Christian L. Torp, Esq. PLLC

01/15/2026

“In response to the ruling, the Constitutional Accountability Center, which had filed a brief in support of Mr. Case’s position, expressed concern that the court’s decision would do nothing to prevent officers from using emergency aid as a pretext for home intrusions.”

Montana officials defended the actions of law enforcement officers who did not have a warrant when they responded to a possibly suicidal Army veteran.

12/24/2025

Hunter S Thompson /
"In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity."
"Hunter S. Thompson (born July 18, 1937, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.—died February 20, 2005, Woody Creek, Colorado) was an American journalist and author who created the genre known as gonzo journalism, a highly personal style of reporting that made Thompson a counterculture icon.
Thompson, who had a number of run-ins with the law as a young man, joined the U.S. Air Force in 1956. He served as a sports editor for a base newspaper and continued his journalism career after being discharged in 1957. In the following years he also wrote two autobiographical novels, but both were initially rejected by publishing houses; The Rum Diary eventually saw publication in 1998 (film 2011). In 1965 Thompson infiltrated the Hells Angels motorcycle gang, an experience he recounted in Hell’s Angels (1967). The book led to writing assignments for Esquire, Harper’s, Rolling Stone, and other magazines. In addition to his irreverent political and cultural criticism, Thompson also began to attract attention for his larger-than-life persona, which was highlighted by drug- and alcohol-fueled adventures and a distaste for authority.
In 1970 Thompson introduced his subjective style of reporting with the article “The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved,” in which he was a central part of the story. A 1971 assignment for Sports Illustrated to cover a motorcycle race in Nevada resulted in perhaps his best-known work, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream, which became a contemporary classic and established the genre of gonzo journalism. First serialized in Rolling Stone in 1971, it documents the drug-addled road trip taken by Thompson (as his alter ego Raoul Duke) and his lawyer (Dr. Gonzo) while also discussing the end of the 1960s counterculture. The book featured frenetic artwork by Ralph Steadman, who illustrated many of Thompson’s works. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was adapted as a 1998 film directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro.
In Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ’72 (1973), Thompson chronicled the 1972 presidential campaigns of George McGovern and Richard Nixon. Later works include The Great Shark Hunt (1979), Better Than S*x (1994), and Kingdom of Fear (2003). Thompson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

11/15/2025

Debt collectors have limits, but ignoring them isn't a solid strategy. Here's what happens when debt goes unpaid.

08/11/2025

It's interesting being an attorney and a gear head.

I admit, it's probably much more interesting to watch from a distance but sometimes you find yourself having arisen early to get a good start on the week and as you're headed to make the morning coffee you say to yourself:

Why is there a pedestal grinder in my office?

Not that it's any big deal that there are tools, my desk is covered with cardboard and littered with hand tools (I'm rebuilding a carburetor)... but this isn't a hand tool. It's heavy. It's a grinder mounted to an iron pipe mounted to a wheel.

One person can move it, but you don't want to and you shouldn't do it if you're not wearing your back brace.

08/10/2025

People who serve on disturbing cases can suffer mental health effects for years after a trial ends.

07/23/2025

Solo practitioners, former government litigators and small law offices stepped up to help challenge the Trump administration’s agenda in court after the White House sought to punish many big firms.

06/10/2025

Specifically you have TWO Constitutional rights to remain silent, the Fifth Amendment right to remain Silent and the Sixth Amendment right to remain silent. They are slightly different, one is offense specific, state actors are free to question you about anything OTHER than what you have been detained for, the other is offense Non-Specific, state actors are prohibited from asking you anything.

First thing to keep in mind: Police are privileged and can lie to you in order to obtain a confession pursuant to Frazier v. Cupp, 394 U.S. 731 (1969), NEVER TRUST THE POLICE.

So what should you do?

#1, ask to be represented by counsel. Tell them you want an attorney and stay quiet, no matter what they say.

This is IMPERATIVE, asking for an attorney raises BOTH Constitutional Rights to remain silent so you can ask for an attorney and know you've done your job.

#2, SUPER IMPORTANT!!!!! KEEP YOUR DAMN MOUTH SHUT!!!

For example let's assume you know your rights and you ask to be represented by counsel. Either the police gingerly guide you into the back of the cruiser and go about their business or they're a little less friendly but either way you're in the car and they're out there working...and then guess what happens later, happens so often you'd never believe it. They're riding to the intake and the suspect in the back of the cruiser begins to make small talk, maybe they feel uncomfortable. During the course of this small talk they end up incriminating themselves - you know what, that's admissible. Yes, it was custodial, but it was not custodial INTERROGATION and your rights to remain silent only apply to custodial interrogation; if you just went ahead and told them out of your free will - that, my friends, is admissible.

THIS SATURDAY, there are No Kings protests occurring all across America. These are your rights. HOWEVER, this does not mean your rights will not be violated. It does not mean jackbooted thugs won't trample the Constitution. Stay safe. Stay prepared. I'm not going to tell you to take any measures necessary to defend your rights — as sometimes that requires meeting force with force. However, I'm definitely not going to not to either.

06/08/2025

"As University, elite law firms and perceived political enemies of President Donald fight back against his efforts to use government power to punish them, they’re winning thanks in part to the National Rifle Association." ( )

As Harvard University, elite law firms and perceived political enemies of President Donald Trump fight back against his efforts to use government power to punish them, they’re winning thanks in part to the National Rifle Association.

05/25/2025

Frustrated by judicial rulings during his second term, President Trump and allies have lashed out at the courts in a growing pressure campaign.

05/23/2025

More than 400 lawyers called on the Dutch Bar Association (NOvA) to speak out against Israel’s “ongoing violations of international humanitarian law” in Gaza.

In a joint letter Thursday, titled “Lawyers for Peace,” 432 Dutch lawyers urged NOvA to assess the situation in Gaza and to bring the issue before the association of European national bars (CCBE).

Lawyers expressed their “deep shock” at the ongoing violence against civilians in Gaza while stressing that Israel “disregards” international law and the principles of humanitarian law.

05/21/2025

"The U.S. Department of Justice said on Wednesday that it is moving to drop police reform agreements, known as consent decrees, that the Biden-era department reached with the cities of Louisville, Kentucky and Minneapolis. The court-enforceable agreements were born out of probes launched after the 2020 police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd."