Arizona Sheriff Targeted By Justice Department:  An editorial from Investor's Business Daily says Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio is being targeted by the Justice Department in a report accusing the sheriff of violating federal law and the Constitution in his department's handling of Hispanics. Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez, head of the department's Civil Rights Division, said a three-year civil investigation found that the sheriff and his deputies engaged in unconstitutional conduct and violations of federal law that jeopardized Arpaio's "commitment to fair and effective" law enforcement. The name Thomas Perez may sound familiar, as he was heavily involved in the decision to drop the voter intimidation case against members of the New Black Panther Party. Nine months before the DOJ first informed Apaio of its investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted its own investigation of Apaio's office and procedures and did not find anything inappropriate or illegal. The story is here.

Violent Crime Decreasing, FBI reports: Nedra Pickler of the Associated Press reports the Federal Bureau of Investigation released its Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report Monday for January to June, 2011. As a whole, law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S. reported a decrease of 6.4% in the number of violent crimes when compared with figures reported for the same time period in 2010. The number of property crimes from January to June of 2011 decreased 3.7% in the U.S. when compared with data from the same time period in 2010. The preliminary report is here. However, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reported this summer that for the first half of 2011, the number of law enforcement fatalities increased 14% from the same time period in 2010, with a 33% increase in the number of officers killed by gunfire. 40 officers were killed by gunfire in the first half of 2011, the highest number in two decades.

U.S. Supreme Court Schedules 3 Days of Arguments on New Federal Health Care Law: Jesse J. Holland of the Associated Press reports the U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday that it will hear arguments for three days in March over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Obama's health care overhaul. Arguments are scheduled for March 26th, 27th, and 28th, with nothing else on the court calendar for that week. The justices will be hearing more than five hours of arguments.

Study Says Brain Scan Isn't Crime Predictor: Maria Cheng of the Associated Press reports the Royal Society, the world's oldest scientific academy, examined how neuroscience is being used in some court cases, and says criminal behavior can't be blamed on how someone's brain is wired, at least not yet. "Having a psychotic brain is not a general defense against a criminal charge, said Nicholas Mackintosh, emeritus professor of experimental psychology at the University of Cambridge, and who led the group that produced the report. "There's no such thing as a gene for violence," he said. The Royal Society concluded it's too soon for the law to be swayed by scientists' understanding of the brain. The scientists said that while some criminals like psychopaths have unique brain structures, these differences are not enough to release them from being legally responsible for their crimes. The report is here.