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Kim Kardashian is putting a microscope on the criminal justice system with something she's very familiar with ... a camera lens made for TV -- and she's doing it right now.

Mrs. Kardashian-West posted a series of photos Saturday of her posing for selfies with prison inmates from a facility in Washington D.C., where she says these folks are part of a program in which they can take courses and get credit from Georgetown University.

In her caption, Kim wrote ... "Last week I was so moved by Dr. Mark Howard, a Georgetown professor who teaches a course inside of a Washington DC prison where these men and women can get Georgetown credit."

She added, "I met so many amazing people that can’t wait to share their stories with you. We filmed a documentary I am working on that will be out on @oxygen and I hope you will learn about the justice system the way I have."

It appears these photos were taken late last week, when Kim made a trip to D.C. for a tour of the White House. BTW, the only prison in the area that has this type of partnership with Georgetown is the D.C. Central Detention Facility, which Professor Marc Howard helped spearhead.

It'll be interesting to see what Kim's got in the works here. As you know, she's been knee-deep in helping reshape the criminal justice system ever since she helped free Alice Marie Johnson back in 2018 -- and has been on a roll doing the same for others (and then some) in the following months.

Tyga is throwing a Hail Mary in a case where he was accused of royally screwing over a concert promoter, and wait till you hear how the promoter dissed him!!!

The rapper's on the hook for $65,000, because he promised Z Entertainment back in 2015 he would not perform anywhere in Vegas other than Z's venue, and he doubled-crossed them.

Fact is ... Tyga never even responded to Z's lawsuit so Z got a default judgment, which Tyga now wants the judge to set aside so he can properly defend himself.

Z says in new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Tyga's a deadbeat with FOURTEEN LAWSUITS filed against him. And, the unkindest cut of all ... Z refers to him as a "quasi-famous rap star."

True enough ... Tyga's had a list of creditors a mile long pounding at his door over the years ... from car dealers to landlords and lots in between. He makes plenty of money, but when it comes to writing checks ... well, he fires blanks.

Z now wants the judge to say "checkmate."

Chloe Grace Moretz is now fully protected -- at least legally -- from a man who keeps getting busted by cops for hopping her fence.

Chloe and fam just scored a permanent restraining order, which is supposed to keep the guy away from them for 3 years. The restraining order protects Chloe, her 2 brothers, her sister and her mom. The guy can have no contact -- direct or indirect -- with any of them.

The restraining order replaces the temporary restraining order a judge issued at the beginning of the month.

The guy was arrested outside the actress' Los Angeles home TWICE ... after the guy climbed over their private gate and started banging on windows and doors, trying to gain access to the residence. He got arrested, showed up the very next day, and got busted again.

Rapper Blueface says the LAPD is full of crap and they lied when they said they swarmed a bunch rappers out of concern for them ... he says it could be racial prejudice.

The man behind the "Bust Down" dance craze was arrested back in February after cops say he was illegally carrying loaded guns in downtown L.A. Cops claimed they had heard there were a bunch of rappers in the area who were carrying large amounts of cash and wearing lots of jewelry.

The LAPD said they went there to actually protect the rappers since there were a bunch of robberies in the area and they feared the rappers would be easy targets. When they arrived, they say Blueface and his crew scattered and tossed their guns.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Blueface calls BS, saying he and his legal team believe the officers who made the arrest may have complaints against them for racial or ethnic prejudice. They also claim the cops may have a history of writing false police reports.

Lawyers for Blueface say the rapper wasn't in possession of guns, and the reason he was singled out is because one of the cops thought he had a nervous look on his face after police heard the clang of guns hitting the concrete. They concede cops say they saw him make "furtive movement toward his waistband."

Bill Cosby has settled a defamation lawsuit filed by Janice Dickinson ... and he's NOT happy about it.

Dickinson claimed Cosby's lawyer slandered her when he said her claims of sexual assault by the comedian were false. She also claimed the lawyer made his remarks at Cosby's behest.

Cosby fought the lawsuit, but now his insurance company, AIG, agreed to settle the lawsuit over Cosby's strong objections.

Cosby continues to maintain the lawsuit was without merit and he never authorized the statement made by his lawyer ... this according to his spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt.

We're told this is the third case in recent months AIG settled a case over Cosby's objections, and Cosby's side believes it's illustrative of the insurer's bad faith and is "robbing Mr. Cosby of the opportunity to clear his name in a court of law."

Cosby's legal team says he's confident if the case went to trial, a jury would have found the statements made by Cosby's former attorney -- which were allegedly never spoken by Cosby himself -- were not defamatory ... as Dickinson claims.

