, he wouldn't tell you his plan. He would tell himself it was to protect you, but deep down he knew the truth.

He could not fathom you fearing him. He wouldn't allow it. Whatever that meant, he would become an image of security for you. And he wouldn't screw it up. Not after the gentlest soul he had met had been taken to feel unsafe.

It is for that reason. And only that reason, that Toji refrains from having your scummy coworker killed. He could've had it done in a few hours. Woulda done it himself too. It wouldn't have haunt him, he wouldn't feel remorse. But for you, he would go nicely.

Nicely enough.

Blackmail might strike fear in the heart of a man more than his own death could. And after days of research, there was a feast to exploit this snake with.

--

"Just get it done." Toji was saying, his flip phone in one hand, the other scratching between the dog's ears.

Toji made a kissy face at the panting canine. The dog appeared to be smiling as Toji brutally called the shots on a man's career.

The man over the phone spoke, "I've got an anonymous email ready for his rich little daddy, that and a CC for the CEO of the company. He'll be gone in a day or so. Won't have a face in the corporate world if it leaks." The man on the line was laughing.

"Good. Once you're done, Shiu will have your pay. Don't speak of it to anyone." Toji stood, looked at the clock.

"Yeah, man, I got it." And with that, Toji snaped the device shut, heading to the door to get his shoes. You'd be back soon, and he hopes to catch you on the way out.

Unintentionally, of course.

These past few days Toji had never felt so comfortable in his position. He was sure of himself. You didn't want him for anything but his care of your dog. You weren't gonna use him.

He felt almost ashamed. For the first time, he was more than just his body, more than a couple bucks. Why did a small part of him wish you would look at him the way other women did. With hunger.

He must be crazy.

He heard your car coming up the driveway, slid on his other shoe and swung open the door. He looked in the opposite direction, pretending he didn't see or hear you.

You stopped the car, put it in park, and rolled down the window. "Oh, Toji, you didn't have to stay this late!" You look at him with a worried gaze and he just smiles.

Bending down to look at you properly, he basks in the fact that you don't pull your face from his. He shares your space when he says, "Was nothin'".

You grin, "You're too good. I'm so glad you're here when I can't be, seriously, thank you."

You're too good. Oh, if only you knew.

"Yer' just easily impressed." He taps on your car door twice and stands to his full height again. "Too grateful and all that." He swings his key ring on his finger, stepping back toward his car but never taking his eyes from you.

You frown. "No really. I'm glad I can rely on you! And if you ever need a day off, just tell me, okay?"

He tilts his head, "Kay'" He smirks. Knowing it won't happen, but he likes to see you smiling at him. He leans against his beat up vehicle, watching you drive into your garage, park again, and get out. He watches you get to the interior door and waves back slowly before you press the garage door button to close.

Then, he looks up at the sky, sighing.

The difference between the two of you could not be more stark. He felt like a sewer rat in your presence. You were so pristine, and perfect. Still, you never treated him as anything but a privilege to be around.

His chest ached.

Sighing, he unlocked his car door and hopped in. Ready to make the drive back to his apartment.

Was it too much, to hope you would see him the way he sees you? Does he deserve that? Definitely not. But he couldn't help but hope. You never took an interest in those uppity corporate boys you worked with. And you were so endlessly busy.

He shook all the silly thoughts filling his head out. Starting up the engine, he ran a hand down his face.

She deserves a man who'll wait on her hand and foot. That'll kiss the ground she walks on.

Those rich boys don't know what they're missing. If he was in their position, he wouldn't let you work yourself to the bone, wouldn't let you put up with a work environment you hate. Wouldn't let you come home stressed.

Too bad I'm just the dog-sitter, huh? He chuckles.

When he arrives at his apartment, he barely has time to swing off his jacket, and step out of his shoes before his phone buzzes in his inner pocket. His work phone.

He ruffles with the jacket in his gasp and when he flips it open, all the messages say are:

"Sent. No need to follow up."

and

"This guy is done lol"

Toji smirks before he carelessly tosses the phone onto the kitchen counter. Flops himself onto his couch. Grinning with the knowledge that tomorrow, you're gonna have a great day.

--

And a great day, you most certainly have. You were barely in your office thirty minutes before, Lucy, your sweet assistant came racing in, squealing your name.

"What is it?" You asked, she was beaming like a child on Christmas.

Lucy attempted to contain herself, and stood straight with a faux air of professionalism, "He's gone." She giggles. "He's fired!"

You gasp. Surely not... "He...?" You question. No name is needed. The bastard was infamous.

She just nods her head with a huge smile.

You stand. Slam your hands on your desk. Then spin around and laugh.

Lucy squeals again and the two of you lock eyes, and embrace.

It had been too long. And it wasn't only you who had experience with harassment from the man. This was a win for virtually everyone in the company that wasn't in ownership.

"What-" You gulp air, "What was it? What finally did it?" Getting the question out.

She shakes her head and shrugs dramatically. "Not sure, nobody knows and the associates won't say."

Your brows furrow... "Really? Well, something must have happened..." You muse, "I wish I could see him packing his things now. Bet he's got some intern doing it form him."

"Oh, I'm sure. I just wish I knew what he did to finally lose grace with the company..."

You too were curious, but your overwhelming joy overrode that curiosity.

You felt free. Like you could be fulfilled at work now. A weight you hadn't known was there feels suddenly lifted and oddly, you want to cry.

It's a fact of life that when you receive good news, you want to share it with those around you. So why is it, that the first person you think of as your heart jumps for joy is the dog-sitter?

God, you were lonely.

You hope he doesn't feel burdened by your closeness.

〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰

@sweetpo1son @scorpiosugar @starmapz @toruswrld @your-mum3000 @meow-satoru @animeblr @utarts @roxyyyyy1xx @lilming36 @scandibabeuh @atanasiaaaa @chouzuko @voronii @transsfish @h3llf4iry @lucrea @straewberrysoda @s4m4nth4wrld @storiesbyparadise @pokiona @neiostrike @breenatalle @uwolivia @gothic-fluffycow @luvvmae @justbelljust @voidshoutsback @chaotic-ish @jamzywiththejam28 @definitely-not-leena @kirawyd @kuro-chi69 @smoments @lukabwrry @esmedelacroix @professionalreblogger @yoongluverz @stainednailpolishremover @nappingmoon @lauretsy @noelssprings @bytgefirewbook @koji-ibitsu @wafflefries786 @bearchermer @p1nkfl0wers @sugojosgf @deafeningherofishcash @yeehawbrothers @wil10wthetree @youcantseem3 @poopooindamouf @miakxn @esggs @makosworld @neeshsoodrippedout @momoewn @mooncleaver @avocadomochi @getoisinnocent @femmefatal @lov3vivian @grima4lurking @lemonlimecrystal-blog @icedemon1314

tag list is sadly full! If you ever want to be taken off of the tag list please just let me know :] (if your name is here but you didn’t get tagged. I think it’s either bc your blog is new/blank/empty or you need to check your privacy settings)

[centrally-unplanned]

Something reinforced by my dive into partisan conservative media: what would you do if you learned Harris had taken sweeping bribes, or committed an assault? I would certainly lower my opinion of her; and I would absolutely support any path the Democratic Party would realistically take to replace her on the ballot. But we all know the latter wouldn't happen, not at this stage.

So I'd still vote for her, right? Her opponent is A: way worse on the character front, and B: a way more serious threat on a host of policy fronts. You don't get your ideal choice, and Trump is super awful - you do in fact have to swallow a lot of pills in politics, and this would be just another round.

Harris in reality has her sins but they are all pretty small bore; but you can definitely see this dynamic at play in the Trump camp. It is a very common dunk to be like "how could you vote for this person just because they support X", but that is somewhat unfair. Most people have strongly-held, high-stakes (to them) policy issues motivating them, and voting for someone diametrically opposed to those issues is an extremely tall order. I personally find the election denialism to be a red line that would invalidate any candidate for me, and I would absolutely vote for a normie Republican over a Democratic Trump - but there is an entire edifice of thought on the right explaining how that didn't happen. Not that many on the right don't know one of Trump's sins - passionate supporters will say things like "yeah he did probably take some bribes here or there but..." - yet since they don't believe all the others it is enough to give him a pass. And if I believed what they did, they would be right to do so.

I explain this because I think people believe the "solution" to these kinds of dilemmas is elections, but it really isn't. Elections are an awful place to punish bad character, because it is incredibly bundled with other things. You are never asked "do you want the criminal or not" but instead "do you want the criminal who will protect abortion rights or not", which sounds like a way more reasonable bargain. In a two party system this is a very harsh dynamic, but even in multiparty systems I don't think it is much better - after all, you have a bundle of issues you care about yourself, and two parties are unlikely to equally match them (not to mention how frequently multiparty systems coalesce around 2-3 major parties).

