Utah v. Strieff and the Future of the Exceptions to the Exclusionary Rule

In the recent case State v. Strieff, the Supreme Court of Utah held that police’s discovery of a lawful outstanding warrant during an unlawful investigatory stop cannot save the evidence obtained during that arrest from suppression under the attenuation doctrine. To reach that decision, the court reasoned that the inevitable discovery doctrine, instead of the attenuation doctrine, is appropriate for this situation. However, the court failed to address whether the inevitable discovery doctrine can ultimately save the evidence from suppression. The theoretical foundation of how the Fourth Amendment guaranty gives rise to the exclusionary rule has never been steadfast; in fact, it is subject to constant academic debate. Some scholars have even predicted the abolishment of the exclusionary rule, in light of the recent developments and expansions of the exception doctrines. This commentary argues that, given the Court’s policy justification for the exclusionary rule and the recent trend towards curbing its scope, the Court will likely reverse the Supreme Court of Utah’s decision and further narrow the application of the exclusionary rule

Are PDFs still consistent with Tevatron data?

As active data taking has moved to the LHC at CERN, more and more LHC data have been included into fits of parton distribution functions. An anomaly has arisen where formerly excellent agreement between theoretical predictions and experiment in single-top-quark production at the Tevatron is no longer quite as good. Is this indicative of a deeper issue?Comment: 7 p., to appear in "XLVIIth International Symposium on Multiparticle Dynamics (ISMD 2017)," EPJ Web of Conference

Irish-American Nationalism: From the Kennedy Administration to the Clinton Administration

The Irish in America have always had a complex relationship with their government and with American society. Few groups have resisted cultural assimilation more fervently than the Irish, and arguably none have retained so strong a political link to the current affairs of their homeland. This interest has not always been constructive; Irish-American contributions to violent organizations in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which span over a hundred years, have led to characterizations by the British press and international opinion of Irish-Americans as radical interlopers in ‘The Troubles’ who worsen the conflict and encourage bloodshed. The image of Irish- Americans that has been painted by British tabloids, Unionist agitators and popular perceptions in the US and UK are frankly incorrect. The new class of Irish-Americans that began their evolution and ascent with the election of the Kennedy finally matured into an active group of citizens ready to speak out for moderation and constitutional means to Irish unity in the late 1970s. This class represented the interest of the vast majority of Irish-Americans in their moderation, but were active in politics rather than reserving themselves to economic and career pursuits. Though occasionally taken with wistful visions of a romantic Irish history, these modern, educated citizens were not the rabid plotters of destruction they have been made out to be and deserve an accurate description of their politics and actions. The emergence of these well-informed moderates drowned out the influence of violent radicals, voiced concerns for peace in Northern Ireland to the governments of the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland, and heavily contributed to the peace process

In brief: Competition in the public sector: good for the goose, good for the gander?

Zack Cooper outlines evidence on the benefits of competition in healthcare - and the implications for the coalition government's NHS reform plans.hospital competition, market structure, prospective payment, incentive structure