The end of summer brings a final blast of hot days along with the realization that cold weather is just around the corner. For pet owners in some states, extreme weather also carries some liability: it may be illegal to leave your pet outside in ... [Read more...]
Taping Conversations
The topic of taped conversations, both in person and on the phone, has been in the news lately. Omarosa Manigault Newman’s account of recording both her firing by Chief of Staff John Kelly and a subsequent phone call with President Trump might lead ... [Read more...]
California and the End of Cash Bail
California is on track to become the first state to eliminate money bail with the passage of California Senate Bill 10, but, even as the bill becomes law, it continues to attract controversy. California SB10 has been shaped over two years of ... [Read more...]
Children’s Privacy Online
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act or COPPA was passed in 1998 and amended in 2012. “The primary goal of COPPA,” wrote the FTC in the FAQ, “is to place parents in control over what information is collected from their young children (under ... [Read more...]
Advance Health Care Directives (“Living Wills”) and Powers of Attorney for Health Care Decisions
The old saw warns us that there is nothing certain but death and taxes, yet we may fail to plan for either. We can prepare for taxes through careful record-keeping and allocation of our finances and, with some forethought, we can plan for end-of-life ... [Read more...]
The Policy and Law of Supervised Drug Injection Sites
The opioid epidemic has sent doctors and legislators scrambling for solutions. The federal government has attempted to both block access to opioids and improve treatment options for those who are already addicted. The medical community has looked to ... [Read more...]
The Shape of a District: Gerrymandering and Political Power
With a little over two months remaining until the November midterm elections, three federal judges of the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that North Carolina’s map of congressional districts had been drawn to offer a deliberate and ... [Read more...]
He Said, She Said, Then They Agreed: Mediating Divorce and Custody
If you are in the midst of a divorce or separation and looking for a way to resolve custody issues with as little hostility and expense as possible, you might want to consider mediation. Mediation may give you more control over the process: you ... [Read more...]
Charting Change of Venue
Recently, attorneys for President Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, informed the judge in Manafort’s pending D.C. trial that they would seek a change of venue, although they did not yet know where they wanted the trial to be held. Such ... [Read more...]
The Transformation of ICE
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) has become a flashpoint for political disagreement; some Democrats have been calling for its abolition, while the House of Representatives passed a Republican-backed resolution in support of the ... [Read more...]