The way you "typically" police this is non-democratically - through courts for provable crimes, and through political elites for ones that don't meet that bar. These people are tossed out of political orgs, impeached, blacklists, etc, by insiders. Most of the "selection" of a candidate happens before anyone votes, after all; deselection works the same way. But that only works if parties have the capacity to actually do that! It is a capacity they have lost harshly over the years - Trump clearly a strong indicator of that. But it is a capacity democratic systems in fact rely on; non-democratic institutions are load-bearing in any liberal system.

Certainly this is another bout of me getting on my "technocratic strong parties" bullshit, but I do consider this to be election-relevant. A lot of voters are being very dumb, buying lies about immigration or tariffs or inflation. But others are in fact being pretty rational within their worldview about these things; and due to that you can't rely on voters to bail you out from the failures of the governing institutions.

[ghost-bxrd]

Keep going I want everything *holds up a note pad* give me angst

*slides glasses up higher*

Okay, you asked for it! Get ready for some really cracky ship content on the side of more Court Family au!

Bruce grows up learning high society and Court etiquette mostly from Alfred and some trustworthy Court members and quickly decides that some things need to change. (He may be morally flexible here but he still wants to change things for the better). He still puts up the Brucie mask in front of High Society, but now he does it with the goal to gather blackmail material from as many people as possible and indebt them to him for potential use down the line.

Bruce becomes Voice of the Court when he turns eighteen and immediately starts uprooting several of the more corrupt members of the Court, instating new people into the ranks that will benefit the city as a whole. He makes some enemies this way, naturally. And soon after the Cout’s Talon is tasked with Bruce’s safety at all times.

Bruce and Cobb do NOT get along. At all. Mostly because Bruce is determined to make Talon’s life even harder by trying to slip away from his sight every other second. It’s infuriating. Cobb considers literally sitting on the guy after only one week. (“Try bailing on me now, o’ honorable Voice”)

Bruce spends several months strategically implementing new laws and projects that will benefit the Court AND Gotham in the long run, making it a point to go to the most important meetings in person, even if they happen to be between criminals. (Cobb was so, SO tempted to let Black Mask shoot the idiot that day.)

Within two years human trafficking is close to nonexistent in Gotham City, lethal crime is down a good ten percent (which isn’t much in the grand scheme of things but for Gotham it’s almost biblical) and whispers of “Batman” are omnipresent. (Cobb considers asking if slapping his Voice would be considered treason but… it probably would. Even though Bruce really deserves it with such a stupid cover name. Owls HUNT bats… couldn’t he have chosen Owlman?)

(“What’s your name, anyway?” Bruce asks one day, flipping his tie into a neat Windsor knot that’s just passable enough to not be considered sloppy. “I am the Talon of the Court, my Voice.” Bruce hums, one elegant eyebrow raising in the stark reflection of the mirror, “No, your real name.” “It’s whatever you wish it to be, my Voice.” “You know what I mean, Talon. If you do not wish to answer, then I will not make you. But do not play me for a fool.” “… Cobb. William Cobb.” Bruce blinks, the left corner of his mouth tugging upwards, “Will… I see.”)

The first time a traitor nearly succeeds in killing Bruce is when he once again slips away from the Talon’s sight, and while Bruce is still well trained he’s no match against five people with guns, sedatives, and a mission. Cobb finds them right as they’re about to shoot Bruce in the head and goes absolutely feral. (He hates Bruce, he hates Bruce, he hates Bruce, he hates-)

Bruce wakes up back at the manor with a pissed off Talon standing in the corner of the room, keeping watch and refusing to talk to him anymore beyond what he’s ordered to. Sneaking away from the Talon after this becomes virtually impossible for Bruce.

Cobb keeps giving Bruce the cold shoulder for months to the point where Bruce becomes genuinely concerned, but the Court scientists assure him that their Talon is running at a 100% capacity. (That’s not what I’m asking, Bruce wants to scream. I want to know if he’s okay.)

(Cobb wasn’t worried, he wasn’t. He watched countless humans die in so much worse ways already. Inflicted worse himself. It’s just because he almost failed his mission and allowed the Voice to be killed that he’s so unnerved now. That must be it. That’s all it is. That’s all.)

Dick’s parents fall and Bruce is up and out of his seat the next second, pushing through the masses until he can clutch at the child and cover his eyes, shielding him from the view of his parents’ dead bodies. Social Services never get to put their hands on Dick Grayson.

The Court is ecstatic. Cobb is ecstatic. From tragedy, opportunity blooms like a rose with poisonous thorns, and the Talon stands ready to take on his apprentice as the Court broaches the subject with Bruce.

But Bruce (idiotic, stupid, bleeding-heart Bruce) refuses point blank. (“He’s a child,” Bruce says. Like that means anything. They were all children, once. He’ll grow out of it quickly enough. And the boy will make an excellent Talon, perhaps even surpass Cobb himself, with time and training. Maybe more capable at keeping the Voice safe than him, too. But then Bruce says, “He’s my child. My ward. And any of you who think to go against me will answer to the Talon and myself.” And, oh, damn you, Bruce. Damn you. But what else is Cobb to do but lift his head and stare down the Voice’s subject in silent challenge, daring them to object? Bruce is his Voice. Talon will never not side with the Court’s voice. (He pointedly does not think of the time he slit another Voice’s throat. He does not.))

Dick is anger and fury and sunshine and it drives Cobb crazy. The raw potential that is lost with Bruce’s refusal to allow him to train the boy… he cannot stand it. There will be another Talon before long (Cobb is not bitter about it, he is not) and with Dick the protection of the Voice would have at least stayed within the line of Cobb’s blood, but now… now Cobb can’t be sure the new Talon will take their task as seriously as the boy would have.

Dick is the one to approach Cobb for training before he ever goes to Bruce

Bruce nearly has a heart attack the first time he finds Dick training with the Talon, ripping the boy away and screaming at Cobb for nearly an hour about “orders” and “NOT a Talon” and many other things Dick doesn’t really get

Bruce asks Talon to bring him Zucco’s head and Cobb will forever deny the vindictive pleasure he felt when watching the smarmy man squirm and beg for his life (he didn’t get fond of Dick. Cobb doesn’t do fond. He hates him almost as much as he hates Bruce, thank you and good day.)

… okay I just realized none of this really qualifies as angst but— somehow this post got away from me. I’m sorry 😭😭😭 feel free to ask for more specific angst content tho? 🙏

[anamericangirl]

The UN Human Rights Council has said that Israel is commiting genocide upon the Palestinian people, there are numerous sources citing over 30,000 people dead or missing in Gaza. They are herding people up and down the Gaza Strip with the most conservative estimates landing 1.2 million people in a strip of land 24 miles long. Imagine how jam-packed that is. In what ways is this not a genocide. They also have detention facilities/camps where people have been tortured. This is being covered by all major news sources. I get that people think that it's anti-Semitism, but if we look at all the protests being held at universities, Columbia, for example, you see, Jewish students are also participating in those protests. We see Jewish students actually leading these protests as well. Annelise Orleck has been teaching U.S. and Jewish history for more than three decades at Dartmouth College. After she told police officers to stop arresting students on the campus green, Orleck said, officers threw her to the lawn and knelt on her back. She said she couldn’t breathe. She was banned from campus temporarily as part of her bail. She was only there to support protestors and yet got violently grabbed while she was standing there. My general point is yes, Hamas has killed people, but Israel is committing genocide in response and bombing peoples homes and killing children that have no part in war.

"While Israeli settlers in the territories can vote in Israeli elections, Palestinians cannot. Israeli settlers are also able to travel freely across the occupied territories and into Israel, while Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank cannot: They must apply for permits, which are difficult to obtain. Most Palestinians in Gaza are unable to leave the area at all, and those in the West Bank face onerous military checkpoints to travel through and out of the area.

Furthermore, Israeli settlers are tried in Israeli civilian courts if accused of a crime, while Palestinians are tried in Israeli military court — which has an extremely high conviction rate and limited due process rights. And while Israeli settlers have the freedom of political speech and protest, Palestinians are governed by military orders that restrict these rights.

This binary also exists when it comes to land access and confiscation in the occupied territories, where Palestinians have seen their land seized and used for Israeli settlements and infrastructure. Additionally, Palestinian enclaves in the West Bank are walled off and isolated from one another, and certain roads are segregated for Palestinian and Israeli traffic."

This is from a Vox news article titled "The argument that Israel practices apartheid, explained"

When your sources on this issue are the UN and Vox that means you’re listening to propaganda and you don’t have all the information. Both Vox and the UN are trash.

