was right about one thing—Oregon’s legal system had turned into an abomination when they flipped the Constitution upside down with that goddamn “Truth for Justice” initiative—led by, who else, Noah Stone and his Alliance.
Now Oregon courts forced people to testify against themselves as if the Fifth Amendment didn’t exist. Hell, they were even citing the Fifth as the authority for violating it. A pal at the ACLU had told her that even they hadn’t found a convincing way to challenge them.
Her anger bubbled up just thinking about it. Well, maybe Tiffany was closer to something to quash the statute. She reached for her phone, and her top legal researcher’s soft voice soon answered. “Tiffany Horowitz.”
“Marion here, Tiffany. How are you doing on that crazy Truth for Justice statute?”
“I don’t have anything that helps us yet. My research suggests that it’s actually possible to interpret the Fifth Amendment to mean that courts can require a person to testify against himself as long as there’s due process of law. That actually makes sense in terms of the language of the amendment. I mean, we use the same due-process language to put people in prison, take their property, and execute them.”
Marion scowled. “I don’t like what I’m hearing, Tiffany. These people are undermining precedents for due process that go back to the Magna Carta.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am.”
Regretting her irritation, she softened her voice. “I know, I know. What else?”
“It sounds crazy, but the Alliance says its initiative is derived from the Magna Carta’s mandate—you know, ‘fundamentally rational law applied in a fundamentally fair proceeding.’”
Marion shook her head. “I still can’t believe voters went for it.”
“The Alliance made it sound like it would stop criminals. People liked that.”
That was the trouble with initiatives—direct democracy led to rule by emotion. In this case, it was in a blue progressive state that had a tendency to steer to the left. Except, maybe, for the prison system they’d inaugurated; it sounded damn tough, and it had been a bipartisan effort. And it looked like they’d found a way to ban guns while they were pushing those new self-defense weapons—the state was like a hornet’s nest that somebody had whacked.
Tiffany said, “Ah, you should know that the Alliance has started Truth for Justice initiatives in California and Washington State.”
Oh, Lord. There were, what—twenty-four states that allowed initiatives? “Keep digging. We’ve got to find a way to stop it.”
Tiffany said, “I find myself wishing . . . Never mind.”
“No, what?”
“That things everywhere worked the way they do in Oregon. I mean, how rational or fair is it that so many rotten people dodge the bullet by taking the Fifth—”
“Listen to me! Oregon’s new system may appear to be legal—so far—but it’s not goddamn right. The Fifth Amendment is there to protect citizens!”
Tiffany’s voice tightened. “Yes, ma’am.”
Marion reined herself in. She said, “Good job, Tiffany. Keep trying.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Marion disconnected. She shouldn’t have lost it with Tiffany like that . . . but Oregon’s distortion of the Constitution threatened to cripple America’s judicial system. Noah Stone’s Alliance was a key player. Maybe he was the key to stopping it, too. She needed to know more about the man. There must be a weakness.
Was Stone a good guy gone wrong, or did he have a nasty hidden reason for emasculating the law? Whatever he was, he was a threat, and she had the power of the Department of Justice to take him down.
She thumbed her intercom. “Suzanne, get me Joe Donovan in Oregon.” One of her smartest field agents, Joe would dig out what she needed.
Going Undercover
Noah Stone stepped into the hospital room where Hank Soldado lay unconscious on a hospital bed, unconscious or asleep. An attractive young black woman stood on the far
Now Oregon courts forced people to testify against themselves as if the Fifth Amendment didn’t exist. Hell, they were even citing the Fifth as the authority for violating it. A pal at the ACLU had told her that even they hadn’t found a convincing way to challenge them.
Her anger bubbled up just thinking about it. Well, maybe Tiffany was closer to something to quash the statute. She reached for her phone, and her top legal researcher’s soft voice soon answered. “Tiffany Horowitz.”
“Marion here, Tiffany. How are you doing on that crazy Truth for Justice statute?”
“I don’t have anything that helps us yet. My research suggests that it’s actually possible to interpret the Fifth Amendment to mean that courts can require a person to testify against himself as long as there’s due process of law. That actually makes sense in terms of the language of the amendment. I mean, we use the same due-process language to put people in prison, take their property, and execute them.”
Marion scowled. “I don’t like what I’m hearing, Tiffany. These people are undermining precedents for due process that go back to the Magna Carta.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am.”
Regretting her irritation, she softened her voice. “I know, I know. What else?”
“It sounds crazy, but the Alliance says its initiative is derived from the Magna Carta’s mandate—you know, ‘fundamentally rational law applied in a fundamentally fair proceeding.’”
Marion shook her head. “I still can’t believe voters went for it.”
“The Alliance made it sound like it would stop criminals. People liked that.”
That was the trouble with initiatives—direct democracy led to rule by emotion. In this case, it was in a blue progressive state that had a tendency to steer to the left. Except, maybe, for the prison system they’d inaugurated; it sounded damn tough, and it had been a bipartisan effort. And it looked like they’d found a way to ban guns while they were pushing those new self-defense weapons—the state was like a hornet’s nest that somebody had whacked.
Tiffany said, “Ah, you should know that the Alliance has started Truth for Justice initiatives in California and Washington State.”
Oh, Lord. There were, what—twenty-four states that allowed initiatives? “Keep digging. We’ve got to find a way to stop it.”
Tiffany said, “I find myself wishing . . . Never mind.”
“No, what?”
“That things everywhere worked the way they do in Oregon. I mean, how rational or fair is it that so many rotten people dodge the bullet by taking the Fifth—”
“Listen to me! Oregon’s new system may appear to be legal—so far—but it’s not goddamn right. The Fifth Amendment is there to protect citizens!”
Tiffany’s voice tightened. “Yes, ma’am.”
Marion reined herself in. She said, “Good job, Tiffany. Keep trying.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Marion disconnected. She shouldn’t have lost it with Tiffany like that . . . but Oregon’s distortion of the Constitution threatened to cripple America’s judicial system. Noah Stone’s Alliance was a key player. Maybe he was the key to stopping it, too. She needed to know more about the man. There must be a weakness.
Was Stone a good guy gone wrong, or did he have a nasty hidden reason for emasculating the law? Whatever he was, he was a threat, and she had the power of the Department of Justice to take him down.
She thumbed her intercom. “Suzanne, get me Joe Donovan in Oregon.” One of her smartest field agents, Joe would dig out what she needed.
Going Undercover
Noah Stone stepped into the hospital room where Hank Soldado lay unconscious on a hospital bed, unconscious or asleep. An attractive young black woman stood on the far
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