U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents deported an illegal immigrant who was a witness in a homicide case, an attorney told me. "Prosecutors are going to drop the charges."

Sure enough, the case crumbled and the U.S. citizen who had been charged with murder was set free. ICE agents had deported the witness after he was arrested on unrelated charges and booked into the county jail, court documents showed.

Local and federal authorities responded by pointing fingers at each other and insisting this was an isolated incident. The problem, a breakdown in communication, had been addressed, they promised ...

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In March, Oklahoma’s Supreme Court published new rules in a legal publication directing state courts to omit more information from their public records including birth dates, addresses, work history, status as a crime victim and medical and financial details. The action came after other court records and proceedings were being moved out of public view, including one that involved a state legislator attempting to keep his divorce proceedings closed. While the new rules from the state’s Supreme Court were suspended after vocal public opposition, the issue of how much is being sealed started to bubble. The anecdotal trend ... Read more ...