[gaslightgatekeepgirlbosscombat]

Group C, Round 3, Poll 1:

Propaganda under the cut

Chelle

she has an information network of spies called "kittens" so she is always informed on all matters. since the dragon she's partnered with is a giant fluffy cat, it's entirely ambiguous whether or not they are literal cats or not. she's no stranger to manipulating both strangers and family alike to make a situation more favorable for her and to keep herself out of debt to others. also she runs a near exclusive weapon trade on guns. like she is one of the only people in the world who is able to make guns. also she does the OOOOOHOHOHOHO laugh when she starts firing her minigun

"- princess and 3rd eldest scion (out of 8 children) of her kingdom, she also oversees her own realm called chanzelia that was a bum fuck backwater but she singlehandedly turned it into one of the most prosperous and technologically advanced cities in the kingdom - has a bunch of ""kittens"" (spies) that serve as her network to know any and all information. her kittens never get caught - her personality -- she's very cunning and charismatic and secretly manipulates people/situations to her own advantage -- but never out of malice really. she cares about the others around her genuinely but does so in a very roundabout and clever way. - she's a lead innovator in reviving ancient technology (which was more technologically advanced than the present) like guns. she has her own gatling gun that is pink and awesome and she used it to bail the party out of jail and it was epic she was shooting pink lasers all over the place - owns and created a giant landship called the ""gran fiore"" that can also serve as a submarine and can survive magic conditions like Divine Dark Fog That No Mortal Should Be Able To Enter"

What COULDN'T I say about Chelle? She is a princess that rules country thats situated on top of a moving landship, which is entirely because she specializes in blackmailing others to get what she wants. She has a network of spies she calls her "kittens" - because her partner, Cait Sith, is a cat-dragon - that have dug up so much information on people that she uses against them that they're known world wide. Her introduction to the story consisted of her saying she would help her brother, the protagonist, in fighting a war, and then she turned around and claimed that it was all a lie, leading them deep onto old ruins to kill them with magical robots. THEN when he WON, she turned around AGAIN and said it was all a very elaborate ruse. She does this like two entirely separate times. She is the sole dealer of Fantasy Magic Guns on the entire continent. Her main weapon is a machine gun with neon pink bullets. She's even bisexual.

She’s literally the princess of a small kingdom where she has “kittens” aka servants spread all over to gather information like a girlboss like who needs privacy

Dahlia Hawthorne

she lived. faked her own kidnapping and killed multiple people in unrelated situations. was executed. got her spirit channelled. tried to kill even more people as revenge

Girlypop has done a shit ton of manipulation, committed at least four murders (even one from the grave!) A man’s eaten glass for her, another’s knowingly drank poison. She also puts on the “Weak little girl” act to get away with it all

she is literally THE gaslight gatekeep girlbosser ever. don't wanna spoil anything but like. she is the definition of the words,

At 14, Dahlia arranged a staged kidnapping (in order to attain a Very High ransom from her wealthy father) with a guy she'd seduced, her stepsister Valerie, and her twin sister Iris (who chickened out) that purposefully landed the guy in jail for her supposed murder. Five years later, the guy broke out of jail and Dahlia framed him for the murder of Valerie (which she committed) and when this truth was exposed in court, the guy killed himself rather than break the promise they'd made to believe in each other no matter what. A few months later, she poisoned one of the attorneys involved in that case (putting him into a years-long coma instead of killing him) and got away with it by planting the evidence on a guy she just met by convincing him she'd fallen in love with him at first sight. She then guilted Iris into pretending to be her while dating the guy for the next several months, which culminated in her attempting to murder him, only to then try to frame him for the murder of one of her exes instead (which she also committed). She didn't get away with this one because superior girlboss (her cousin Mia) exposed her plot and Dahlia was executed for it a few years later, but she continued to GGG from beyond the grave. While she was still alive, Dahlia and her also-incarcerated but not on death row mother planned to murder the head of their clan (Maya, the younger sister of Mia) so that Dahlia's younger half sister (Pearl) could take Maya's place as head of their clan; Dahlia was also doing this because in the interim, Mia had been murdered by someone else, and Dahlia decided the best way to get revenge on her after her death was to kill the person she loved most. The mother and daughter schemed to write to Pearl (who was only about 9 at the time) and convinced her to channel Dahlia after her execution without telling her why (their family has the ability to channel the spirits of the dead, and they cannot remember what their bodies do during the time they're possessed) so that Dahlia could use her little sister's body to kill the head of the family, who Pearl loved very much. They also guilted Iris into working with them on this. The attempt failed because she girlbossed too close to the sun (a combination of her still-living ex, Maya, the channeled Mia, and the now-awake guy she'd poisoned) but she still GGG-ed all her life and even into her death (she also managed to get Mia & Maya's mom killed in the process and the coma guy (who Mia was in love with) convicted for it, but Maya lived so ultimately a failure). Throughout all this, she gives off an air of innocence and kindness and naivete, wearing white, high femme clothes, convincing the men inside and outside of the legal courts that she couldn't possibly do anything because she's just a sweet little girl. I fucking hate her <3 the vibes are both rancid and terrifying

[blaqcats-fics]

The Deepest Sighs, the Frankist Shadows

STWG DRABBLE

prompt: rehab warnings: billy hargrove as an asshole, rehab, use of homophobic slur towards Steve note: this is an altered excerpt from a wip in progress

“You shouldn’t smoke.”

Eddie Munson scoffed, flicking his cigarette. He watched as the smoke moved through the air, fading away. He glanced at the boy standing next to him, the one who made the comment.

“It’s none of your damn business what I do,” Eddie grunted, taking another long drag and making the intent to blow the smoke towards the stranger’s direction, but the air made the smoke drift off away from the boy’s face.

“You’re right,” the boy said, shrugging. “It’s not my business.”

Eddie spared him a long glance, taking him in. The stranger was attractive, but that was all Eddie was willing to give him. The boy already put himself on Eddie’s shit list by being rude and not minding his business. That didn’t mean Eddie couldn’t take a moment to admire him, however. The boy, whoever he was, had a head of wavy, curly brown hair with strands of pink highlighting the brown. He had a nose piercing that seemed to be hidden away from his onslaught of freckles and moles. He dressed like a grandpa, though, which was weird — a yellow sweater, a white blouse underneath, and a pair of khakis with the world’s ugliest shoes.

“Are you here for the group too?”

Eddie glanced at him, narrowing his eyes as he dropped his cigarette to the ground, using his boot to ground it out. He glanced at his watch, sighing. He hoped that this dude wasn’t one of the counselors. The boy looked too young to be, but Eddie could never be too sure. A lot of people looked younger than they were these days, or older than they are.

“What’s it to you?” Eddie asked. He pushed his hands into the coat of his leather jacket, glancing away from the boy. He’d rather be curled up in his trailer getting high, maybe work on some songs for his band, then maybe pass out for a while.

“I’m Steve,” the boy introduced, holding his hand out.

Eddie stared at his hand but made no attempt to shake it. “Sure,” he said.

Steve dropped his head, laughing awkwardly. “Okay, well, see you in there, man.” He gave Eddie a small smile, before walking past him and disappearing into the building, leaving Eddie alone with his thoughts once more.

Eddie glanced down at the butt of the cigarette he stumped out, letting out a low groan. He wished that he had smoked a joint instead of a lousy piece of tobacco he had stolen from Wayne’s pack. Maybe he should have downed a beer before he came, that could have helped his edge, but that was why he was here. He had unhealthy coping mechanisms and had been forcefully made to attend these group therapy sessions by both his Uncle Wayne and the lovely judicial system of Hawkins, Indiana. He would have bailed, but unfortunately, Eddie needed therapy both because it was court-ordered and because he needed extra credits to finally graduate from high school. He was on his third go-around, and he couldn’t afford to keep wasting his days in a school full of assholes.

He pushed himself off the brick wall, moving his hands out of his pocket and rubbing his face, blinking away any tiredness. He could do this. He could smile, laugh, and pretend everything was okay. He had to do this for himself and for Uncle Wayne. He had promised his uncle after all, and Eddie had a good motive outside of his uncle.

Eddie walked to the double door, pushed it open, and stepped inside the Youth Center. The heat of the building caused a small sweat to break out on his brow, but it was to be expected from the sudden change in temperature. It was mid-winter outside, and inside it was like summer all over again. Looking around, Eddie was surprised to see how well-kept it was, but it was a short-lived feeling. He wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t been for Al.

Al was Eddie’s father, a piece of shit scumbag who had waltzed back into town and broken Eddie’s world apart for a third time. Now, Rory was sitting in a cell somewhere, rotting, and Eddie couldn’t have been happier about it. Eddie hated the man to his core and every time he thought of his father, his blood boiled. Rory Munson was the last person that Eddie needed to think of.

