News & Blog

Fact! The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution typically requires government searches to be “reasonable” meaning a warrant is required before the government can search property or persons. The border search exception allows searches and seizures at international borders and their functional equivalent without a warrant or probable cause. Federal law actually allows certain federal agents to conduct search and seizures within 100 miles of......
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This is true! In most of Western Europe, for example, a “life sentence” actually means that after a minimum term of 12 to 25 years, the prisoner becomes eligible for parole. However, in most of Europe, prisoners who are considered to be dangerous can be sentenced to “indefinite detention” despite eligibility for parole. “Life Sentences” that Aren’t Really for Life In England and Wales, most......
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Believe it or not, people have faced federal charges for removing or even disturbing bird nests. In 2014, Oakland, California tree trimmer Ernesto Pulido was charged with a misdemeanor violation of the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act when he trimmed several nest-laden trees for the U.S. Postal Service. The trees had a large colony of egrets and black-crowned night herons, native birds protected by the......
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The president has long called the investigation into his campaign’s possible coordination with Russia a “witch hunt.” Now that special counsel Mueller and his team is able to study evidence of any crime it encounters in the probe — including tax fraud, lying to federal agents and interference in the investigation – Trump may be feeling the pressure. President Trump has asked his lawyers whether......
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TV viewers love a good courtroom drama and you can’t have a courtroom drama without the judges and the lawyers. Mostly the lawyers. There are many different TV lawyer personalities shown, some depict lawyers pretty favorably, others, not so much.  Shows depicting the lives of lawyers, their cases, and the motives of the criminals they defend or prosecute, have entertained us for years. Personal injury......
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A Kansas couple says Bank of America blocked access to their bank account after they ignored a form demanding proof of citizenship from the husband, who was born and raised in Kansas. The couple thought the letter was spam. The account was unfrozen after he supplied a driver’s license at a branch. Dan Hernandez, a television writer of Cuban heritage who owns a company called “Cuban Missile,” said......
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Incredibly, this is a fact! The District of Columbia has a “one-party consent” wiretapping law.  This means that in our nation’s capital, it is not a crime to record a phone call or conversation as long as at least one party to the conversation consents. See D.C. Code § 23-542. However, a person having a conversation via telephone, Skype, etc., with someone in another state may......
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If you have turned on the TV at all during the first few weeks of the current 2015 NFL season, you have no doubt been bombarded with advertisements for fantasy sports betting. These advertisements allow sports fans to pay small fees, create virtual lineups of players, and then potentially win big prizes if the chosen players perform statistically well. These ad campaigns are predominantly tied......
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For close to a century, he has been one of the most famous, compelling characters in American culture. He has appeared in every storytelling medium that exists, and that iconic music from the long-running TV series is instantly recognizable to multiple generations of fans. That character’s name…Perry Mason! With a character like this, you may think you know all there is to know, but you’d......
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