Dickinson's lawyer, Lisa Bloom, has called it a "major, final, legal victory."

Bloom will be holding a news conference with Dickinson Thursday at 9 AM PT ... and TMZ will live stream.

A big rapper says Coachella's to blame for an unprovoked attack by the music festival's security that left him with with some serious and lifelong injuries ... thus, a new lawsuit.

Belly just filed against the famous festival, claiming it caused the incident by hiring a security company that WAILED on him back in April 2018 while Belly's friend, The Weeknd, performed on the main stage. According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Belly claims approximately 25 security guards pummeled him without cause.

Belly -- who performed at the festival earlier that night -- says he had all the necessary credentials to access all areas on the grounds ... including the most exclusive and restricted VIP sections.

Belly -- who enlisted the firebrand of attorney Ben Meiselas -- says he was headed to a backstage VIP area, when out of nowhere, security bum rushed him and repeatedly grabbed, punched, kicked and choked him. The brutal attack was all caught on video.

Belly says the attack left him bruised, battered, concussed and nearly unconscious. He claims he suffered permanent physical and mental pain and trauma. Belly -- who is also suing Coachella's organizers and the security firm it hired -- wants a ton of money, but he wasn't specific.

A$AP Rocky has just been charged with a crime after spending weeks in a Swedish jail ... prosecutors just hit him with Assault Causing Actual Bodily Harm stemming from a street brawl in the country's capital ... and if convicted he could spend 2 years behind bars.

The prosecutor said A$AP will continue to be held in jail pending a trial ... and the trial date has not been set, although it could be today. A rep for the prosecutor tells TMZ the trial will be held within the next 2 weeks. The prosecutor expects the trial will last 3 days.

Two members of Rocky's crew have also been charged with the same crime and they will also be held pending trial.

The Swedish prosecutor just boasted he had access to more information than people on the internet. He said he's reviewed video and also talked to witnesses, and determined the claims by Rocky and his 2 crew members of self defense and provocation didn't hold water, despite the fact the alleged victim is the one who unrelentingly harassed and attacked Rocky and his crew first.

The prosecutor says he also considered the alleged victim's statement, which he says was supported by witness statements. We're told the alleged victim admits striking A$AP's bodyguard with a set of headphones, but only after the bodyguard lifted him off the ground by his neck, so the prosecutor viewed the headphones attack as self defense. BTW, the lifting by the neck is not on video, and interestingly, if the prosecutor really felt the bodyguard was the aggressor he would have been presumably charged ... and the bodyguard has already been cleared.

The charge has been 3 weeks in the making ... A$AP has been in jail alongside two of his associates since turning himself in to Swedish authorities earlier this month. Prosecutors inadvertently played their hand last week, announcing they were going to charge the Harlem rapper ... and on Thursday the hammer finally dropped.

The only good news for Rocky ... he and his crew will not be charged with Aggravated Assault, a more serious crime which carries a 6-year prison sentence.

As we reported ... the man who attacked A$AP's crew in the streets of Stockholm will NOT be prosecuted for any crime, even though he incited the violence and kept harassing Rocky until he eventually snapped.

In the initial video ... you hear A$AP attempting to diffuse the situation, playing peacemaker and saying no one wants to go to jail.

In video from the street brawl ... A$AP finally loses his cool, throwing his attacker to the ground and absolutely pummeling the guy.

The Swedish justice system is not bowing to pressure from the U.S. government ... with the Prime Minister essentially telling President Trump and the State Dept. to butt out after their attempts to free A$AP.

A$AP's mom thinks Sweden is out to get her son, and she believes it's because he's black ... even though A$AP himself says he won't make race an issue in his assault case.

The man at the center of the A$AP Rocky assault case -- the man who provoked the rapper and even attacked him before A$AP reluctantly snapped back -- was convicted of criminal assault in Sweden 3 years ago.

Mustafa Jafari, Rocky's alleged victim, was convicted of striking a man in his forehead and beating the victim's face back in 2016, when Jafari was 16 years old. It happened on the streets of Stockholm, the very place Jafari harassed and assaulted A$AP and his crew earlier this month.

Jafari was prosecuted and convicted of assault, and his sentence ... 30 hours of community service. He was also ordered to pay his victim around $500 in cash.

Jafari was also convicted of 2 minor drug offenses ... one in November 2017 and the other in May 2018. He was ordered to pay a fine for both, but served no jail time.

As we reported, Jafari was the instigator in the A$AP Rocky incident -- he's the guy in the white shirt. Prosecutors have cleared him, claiming he was acting in self-defense.

Lil Nas X is using his popularity to jack old songs and rack up millions of views -- and dollars -- without rights to do so ... according to a new lawsuit.