Taking a deep breath, Eddie walked into the common room, trying his best to not draw attention to himself — which was a difficult thing to do when he looked the way he did. The common room was warmer than Eddie was expecting for a place where shrinks worked. The room was painted in a soft green color, with couches and chairs spread around the room. There were bookshelves, which Eddie took note to look at. Maybe they’d have a copy of the Hobbit or maybe something from Lovecraft. Moving past inspecting the interior, Eddie found himself looking over the other kids that were already there. Steve was sitting in the far back of the room, chatting with a blonde girl who looked like she hadn’t slept in a week. Across from them, on the other side of the room was a face that Eddie didn’t expect to see, and it wasn’t a warm feeling.

“Billy,” Eddie gritted out, causing the blond to look his way, sneering back at him. They both went to the same high school, and it was common knowledge to anyone who knew either of them, was a simple fact that they hated each other. Billy was everything Eddie despised.

“Wish I could say it’s a surprise seeing you here, freak,” Billy smirked, standing from where he sat. “Though, I think you forgot to take the turn to the prison in Greensville.”

Eddie narrowed his eyes, “Laugh it up, Hargrove. Bet you wish that’s where your daddy was.” He could feel everyone’s stare and did what he could to avoid it. He wished Billy hadn’t been here. It would have made sinking into the shadows easier, but Eddie never said he had an easy life.

Billy, however, noticed Steve and the girl’s gaze. “The fuck you looking at, fag?” he snapped, sneering towards Steve. Eddie didn’t miss how Steve flinched before a cloud of grief briefly crossed his face. He watched as the girl grabbed his shoulder, squeezing it, but with an angry expression, she didn’t say anything.

“Shut the fuck, Hargrove. You’re one to talk,” Eddie snapped before he could stop himself. “I heard Tommy H gets you off in the locker room on Thursdays.”

Eddie could feel Steve’s surprised glance, but he ignored him, focusing on Billy’s now red face. “The fuck did you just say, Munson? You have a death wish?” he growled, walking towards him, his lip curled up into a snarl.

“You heard what I said,” Eddie snapped. “Takes one to know one, right?”

“I’m going to fuc—,” Billy’s voice was cut short when the door opened and an older woman walked through the door, her voice filling the room, and Eddie felt a wave of relief wash over him. He was always more bark than bite, and he knew arguing with Billy would bite him in the ass later on.

“Good morning!” the woman spoke, her voice filling the room. She had shoulder-length brown hair with strands of gray, reflecting her age. She had a clipboard tucked under her arm, and she had a kind smile. Eddie wondered if she was purposely ignoring the tension lingering in the air. “We’re waiting for just a few more people, and when they get here we can get started! Sit where you feel comfortable!”

Billy glared at Eddie before turning away and slumping in the seat he had been in previously. Eddie breathed, moving to sit on the window ledge, letting his head rest against the cool glass. He didn’t care if he indirectly outed himself. He could care less about people knowing he liked fucking other guys. Hawkins was a small town, so it wasn’t like he was actively fucking anyone in town because most people weren’t into that, but people made it a problem.

Not that Eddie cared. He had been pushed into walls, punched in the face, called a queer, anything a person could think of. He was used to it, even if he wished he wasn’t. Life was life, and Eddie had little control over how people viewed him. Billy had made himself a problem in Eddie’s life. It was a realization that Eddie had when he first moved to Hawkins years ago. Many people made Eddie’s life difficult, way more than Billy did. Jason Carver was another prime example, and he was just glad Jason was an ‘angel’ that he didn’t have to come to group therapy.

Fuck him, honestly.

Eddie had enough problems and didn’t need anymore, but he could easily tell that Steve would quickly become one. Eddie had a type, and Steve was that type, or at least close to his type. Actually, maybe Steve was far from his type. He seemed like one of those boys you would take home to your parents. Steve seemed like parents liked him. Eddie had always gone for quick and easy guys — one’s that he could easily forget the name of. Call Eddie a horrible person, but life had made it adjacently clear that happiness wasn’t in his cards. There was also the tiny fact that Billy was an idiot, and there was no way Steve was gay. Sure, the boy had pink highlights in his hair, but there was something that screamed ‘straight’ and ‘boy next door’ about him.

Eddie couldn’t give up his hopes over a pretty face, especially in Hawkins. He did want to keep whatever little reputation he had. Falling in love with a straight boy and being publicly humiliated was not in his cards. Not that his being publicly humiliated hadn't happened yet. He was in rehab (though the Judge labeled it therapy) for a reason.

The door that led into the room opened and closed, causing noise to fill the awkward silence lingering through the room. The last few people came into the room, and Eddie took a moment to examine the ‘newbies.’ The first person was a boy. He was tall and thin, but there was something about him that made Eddie feel uneasy. Maybe it was because the boy looked too clean and too put together. Next to him was a younger girl with buzzed hair and a blank stare. He noticed that she had ink on her wrist, but couldn’t make out whether it was a tattoo or a sharpie job. The two of them sat near the entrance, staying close together. It made Eddie wonder if they were siblings. The two barely looked anything like each other, but Eddie didn’t care enough to know if they were actually siblings or not. Walking past them was another girl, around Eddie’s age. She looked familiar, but Eddie couldn’t put a finger on who she was. She had shoulder-length hair that was light brown, and she had freckles adorning her face. She was wearing brown khakis and a tucked-in white blouse with a tie. Eddie knew immediately that she was a lesbian, and that was on functioning gaydars.

She sat next to Steve, and Eddie wondered how the two knew each other, but he didn’t have much time to wonder why she was familiar or her relationship with Steve.

“Good, it seems that everyone is here!” the older woman beamed, taking her clipboard from under her arms and glancing over it before nodding. “I’m Mrs. Byers, but feel free to call me Joyce. I want you all to feel comfortable during our time together for the next several weeks. I am aware that most of you aren’t here by choice, and I know that it will take a moment to adjust, but I hope that we can all work together and be respectful to everyone.”

Yeah. This was going to be just great.

[seemabhatnagar]

"Jammu & Kashmir High Court Grants Bail Amidst FIR Delay and Lack of Conclusive Evidence"

In the present case the court emphasized the importance of deciding bail applications promptly, ideally on the first date of hearing. This can be achieved by ensuring that the case diary is made available to the court immediately. The court noted that written objections from the State are generally unnecessary in bail applications, except where a specific statute mandates it. By relying on the material in the case diary, the court can avoid delays and ensure timely justice.

The Court granted Bail to the accused as the FIR was lodged six months after the alleged incident raising doubts about the reliability and urgency of the complaint

The opinion of the Doctor was not properly documented as the report does not reflect any external injuries on the prosecutrix's body or private parts. However, sexual assault is not ruled out.

More so, the applicant was in custody for over one and a half years, which the court found substantial given the circumstances and the inconclusive evidence presented.

Gorav Sayal v. The UT of Jammu and Kashmir & SHO Nowshera Rajouri

Bail Application 423/2022

Before the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Laddakh at Jammu

Heard by Hon'ble Mr. Justice Atul Sreedharan J

Fact: Gorav Sayal, a 25-year-old man from District Rajouri, Jammu has filed a bail application. He is accused of offence under Section 376 IPC for allegedly committing rape on March 20, 2022 .

The FIR was registered on September 13, 2022, after a six-month delay. He has been in custody since October 29, 2022.

Issue: Whether Gorav Sayal should be granted bail considering the delay in the FIR registration, the inconclusive #MedicalLegalCertificate (MLC), and the alleged harassment of the prosecutrix.

Point of Argument:

Argument of the Applicant's Counsel: The FIR was delayed due to ongoing compromise talks between the applicant and the prosecutrix, involving the village Sarpanch. The MLC does not show any external injuries on the prosecutrix, and the basis for the sexual assault opinion in the MLC is unclear.

Argument of the State: The prosecutrix has been consistently harassed and forced to withdraw her statement. Despite multiple opportunities, the prosecutrix has not contested the case herself, raising concerns about her willingness to pursue the complaint

Court's Observation:

There is six-month delay in FIR registration and the applicant's incarceration for over one and a half years.

The MLC is inconclusive, showing no external injuries or injuries on the private parts of the prosecutrix.

The prosecutrix has had multiple opportunities to contest the case but did not appear in court.

[townpostin]

ED Challenges Hemant Soren's Bail in Supreme Court

Enforcement agency contests Jharkhand HC order in land acquisition case The Enforcement Directorate has moved the Supreme Court against Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s bail, arguing that the High Court erred in finding no prima facie evidence in the alleged money laundering case involving 8.36 acres of land. RANCHI – The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has approached the Supreme Court…

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Illinois is set to become the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail after the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a landmark criminal justice reform law did not violate the state’s constitution.

