News & Blog

Are the Trump White House Nondisclosure Agreements Enforceable?

A few weeks after he was elected president of the United States, Donald Trump decided he would require his White House staff to sign non-disclosure agreements (aka NDAs) — just as Trump Organization employees and Trump wives were required to. Although Trump was advised that NDAs for federal government employees couldn’t be enforced, White House counsel Don McGahn drafted a watered-down version. Rumors are that......
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Can a Totally Inexperienced Person Become a Federal Judge?

Believe it or not, the U.S. Constitution sets forth no specific requirements about who can become a federal judge. Federal judges include Supreme Court justices, court of appeals judges, and district court judges. These are all nominated by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate. They are all appointed for a life term. A federal judge is not even required to possess a......
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Law Student, Bronze Star Recipient Jennifer Barrow wins $3,000 Scholarship

The Reeves Law Group is honored to name former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer and Bronze Star recipient Jennifer Barrow as the 2017 winner of our scholarship competition. Jennifer is in her final year at Harvard Law School and will use the $3,000 award towards tuition and education-related expenses. Jennifer’s application, essay, and supporting documentation set her apart as the clear favorite from dozens of other......
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Are Lottery Winners Required to Reveal Their Identities?

Why Would Lottery Winners Want to Stay Anonymous? Lottery winners should watch their backs. In November 2015, Craigory Burch Jr. won  $434,272 in a Georgia jackpot. Two months later, Burch was killed in his home by seven masked men. His family members said the public announcement of the lottery winnings had made him a target. In 2006 Abraham Shakespeare won a $30 million lottery prize. Two......
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Is It Legal for Tinder to Charge Older Users More?

The dating app Tinder popularized the notions of swiping right and left on potential partners — right for yes, left for no. Tinder’s paid service, called Tinder Plus, offers benefits that are not part of the normal free service. For example, in the free Tinder app, if you’ve swiped left on a potential match, signaling you’re not interested, you’ll never see them again. Tinder Plus......
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When Online Gamers Cause Swatting Deaths

What Is Swatting? “Swatting” is a term for making a false police report, usually of a violent crime, to send SWAT teams or other law enforcement to a location. The FBI estimates there are approximately 400 cases of swatting annually. There is currently no federal law against “swatting,” although U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) introduced a bill in 2015 designed to address it. Just after Christmas, a......
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Are Your Neighbor’s Crazy Christmas Lights A Legal Nuisance?

In a Mississippi suburb Carol and Mike Richardson have been working on an increasingly elaborate Christmas display over the last 20 years. However, neighbors claimed the display was drawing loud music and traffic from viewers, and even buses. The display, traffic, and noise have annoyed neighbors so much that they asked the Board of Aldermen to declare it a public nuisance. An Ohio man erected......
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37 Strange, Bizarre & Hilarious Christmas Facts Yule Not Believe

For Christians, Christmas formally began in the third century A.D., but many of the most famous traditions — reindeer, trees, snowmen, etc. — emanate from the celebration of winter solstice in pagan cultures. With over 2,000 years of dual history backing it, you’re bound to discover some surprises along the way. So in the holiday spirit, here are 37 Strange, Bizarre and Hilarious Christmas Facts......
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Can You Be Arrested for Cursing at the Police?

According to the Marshall Project, many citizens are arrested for cursing at cops, when such profane speech is actually protected by the First Amendment. Of course, verbal threats of violence against the police are not protected free speech. In one case the Washington state Supreme Court threw out an obstruction case against a man who cursed at cops after they were called to investigate a disturbance at his......
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Does Your Halloween Costume Infringe a Copyright?

In general, there is no copyright protection for the shape of clothing, and that includes many costumes. In copyright law, “useful articles” don’t get copyright protection because they are considered functional, rather than aesthetic. This means nobody can own a copyright in something like the shape of an automobile or a television set. However, courts have ruled that individual components of a costume can be......
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