The 20-year-old rapper -- who's been the hottest thing in hip-hop and possibly country this year -- is being sued, along with Sony, by a company called The Music Force for jacking the 1982 Bobby Caldwell song, "Carry On."

According to the suit ... X posted a track on YouTube, Spotify and Soundcloud that appropriated parts of "Carry On" without permission, and as of early July it had nearly 4 million YT views.

The Music Force alleges Lil Nas was "motivated by greed and malicious intent."

The company is also suing Sony because it recently signed the rapper to a record deal ... and it says it should made sure its artist got the song cleared.

The Music Force is asking for a whopping $25 million, claiming X has destroyed the value of its Bobby Caldwell song by jacking it.

We reached out to Lil Nas and Sony ... no word back so far.

Jeffrey Epstein was found injured and semi-conscious in his jail cell, and officials are investigating the incident as a possible suicide attempt ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources say Epstein -- who is currently locked up in a Manhattan federal jail for sex trafficking -- was found by guards in his cell Wednesday night with marks around his neck. We're told the circumstances leading up to his injuries are currently unclear, but one possibility is Epstein tried to kill himself.

We're told Epstein is expected to survive.

NBC New York -- who first reported the story -- says one law enforcement source tells them it's possible he may have been attacked by another inmate. The report also says another source claims Epstein may have self-inflicted the wounds around his neck in order to get a jail transfer.

Epstein was denied bail on July 18 and is currently awaiting trial ... no trial date has been set.

The registered sex offender is accused of exploiting a multitude of underage girls in the early 2000s. Most recently, investigators found through a search warrant a fake passport and a massive stash of cash at one of Epstein's properties.

Meek Mill is getting a second shot at justice -- his 2008 gun conviction was just thrown out ... and he's being granted a new trial AND a new judge to re-fight the charge.

A panel of judges handed down their decision Wednesday in Pennsylvania Superior Court -- saying Meek does in fact deserve a new trial, with a new jury ... and most importantly a new judge who ISN'T Judge Genece Brinkley ... who many believe had it out for him the first time around.

Meek celebrated the decision on social media, writing ... "As of right now I’m not on probation and I am not a felon anymore," adding a bunch of praying hands. He went on to say, "today was mega!!!"

As we reported, the key witness in the case turned out to be a dirty cop. Even the prosecutor wanted a new trial -- especially after Meek was released from prison over a year ago -- but Judge Brinkley wouldn't budge. This time around, a panel of 3 judges who were not previously involved in the case unanimously made the decision to throw out the conviction.

You'll recall ... Meek has been through the ringer over the past two years in Philly. He was thrown back in prison back in the fall of 2017 after Judge Brinkley found that he'd violated his probation on at least two occasions from recent arrests ... one for allegedly getting into a fight at an airport, and another for reckless driving.

Despite both cases being dropped, Judge Brinkley found that the arrests alone were violations of his probation from his '08 case ... and harshly sentenced him to a 2-4 year prison sentence.

Meek was locked up for a little while -- with many people fighting for his freedom from the outside -- until finally in April of 2018 ... he was cut loose by the Supreme Court of PA, which overruled Judge Brinkley, who refused to let him out. He walked out of prison and straight to a Philadelphia 76ers game right afterward, with his entire journey documented from helicopter.

Meek just said, "I'd like to thank the Pennsylvania Superior Court judges for their wisdom and their transparency in reviewing my case, unanimously overturning my conviction and granting me a new trial. The past 11 years have been mentally and emotionally challenging, but I'm ecstatic that justice prevailed."

He goes on ... "This positive outcome wouldn't have been possible without the support of my family, my attorneys, Jay Z, Desiree Perez, Michael Rubin, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office and my supporters who have stood with me through the ups and downs."

Meek makes it clear, not everyone is this lucky ... "Unfortunately, millions of people are dealing with similar issues in our country and don't have the resources to fight back like I did. We need to continue supporting them. I'm committed to working with my team at the REFORM Alliance to change these outdated laws and fix our broken criminal justice system."

Meek's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, who has been a stalwart in the fight to overturn the conviction, says, "In this case although justice was delayed it was not denied!"

Wendy Williams says rappers should absolutely follow the money if it leads them to Sweden ... she says there's no point in turning down shows in the country because of A$AP Rocky.

We got Wendy out in New York City Tuesday and she told us she's totally against the proposed rap industry boycott of Sweden ... because it's money over everything.

The beloved talk show host says rappers have to do what's best for them, and if that means booking shows in Sweden, so be it ... after all, she says they've got to pay their bills by any means necessary.