The opinion was released more than six months after the Pretrial Fairness Act was halted by the Justices just hours before it was to go into effect Jan. 1 in response to legal challenges. The high court said the law should now go into effect in September.

In its 5-2 ruling, the court said the state’s constitution “does not mandate that monetary bail is the only means to ensure criminal defendants appear for trials or the only means to protect the public. Our constitution creates a balance between the individual rights of defendants and the individual rights of crime victims. The Act’s pretrial release provisions set forth procedures commensurate with that balance.”

The majority rejected claims that the Legislature had overstepped its authority by eliminating bail through the Act, writing that “the legislature has long regulated the bail system.”

The court’s only two Republican Justices dissented, saying “the legislature’s abolishment of monetary bail is in direct violation of the plain language of our constitution’s bill of rights and, more specifically, the vested rights of crime victims. ... This court has an absolute obligation to declare the pretrial release provisions of the Act to be invalid and unenforceable no matter how beneficial the abolishment of monetary bail may be.”

The bail system overhaul was one of the most controversial provisions of the widely scrutinized SAFE-T Act, a major bill that mandated wide-ranging reforms to policing, court proceedings and victims’ rights in the state.

The court’s ruling stems from a flurry of lawsuits last year brought by roughly 60 sheriffs and state’s attorneys who argued that eliminating cash bail would reduce public safety, put law enforcement in harm’s way and violate the state’s constitution.

In December, Kankakee County Chief Judge Thomas Cunnington agreed with the groups and ruled the cash bail provision unconstitutional, though his ruling would have only applied to counties that had sued.

An appeal by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul sent the matter to the state Supreme Court, and the Justices ordered that the entire Pretrial Fairness Act wouldn’t go into effect until further notice “in order to maintain consistent pretrial procedures throughout Illinois.” 

In the ruling Tuesday, Chief Judge Mary Jane Theis said Cunnington’s decision ignored the plain language of the bail clause in the state’s constitution, which never included the term “monetary, so does not cement the practice of monetary bail, however long-standing and prevalent across Illinois, into our constitution.”

Raoul released a statement Tuesday morning saying “someone’s experience with the criminal justice system should not vary based on their income level. The SAFE-T Act was intended to address pervasive inequalities in the criminal justice system, in particular the fact that individuals who are awaiting criminal trials — who have not been convicted of a crime and are presumed innocent — may spend extended periods of time incarcerated because they cannot afford to pay cash bail.”

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, who supported the bail reform, said the ruling “is a monumental milestone toward achieving equal justice for all in Cook County and Illinois. ... Ending cash bail is in line with our values and is a critical step toward economic and racial justice in Cook County and Illinois.”

But McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally, an opponent of the bail act, called the ruling “a sad reflection of state of ideological capture in our three branches of government. ... We at the state’s attorney’s office will continue to do everything within our power to ensure that dangerous offenders remain behind bars pre-trial or that other measures, such as electronic monitoring, are in put in place to minimize risk.”

Despite a two-year ramp-up before bail reform was to go into effect, opponents waited until late last year to mount a serious effort to overturn the law, as well as a political pressure campaign before last year’s statewide elections.

In the weeks before the election, opponents derided the SAFE-T Act as a “purge law” and claimed it would make the state — with a particular focus on Chicago — less safe by releasing more violent criminals to prey on the public.

Supporters of the Pretrial Fairness Act said its provisions would simply remove cash bail as a condition that could be set by a judge when considering whether someone was likely to return to court for their hearings or posed a danger to the public.

Studies of jurisdictions that have nearly eliminated cash bail have shown no significant increase in crime generally, nor by defendants released while awaiting trial. In some cases, defendants were more likely to return to court.

The elimination of cash bail does not mean people charged with crimes cannot be held in custody pending trial.

Under the act, the courts will continue to hold detention hearings for people accused of serious crimes to determine whether someone poses a safety risk if released and whether someone is likely to show up for their hearings — the same considerations that now often determine cash bail.

People charged with misdemeanors and other minor offenses will be released without bail or pretrial conditions. In more serious cases that meet standards where a person can be held in custody, prosecutors will be required to request a person be detained and make arguments on public safety and the risk of flight.

In cases where prosecutors seek to hold a person in custody, the defendant’s attorneys will be given more time to prepare for the hearing. The decision on whether a person should continue to be held in custody pretrial can also be revisited by the court at future hearings.

Cook County had planned to move forward with bail reform on Jan. 1 until the Justices halted its implementation. “I feel very confident that we will be ready to go in 60 days,” Pretrial Division Presiding Judge Marubio said Tuesday.

Until Sept. 18, judges will continue to set bail in cases in Cook County, just as they had been doing up until Dec. 31, Marubio said.

DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin, the lone Republican appointee on a state Senate panel that recommended revisions to the bail reforms in the SAFE-T Act last fall, said changes adopted in the December veto session largely addressed “glaring deficiencies” and expanded judges’ discretion to detain defendants who might pose a danger to the public if released.

Berlin did not join the lawsuit that led to Supreme Court case because of the potential conflict with his role on the panel.

“At this point, I would say (the public) shouldn’t be panicked,” Berlin told the Sun-Times. “With the amendment (passed in December) I am confident that violent criminals are going to be detained.”

Berlin said he expected an influx of defendants seeking hearings when the law takes effect, and that his office will petition judges to hold any person his office deems a threat to public safety.

He also noted that even multimillion-dollar bail amounts are not a guarantee of safety. “I have seen people put up $200,000 and walk out of jail on a $2 million bond,” he said.

Berlin said he and his fellow state’s attorneys planned a conference call Tuesday afternoon to discuss options, but personally he felt that another lawsuit was not likely. “I think we need to move forward with the General Assembly and use the legislative process,” he said. “At this point, I’m not sure legally what else there is to do.”

Berlin said he would advocate for changes that would make the Act resemble bail statutes in New Jersey, which largely did away with cash bail in 2017. New Jersey’s laws allow judges to set a cash bail when prosecutors show “clear and convincing evidence” people are likely to flee, threaten or intimidate others if set free before trial, or otherwise pose a threat to safety.

Harold Krent, a professor at IIT-Kent Law School who has studied the separation of powers, agreed there likely is no path for further challenges in the courts.

“There is no traditional injury they can point to that is going to get them through the doors of federal court,” he said. “This is a case where a state law was found constitutional under the state constitution. I’m not sure what their federal claim would be.”

The bail reforms were just one part of the SAFE-T Act, some of which have already taken effect. Other measures include requiring all police departments to equip officers with body-worn cameras by 2025, expanding services for victims of crimes and changing how people who are incarcerated are counted for redistricting maps.

Many Republican candidates made the SAFE-T Act a focus of law-and-order campaigning last year, but Democrats held off most challengers in what was expected to be a bruising midterm election for the party across the country and even expanded their majority on the state Supreme Court.

The elections of Justices Elizabeth Rochford and Mary Kay O’Brien were believed to be significant to preserving Illinois’ strong abortion protections, as well as the future of the SAFE-T Act. Both Justices sided with the majority of the court.

Justices Lisa Holder White and David Overstreet, the high court’s only Republicans, joined in the dissent.

[achaotichuman]

What's your thoughts about Circe!Tamlin AU. Like the incident between tam-tam and Rhys, Tamlin managed to save his brothers but not his father and mother.

So his brother is the highlord, but in honor of the memory of their mother he banished Tamlin to an island for all eternity far off from the spring coast, and Tamlin is just there chilling, planting his garden, making elixirs and potions all that.

Sorry my brainrot is attacking me out of nowhere and I'm reminded of MM Circe all over again, Also hi! How are you :3

Hi! I'm very well thank you. Alright bear with me here, I had no idea who Circe was until I looked her up, what I found on the internet was she is an enchantress and minor Greek goddess, and I looked up MM Circe and I'm finding a book by a woman named Madeline Miller so I'm going to assume that's what your referencing, forgive me if I'm wrong. But I've now read the summary of the plot of Circe, and it sounds incredibly interesting, and her story looks fascinating.

I may know very, very little about Circe, but I do know a heck of a lot about Tamlin and I think this prompt is a very interesting one indeed. Here's how I think this scene would go.

Baile stood up, as proud and tall as he always had been. Even covered in his own blood and trembling from the wounds he had sustained, Tamlin, looking up from his place on the floor, was once again reminded the man before him was two hundred years old than himself. Bigger, stronger, mightier, fiercer.

Even mightier now. Tamlin watched as their father's now lifeless body, laying on the cold hardwood floors, shriveled up like a dried rose petal. The windows of his parents bedroom slammed open as a wind swept through like a hurricane, magic Tamlin presumed, that wind carried away his father's ashes. Spreading them back out over the lands.

Baile watched with mild disinterest, then it hit. The High lords power rocked Rosehall. Tamlin folded over the body in his arms, the body of his mother. He slapped his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut, like he could block out the pulsing of power that thumped through the Spring Court. A new High lord, a new heartbeat to follow.

The land had chosen the eldest Spring Prince for its High lord. When the pulsing finally ceased Tamlin tentivily looked up, he saw his brother staring down at him. Eyes glowing a bright green before it receeded, leaving a deep emerald green in his eyes, replacing the gold-speckled eyes that matched Tamlin's. Those green eyes were every part their father. So the green was the a side-effect of the High lords power, had their father once had eyes like them?

Tamlin met his brother's flaming eyes, then he looked down, bowing his head low, showing respect for the male before him. No longer his brother, but his High lord.

"Get up." Baile ordered.

"High lord-" Tamlin began, his voice quivering.

"Get up." Baile's voice was now filled with the power of Spring. The High lord's authority. Tamlin's body reacted of its own will, not giving him a choice in the matter. He gently slid his mother's lifeless frame off of his knees and stood up. Shaking horribly and covered in red.

Tamlin kept his eyes to the floor, every bruise and cut aching from what they had done to him. His head was still pounding from the faebane his own father had forced him to consume right after drugging him so he would blindly reveal the location of Rhysand's mother and sister.

"Get out." Baile whispered.

At that Tamlin finally looked up, eyes wide, fear flooding him. Causing his knees to nearly give out, "Baile-."

"You will address me as your High Lord." Baile commanded and Tamlin was helpless but to comply.

Tamlin looked back down at the floor, and Baile delivered his first command as the reigning Lord of the Spring Court, "You will go to out to isles set between the territories of Spring and Hybern. There, you are to live out the rest of your immortal life, never to return to Fae or Human society. This deed is done in the name of Dahlia Fairburn, former Lady of the Spring Court. Our mother."

He could never return...

What about Andras? Lucien and Jesminda? Could he never see any of them again? Could he even say goodbye?

.... What about Rhysand?

"Please my Lord, reconsider-"

"Leave." The High lords words were final.

Tamlin obeyed. He glanced one final time at his mother, her golden curls, the exact same as his matted with blood, her eyes wide and lifeless. Then he ran. He ran as fast as he could, Rosehall was blur to his eyes, then he was in the forests. Then his memory became a faint haze.

He briefly remembered travelling the sea. The sickening feeling of blood caked and drying on his skin, the numbness he had felt, and the empty feeling of 'what now?'

He supposed he knew what now. He was in exile, never to return to his home again. Never to see the Spring sunrise, nor his mother's gardens. He would never hear the laughter of the River Fey children. He would never sneak through the Spring Court woods to try and trap a turtle dove. He would never see anything from his old life again.

He would never see anything from his old life again.

He faintly remembered the ship passing through a strait, a small strip of the sea that cut two of the islands beside it in half. Tamlin remembered standing on the deck, looking at the Spring Court Emblem waving on the sail, then winnowing. He barely remembered it, the faebane must've worn off meaning he had been at sea for some time.

He remembered standing on green grass, alone. The wind billowing through his hair. His now tattered, dirty clothing feeling like a second skin with how long they had been on him. He remembered first feeling alone and afraid.

Then he looked up at the clear blue sky. A raven flew free through the air. Creating a shadow on the ground. It circled around Tamlin like it was calling to him, then took off. Tamlin found himself stepped forward, then walking a little faster, then taking off in a sprint after the raven.

A laugh echoed through the world and Tamlin realized it was his own.

Free.

No more bruises, no more hurt, no more broken bones, no more name-calling and beating.

He was finally free.

**************************************

Centuries passed and Tamlin had found his place in the world.

He had built a small cottage on the isle. It was made from the dark oak growing on the land. Over time he had perfected it. It was small, and rustic, but he loved as much as he had Rosehall. He had created things over the years. Learned to harvest the herbs that grew freely over the land. He had used the Spring magic he did possess to grow more. He learned how to wring out drops of magic from the plants, ground magic was a beautiful thing.

With a little magic from an herb that he now grew in the garden he had made sitting outside, he had been able to turn spider silk into thread to weave. He made all his clothing from the silk of webs he found around his house, and from boiling the bark of trees in an elixir to turn it soft like fabric.

As of right now, he was knee deep in his gardens. Hands dirty and calloused. The shade of the large oak standing proud over his cottage was a welcome presence. Tamlin gently extracted the parsley he had been growing from its pot. He murmured soft gentle praises to the plant as if it were a child as he carefully placed it in the hole he had dug into the soil bed.

He continued his work long into the day. Once the sun began to set, he took a basket and began to harvest his dinner. Heading back inside he roasted the vegetables, cut up fruit and began to make bread dough.

A small bird landed on his windowsill, followed by another, then another and another, until a flock had appeared. Tamlin sighed, then smiled and took a bag of seeds from a cupboard in his kitchen. He opened the window and scattered the seeds outside.

The birds chirped quickly and impatiently as they fought for the first pick of the seeds. Tamlin laughed as he watched and began to firmly knead the dough.

Once the dough was left to rise, Tamlin walked over to his fireplace. Where a small cauldron boiled and bubbled over the flames. He took a jar of dried herbs off of the mantlepiece and tossed a handful into the mixture. Immediately a puff of purple smoke emitted, and the cauldron's contents began to turn to a ruby red color.

It was a healing potion. Tamlin made a few jars every couple of months. It was good to have it around. In case of wounds or injuries. Or in the odd case, he found an animal injured or dying on his island.

Once dinner was done and the healing potion was cooling off in jars. Tamlin stepped out onto his front porch. There was a rocking chair in the corner which he sat down in. Taking a notebook from the pocket between realms, he opened it up and began to write a poem. It was something simple, the conclusion to the day.

He had hundreds of books now, thousands of poems, thousands of songs he had written. They would eternally go unheard.

But he would still sing them to the stars and the sun.

The world may not hear him, but Tamlin hadn't gone quiet.

His songs still carried on the wind. And if he listened very closely, sometimes he could hear the High lord of Spring singing back to him.

I had a lot of fun writing this, again I don't know much about Circe, but this is what I came up with. Thank you for the prompt!

[offender42085]

Post 0504

After spending several years in prison, his sister changed her story and said that she the testimony that helped convict her brother was false.   

Mark Cardilli, Maine inmate 166978, born 1994, incarceration intake in 2020 at age 25, scheduled for release 11/07/2025; court ordered release on August 25, 2023 pending a new trial.  In April 2024 the Supreme Court overruled the lower court and reinstated the conviction.   Incarceration intake again in May 2024 at age 29, with a scheduled release July 2026.  

Manslaughter

A Portland man who shot and killed his sister’s boyfriend was sentenced for manslaughter. A judge ordered initially Mark Cardilli Jr. to serve 7 1/2 years in prison and four years of probation.

Mark Cardilli Jr. testified he shot Isahak Muse to defend himself and his home during a violent confrontation early March 16, 2020.

An autopsy showed Muse was hit in the back. The shooting created tension in the city’s Muslim community. Some called it a hate crime by a white man against a Black Muslim man.

The judge cited Cardilli’s military service as an “overwhelming mitigating” circumstance. She also said Cardilli was remorseful for Muse’s death and there was a high likelihood that Cardilli would not reoffend.

The judge said Cardilli made “a devastating decision.”

During the sentencing hearing, Muse’s family and Cardilli’s sister said Cardilli was motivated by race and he had other choices the night of the shooting, including to walk away.  Muse’s family called Cardilli a coward.

"Every single day we cry, my father cries, Isahak's mother cries, my sisters cry, my brothers cry. There's not one day that we smile and we feel regret for being somewhat happy. I have a child now. Isahak never got to meet her," Muse’s sister, Asli Muse, said.

Cardilli’s sister said she would never forgive him for killing Muse.

"I will never be like you. What you did to him, show people that to you Black lives don't matter and to be able to say it had nothing to do with race is the privilege that you have,” Chelsey Cardilli said.

Cardilli also testified during his sentencing hearing and said he is not a violent person and wants his family to be safe.

His parents also testified and spoke to his character.

Released pending new trial

On August 25 2023, the inmate was released on bail pending a new trial.  He had argued that his previous defense attorney did not adequately represent him.  A judge ruled a few days earlier that attorneys for Cadilli failed to “vigorously argue” the self-defense claim during the trial. His lawyers at the time included an attorney who’s now a district judge.

Conviction Reinstated

In early April 2024, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court reinstated the manslaughter conviction.  He was released on bail in August 2023 after a judge tossed the conviction and ordered a new trial, saying Cardilli’s lawyers did not adequately argue the shooting was done in self-defense.