Wendy's stance on the potential boycott is opposite Slim Jxmmi's position ... the Rae Sremmurd rapper said Monday there's no reason for artists to perform in Sweden as long as A$AP is rotting in a Swedish jail.

Wendy wants A$AP freed, and she feels like he was baited into the street brawl that landed him behind bars ... but she doesn't see the sense in others hurting their bottom lines as a show of support.

Three adults at the center of an all-out melee at Disneyland this month have been hit with a bunch of criminal charges ... and one of 'em could do serious time if convicted.

The fight erupted in Toontown -- right in the middle of throngs of kids and families. You hear one of the people in the fight say, "I'm ready to go to jail tonight." That person seems to also reference a Southern California gang.

Just before the fight breaks out, you hear someone in the video talk about disrespecting family. You see a woman spit on the guy in pink and all hell breaks loose.

One of the people charged -- 35-year-old Avery Robinson (the guy in pink) was hit with 5 felonies for allegedly beating up his girlfriend. He's charged with domestic battery and assault with a deadly weapon.

And, since his kid was in the middle of the fight, along with 3 other children, he's also been charged with child abuse and endangerment.

And, it doesn't end there. Disneyland's security ordered Robinson out of the park and he allegedly tried hitting a Disneyland's employee with his car and threatened to kill his sister and her husband.

He faces upwards of 7 years in prison.

Channing Tatum is now legally protected from a woman who broke into his home and squatted there for more than a week.

The woman made herself comfortable in Tatum's crib for 10 days back in June ... and on Tuesday a judge ordered her to stay 100 yards away from Channing, his estranged wife, Jenna Dewan, and their child, Everly. The intruder can't make contact with them either. Channing's current girlfriend, Jessie J, is NOT one of the protected parties.

As we reported ... one of Channing's personal assistants discovered the woman making herself comfortable at Channing's home while he was out of town. His assistant performed a citizen's arrest until cops were able to arrive and take her away.

Authorities say the woman had some personal belongings in the crib. Channing acknowledged the woman had paid him a visit before, claiming she knew him.

Attorney Blair Berk was in court on Channing's behalf, as Tatum is currently in London. Berk provided an email that the woman sent, in which she claimed that she had a relationship with Channing, and that she believed he communicated with her via music.

Kevin Hart's alleged sex tape extortionist says he didn't do anything wrong -- he was just trying to make some money and happened to have a "newsworthy celebrity sex tape" worth selling.

According to new legal docs ... Hart's former friend, Jonathan Jackson -- who's facing 2 felony counts for attempted extortion and extortion by threatening letter -- denies ever contacting Kevin about the sex tape or threatening him in any way.

Instead, Jackson claims he was contacted by a man who said he was a "Hollywood sex tape broker" and offered him $10k for the video. Jackson says he declined but began negotiation for a higher price ... but they never struck a deal.

According to the docs ... Jackson believes this sex tape broker was actually someone working on Hart's behalf to obtain the video and keep it under wraps. When the attempt failed, Jackson says Kevin "likely felt embarrassed and ashamed of his behavior" and came up with the extortion angle to make himself a victim.

Jackson claims the truth is there was never any extortion attempt or threat ... just a guy with a sex tape trying to "lawfully and legally engage in the sale of information to news outlets."

On that note ... Jackson also wants all of his electronic data obtained by a search warrant tossed from the criminal case. He claims law enforcement made up facts -- like saying he asked for $5 million from Hart -- to establish probable cause ... so the warrant was improperly authorized.

Taylor Swift was almost visited by a guy who was ready to roll up to her East Coast home with a bat, gloves, lock picks and a crowbar -- but cops nabbed him.

Police in Westerly, Rhode Island arrested a 32-year-old man named David Page Liddle this past Friday after reports came in that he was acting suspicious at a park in the Watch Hill neighborhood, where Taylor has a mansion at the highest point in the area.

By suspicious, we mean people called in saying the guy had a backpack on with a metal bat sticking out. When police arrived, they say Liddle tried to scram, but they intercepted him.

Cops say Liddle told them he'd just gotten into town from New York, and before that ... from Nashville and Memphis. He allegedly said he was trying to "catch up with Taylor Swift" so she could help him with his music career. Police say he wanted to pay her a visit.

Well, police searched his backpack and found a cache of suspected burglary tools -- aside from the bat, they found 30 lock picks, a crowbar, gloves, a flashlight, screwdrivers and a rake.

That paired with the fact that he was allegedly witnessed near her property earlier in the day was enough for cops to arrest him -- Liddle was booked with possession of burglary tools and a weapon other than a firearm. Taylor was not at home when he showed up to her property.