The state Supreme Court said that in finding Cardilli Jr. guilty of manslaughter instead of murder, the trial judge deemed prosecutors had proven their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Cardilli was readmitted to prison in May 2024.

Also in May 2024 Cardilli’s sister, said that she gave false testimony against her brother at his trial.

3j

[mariacallous]

Mark Nelson took the call in an immigration detention center—a place that, to him, felt just like prison. It had the same prison windows, the same tiny box rooms. By the time the phone rang, he’d already spent 10 days detained there, and he was wracked with worry that he would be forced onto a plane without the chance to say goodbye to his kids. So when his lawyers relayed the two options available under UK law—either stay in detention indefinitely or go home wearing a tracking device—it didn’t exactly feel like a choice. “That’s being coerced,” says Nelson, who moved from Jamaica to the UK more than 20 years ago. He felt desperate to get out of there and go home to his family—even if a GPS tag had to come too.

It was May 2022 when the contractors arrived at Colnbrook Detention Center, on the edge of London’s Heathrow Airport, to fit the device. Nelson knew the men were with the government’s Electronic Monitoring Service, but he didn’t know their names or the company they worked for. Still, he followed them to a small room, where they measured his leg and locked the device around his ankle. Since then, for almost two years, Nelson has been accompanied by the tag wherever he goes. Whether he is watching TV, taking his kids to school, or in the shower, his tag is continuously logging his coordinates and sending them back to the company that operates the tag on behalf of the British government.

Nelson lifts up his trousers to reveal the tag, wrapped around his leg, like a giant gray leech. He chokes down tears as he describes the impact the device has had on his life. “It’s depressing,” he says, being under constant surveillance. “Right through this process, it’s like I’m not a human anymore.”

In England and Wales, since 2019, people convicted of knife crime or other violent offenses have been ordered to wear GPS ankle tags upon their release from prison. But requiring anyone facing a deportation order to wear a GPS tag is a more recent and more controversial policy, introduced in 2021. Nelson wears a tag because his right to remain in the UK was revoked following his conviction for growing cannabis in 2017—a crime for which he served two years of a four-year sentence. But migrants arriving in small boats on the coast of southern England, with no previous convictions, were also tagged during an 18-month pilot program that ended in December 2023. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of people ordered to wear GPS trackers jumped by 56 percent to more than 4,000 people, according to research by the Public Law Project, a legal nonprofit.

“Foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality by committing crimes in the UK should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them,” a Home Office spokesperson tells WIRED. “Where removal isn’t immediately possible, electronic monitoring can be used to manage foreign national offenders and selected others released on immigration bail.” The Home Office, the UK’s interior ministry, declined to answer questions on “operational details,” such as whether GPS coordinates are being tracked in real time and for how long the Home Office stores individuals’ location data. “This highly intrusive form of surveillance is being used to solve a problem that does not exist,” says Jo Hynes, a senior researcher at the Public Law Project. GPS tags are designed to prevent people facing deportation orders from going on the run. But according to Hynes, only 1.3 percent of people on immigration bail absconded in the first six months of 2022.

Now, Nelson is the first person to challenge Britain’s GPS tagging regime in a high court, arguing that the tags are a disproportionate breach of privacy. A judgment on the case is expected any day now, and critics of GPS tagging hope the decision will have ripple effects throughout the British immigration system. “A judgment in Mark’s favor could take quite a lot of different forms,” says Jonah Mendelsohn, a legal officer at data rights group Privacy International. He adds that the court could force the Home Office to stop tagging migrants altogether, or it could limit the amount of data the tags collect. “It could set a precedent.”

The GPS tags are part of an intensifying surveillance regime that migrants and refugees are now subject to in the UK, the US, and Australia, says Mendelsohn. “There is so much tech that’s being rolled out and used almost in an experimental lab-esque way,” he says, pointing to how migrants arriving in Britain on small boats have been told to hand over their phones and pin codes or fitted with bar-coded wristbands. “GPS tracking is just one aspect of that.”

Allegations that the tags are prone to malfunction also aggravate the stress people feel while wearing them, Mendelsohn says. By law, the tags can’t be removed. But they still need charging, either by being plugged into a socket or a portable battery pack. Nelson’s first tag would run out of battery every two hours, he claims, meaning he could never travel far from a plug socket—failure to charge a tag can count as a breach of immigration bail conditions, risking return to a detention center.

The battery was just one in a series of problems, Nelson claims. Between November 2022 and May 2023, he believes his tag was no longer logging his GPS coordinates, with his legal team at Wilsons Solicitors arguing this proved the tag was redundant and should be removed. But until now, the Home Office has refused to take off the tag. “[They said] the law is the law and I’m subject to the law,” says Nelson. “So I’ve got to wear this broken tag whether it works or not.” The company that monitors and maintains the tags on behalf of the government since 2014, Capita Business Services, did not reply to WIRED’s request to comment.

Nelson might have been the first person to challenge the GPS tagging regime in court. But others were close behind. British law firm Duncan Lewis Solicitors is representing another four people forced to wear GPS tags, ranging from EU citizens to people who arrived in the UK on small boats. “Such surveillance of vulnerable individuals is not necessary in any democratic society, and we are proud to represent these claimants in their fight against this poorly run and dystopian regime,” says Conor Lamb, who works in the public law department at Duncan Lewis.

One of the people whom Duncan Lewis is representing is a 25-year-old former asylum seeker from Sudan who arrived in the UK via a small boat and has no criminal history, according to his lawyers. The tag brought up painful memories of being bound and tortured during his journey to the UK, they argued in court. After two psychiatric reports were submitted to the government, the tag was taken off and his data deleted. Despite that, the man, who uses the pseudonym ADL, remains part of the court case in order to challenge the practice of tagging new arrivals.

Meanwhile, Nelson is still waiting for his tag to be taken off. He’s frustrated that he has to wear the tag despite already having served his time in prison. “Before all of this, I was social,” he says. Now, he says, he’s too self-conscious to go out much, in case others see the tag and mistake him for the perpetrator of a violent crime. He describes how the tag has left him feeling “up and down,” as if he has no good choices left. “In order for me to see my family and to be part of my family, I’m still being forced into 24/7 monitoring, someone watching me and watching what I do, every day.”

[ospreyeamon]

revenge of the sith’s tension curve

There is a thing that Revenge of the Sith does with its arc of tension that I don’t think it quite pulls off; an uncomplicated exciting beginning (cool fight scenes!), then a morass of dread and mistrust (boring politics and emotions), before the ending clarifies back into straightforwardness (everything is terrible but there are fight scenes again so yay!). I believe the intention is to take the audience on the same emotional journey as the characters, particularly the Jedi.

The film drops the audience straight into the action with Anakin and Obi-Wan. Battle is raging above the capital, but their spirits are high. The dream team kick Separatist ass and trade quips while doing it. They save the Princess Chancellor and the bad guy dies (in the sole discordant note). The Clone Wars are basically over! Anakin and Padmé are reunited! Hooray!

And then they turn around and realise that the Republic has been transformed into a dictatorship while they were distracted by the Clone Wars.

This is a problem that cannot be solved with lightsabers or action scenes. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was legally elected, legally given emergency powers, and he legally amended the constitution. He enjoys wide popularity and is supported by most of the Senate, the Courts, and the non-Jedi commissioned officers in the Republic military.

Palpatine is someone who the Jedi Council believed they could trust. Palpatine has always been complimentary and respectful of the Jedi, often seeking the Council’s advice, speaking out publicly on the Order’s behalf. If the Order can’t trust Palpatine, who else can’t they trust? If even Palpatine has become a bad actor, are there any honest officials left in the government?

People are hiding things from each other – hiding things from even their nearest and dearest. Padmé and Anakin are hiding their marriage from everyone on Coruscant but R2 and C3PO. The Jedi Council are hiding that they have begun to contemplate removing Palpatine from office by force with all that would entail from everyone not on the Council – and then even people who are on the Council after Palpatine demands Anakin by given a seat. Anakin is hiding that the Council has asked him to spy on Palpatine from Palpatine and Padmé. Padmé hides that the Delegation of Two Thousand has asked her to present their demands to the Supreme Chancellor from everyone not involved including Anakin. The Senators Delegation of Two Thousand hide their plans to pressure Palpatine to resign from the Jedi because they believe that the Order supports Palpatine.

It’s awful. Everyone is stressed and unhappy – everyone except Obi-Wan and Yoda because they have gone back to the warfront where things are simple and they trust all the people around them. Anakin is far from the only character who can sense something terrible looming in the future.

And then the situation explodes and things become simple, clear, and action packed again.

Palpatine has unmasked himself as the Big Bad. The characters now have enough context to realise he was evil all along. The Jedi obviously weren’t Palpatine’s rusted on supporters because they were the first people he purged to cement his grip on power. There clearly were Senators who the Jedi Council could have trusted to approach for help with the project of getting Palpatine out of power without tilting the Republic into another civil war because Bail Organa is willing to risk his life to help them after Order 66. Even Anakin is mostly very aware that the choices he is making are terrible.

Yoda is convinced that he and Obi-Wan can fix the problem by stabbing the Sith with their lightsabers. Yoda is wrong. He isn’t strong enough to best Palpatine – and more importantly, killing Palpatine won’t turn the Galactic Empire back into Republic or halt the Jedi Purge.

Which is the point I think George Lucas was trying to make with the U-shaped tension curve. The narrative that we are the good guys and they are bad guys and that if we defeat the bad guys so the good guys are in charge everything will be great is very seductive. And unhelpful. It’s easy to focus on what seems simple, exciting, and heroic at the expense of what is complicated, boring, and uncomfortable. But keeping a democracy in good running order requires a lot of boring work and time of spent addressing complicated, thorny issues. You can’t just wash your hands of politics because you aren’t a politician. You can’t just brush off bad behaviour when it’s from somebody you consider an ally. You can’t just not address long-term problems because they are messy, complicated, or divisive. Corruption must be constantly fought and guarded against. The rights of scoundrels and criminals and enemies of the state must be protected. Nobody can fix a political system with a claymore. If you wait until the state moves against you, then you’ve waited too long.

Unfortunately, the film doesn’t quite make it work. The consensus seems to be that the middle is boring rather than the slow ominous build in tension I think Lucas and team were going for. It’s a shame, because the idea is a good one.

[sallysgrancanwrite]

Chapter Sixty-One

Masterlist.

“Can she get a restraining order against in case he makes bail?” asked Bob.

“I would recommend doing so. Go to the court and the judge will order one.“ Tom instructed them.

“Thank you Tom. For everything. Edith said, shaking Tom's hand, as he stood up to go.

“I’ll be in touch and let you know what happens.” Tom said as he left.

“When they let you out you need to come home with us.” Beth said. “You are not going there because that’s where he’ll go when he makes bail.“

“We’ll get you and Emma everything you two will need.” Edith said. “Now just try to rest a while.”

Chloe tried to quiet her mind but thought perhaps she should have gone home and just lied about what happened. Nothing good was going to come of this. He would not simply let her walk away. That she knew. And it scared her.

Tom drove to the home that Michael and Chloe shared to arrest Michael. When he knocked on the door Michael actually seemed surprised to see him.

“Michael, I’m placing you under arrest for the attempted murder of your wife, Chloe. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to a lawyer for advice before we ask you any questions. You have the right to have a lawyer present during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. If you decide to answer questions now without a lawyer present, you have the right to stop answering at any time. Do you understand your rights?“ Tom asked Michael.

“Yes! But I will be speaking to my lawyer before any and all questions!! This is BS! And you know it is Tom. She has a head injury. You can’t believe her.” Michael ranted.

Michael was taken to an interrogation room. He was left there while Tom and the deputies gathered their evidence before going in to talk to him. When they were ready Tom went in with one of the deputies.

“Michael are you willing to talk with us?” We have some questions we would like to ask you if we could.” Tom stated.

“I’m not saying a damn thing without my lawyer present. Where is my phone call?” Michael asked.

“We’ll bring you in a phone now so you can call your lawyer.” Tom told him.

Tom walked out of the room disappointed but not terribly surprised either. He didn’t really expect Michael to talk to him. But hey, one can always hope.

The deputy brought a phone in for Michael to use. “You have 5 minutes.”‘ The deputy told him.

Tom meanwhile called Bob to let him know Michael had been arrested.

“Is he talking?” asked Bob.

“Nope. He’s refusing to say a word without a lawyer. I gave him his phone call. He’s calling his lawyer now.”

“So what happens now?” Bob asked.

“There will be a bond or bail hearing. The prosecutor will ask for a high bail and it’s up to the judge to set the bail as high or low as he thinks he should. But you know Bob, Michael has deep pockets. He’ll probably make bail. Keep Chloe close.” Tom warned him.

“Oh, we plan to do just that. We’ll keep an eye on her and Emma both till he is put away!” Bob replied.

“I’ll let you know what happens, Bob. Take care. Bye.” Tom said.

“Goodbye,” said Bob.

Bob let everyone know what was going on and that Michael would probably make bail.

“If he does Chloe you will be watched over night and day as will Emma. He’ll use her to hurt you. We may have to pull her out of school for a bit. For now, we need to run over and get everything we can if yours and Emma’s and bring it to our hou, while he’s locked up. “

“Don’t forget Mimi. Emma loves that dog. Michael will hurt it if it’s left there.” Chloe told them.

“We’ll grab the dog. Don’t worry. You sit tight. We will hurry back. You’ll be fine right now while he’s locked up.” Edith said.

“Let’s go. We need to hurry.” said Bob.

The three of them, Edith, Bob and Beth all hurried out the door in case Michael’s went before a judge that night. They didn’t know what strings his lawyer would try to pull. He had connections in town.

They got to the house and decided to divide and conquer. Beth got Chloe’s things and Edith and Bob gathered Emma’s things. They grabbed the dogs kennel, dog dishes, and food as well. They completely cleaned out everything they had in the house. It took several trips but it got done. Finally after a few hours they were ready to leave. They locked up again using the key they found in Chloe’s purse.

They prayed this would be the beginning of getting Michael out of Chloe’s life forever. Though they knew Chloe would more than likely try to repair the marriage yet again. They had to convince her otherwise. How, they weren’t sure.

They got back to the house and started to unload the trailer they had rented, full of Chloe and Emma’s things. As they were finishing up Edith got a call from sheriff Tom.

“Hey Bob. Michael’s bond hearing is set for tomorrow morning. His lawyer is going to argue he is no threat to anyone, though the Prosecutor will argue he is to Chloe and Emma. It could go either way. You know he’s made of money though, so be prepared for him to make bail,” he told him.

“We were kind of figuring that Tom, but still hard to hear that it’s going to be so quick. And I’m sure he will make bail. We’ll keep an eye on the girls. Thanks for the heads up, Tom.” Bob told the sherriff.

“You’re welcome. Talk soon.” He said as he hung up the phone.

“Who was that?” Edith asked.

“It was Tom. Michael’s bond hearing is tomorrow morning already. And with all his money he’s sure to make bail. The girls should never be left alone.” He stated.

“I think for a while, we should get some books from Emma’s teacher and homeschool her. I don’t trust Michael not to hurt her to get at Chloe in some way.” Edith told them.

“I’ll go now and get the books if you two want to finish getting their rooms ready.” Beth said. “It’s probably better to get it done before he gets out. And then I’ll pick her up from school and talk to Martha.” she said.

“That sounds fine. Go ahead and we’ll finish here.” Edith replied.

Beth drove over to the Elementary School just as Martha was showing up to pick Emma up.

“Hi Martha. I wanted to let you know we will be homeschooling Emma for awhile so you won’t need to pick her up anymore. We took all their things out of the house as well. I’m sure you noticed. Thank you for your kindness to both of them. It means a lot.” Beth told her.

“Okay, that sounds fine. And you don’t have to thank me for being kind. I love them like family. They are easy to love. Please take care of them. I’ll come visit and see how they are.” Martha replied.

As the ladies talked Emma came running up and hugged them both. Excited to see them.

“Do I get to go see Granny for a while, Aunt Beth?” Emma asked

“You not only get to visit her, you get to stay with all of us for a wile! How does that sound?” She asked the little girl.

“Yay! That sounds like fun.” said Emma. “But what about momma?” She asked.

“As soon as momma is well she’ll come stay with us too. Okay?” Beth told Emma.

“Okay. I’ll miss you Martha.” She said as she hugged her.

“I’ll miss you too, but I’ll come for visits. You’ll still see me honey.” Martha said

“Good, I’m glad.” Emma told her.

“We need to go, Emma. Tell Martha bye.” Beth told her,

“Bye Martha,” she said waving goodbye as they walked away.

“Goodbye Emma. See you soon.” Martha said and turned towards her car.

Beth drove Emma to get an ice cream before returning to the house. By the time they got back the rooms for Chloe and Emma were all set up. It was nice that Bob and Edith had such a large home with so many bedrooms. At one time they had hoped to have a big family but it wasn’t to be. The rooms have always been used for guests. And now with a small girl and a tiny puppy the house will be full of life and love like never before. They couldn’t be more excited. Yet it was for the wrong reasons. Chloe was back home because she was running…again. Would she stay gone this time. They could only hope.