Posts

The state of New York will recognize same-sex marriages and unions that are formed and legally validated in other jurisdictions, under an order issued by New York Governor David Paterson. According to CNN.com, Governor Paterson’s legal counsel has instructed state agencies to revise their policies “to recognize same-sex marriages performed in California and Massachusetts as well as Canada and other countries that allow gays and lesbians to marry.” The New York Times calls the move “the strongest signal yet” that Governor Paterson intends to push for the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York....

Today, increased federal prohibition on the manufacture and sale of toys containing certain levels of phthalates or lead went into effect. A court battle clarified last week that the phthalates ban applies to existing inventory. This means that as of now, retailers selling such toys violate federal law. However, the level of phthalates in many toys remains unknown. According to the Center for Disease Control, phthalates are chemicals used in the manufacture of plastics....

There is a new danger lurking in U.S. prisons: cellphones in prison. Prison cellphones, particularly smartphones, are the equivalent of a “modern-day file inside a cake,” The News & Observer reports. Smartphones allow prisoners access to the outside world and continued illegal activities. Such sophisticated prison cellphones allow inmates to look up maps, directories, and even pictures for criminal purposes. It even allows some inmates to mastermind gang violence or drug trafficking online through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter....

Rachel Uchitel, the woman whom media reports allege may be linked to golf star Tiger Woods, has some litigation history. Uchitel is listed as a plaintiff in a multi-trillion dollar federal lawsuit stemming from the 9/11 terrorist attacks. On September 11, 2001, her fiancé James Andrew O’Grady was killed while working when the second hijacked plane struck the World Trade Center’s South Tower. O’Grady was a managing directory at financial advisory firm Sandler O’Neill....

Tuesday’s elementary school gunman incident near Atlanta reminds us that school shooting threats are all too real nowadays. Reports of a shooting or a gunman on school grounds may be a parent’s worst nightmare, but sufficient preparation can possibly save a child’s life – and give parents some peace of mind. Here are five school shooting tips for parents to keep in mind: For more general safety tips now that school’s underway, check out FindLaw’s section on School Safety....

Sony Electronics Inc. on Thursday announced a worldwide recall of certain VAIO TZ-series notebook computer models, because faulty parts could cause the units to short circuit and overheat. Sony has received reports of minor burns to a handful of VAIO users, and is advising owners of the affected laptops to contact the company to resolve the defect. The problem stems from “irregularly positioned wires near the computer’s hinge and/or a dislodged screw inside the hinge,” which can cause the affected VAIO models to short circuit and overheat, according to an announcement from the U....

A fake child abduction has parents upset and police investigating possible charges against the participants, including the “abducted” boy’s parents. Onlookers in a park in Sequim, Washington, watched a masked man grab a toddler and make off with him in a minivan. Frightened parents called 911, and one woman even attempted to chase the van in an attempt to record its license plate number, reports The Associated Press. What could possibly happen to these fake child abductors?...

Stevie Wonder is filing for divorce after 11 years of marriage to Kai Millard Morris, according to court papers filed July 26. The couple married in 2001 but they separated in 2009 and Wonder cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for ending their marriage. That provides a general catch-all for situations where the marriage just didn’t work out. Wonder has requested joint custody of the couple’s two children but he agreed to pay child and spousal support to Morris....

The relationship between government and religion will once again become a point of discussion at the U.S. Supreme Court, as the Justices agreed to consider whether a New York town could open meetings with a prayer. Two residents sued Greece, New York, in 2008, saying it was endorsing Christianity, a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment guarantee of separation of church and state. The Supreme Court ruled in a 1983 case, Marsh v....

The Supreme Court this morning declined to make a definitive ruling on whether transgender students in public schools have a right to use the bathroom corresponding to their gender identity. The decision comes less than two weeks after the Trump Administration rescinded Department of Education guidance on the matter. Instead, the Court vacated a Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, which had used Obama-era guidance to find in favor of a student identifying as male requesting access to male bathrooms....

You may not know New York lawyer Stacey Richman or her father Murray, but CBS wants to invite them into your living room. Stacey Richman is a famous hip-hop lawyer whose clients have included Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Ja Rule. Murray Richman has been called a “mob lawyer,” as he’s defended members of several notorious crime families, the website Deadline Hollywood reports. Sounds like a lot of drama, and CBS thinks so too....

Dr. Samim Anghaie, a University of Florida professor and the founder and director of its Innovative Nuclear Space Power and Propulsion Institute (INSPI) may face charges for defrauding NASA out of at least hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money, according to CNN. Worse, the scheme apparently may have been a family-run operation, as the professor’s wife and president of New Era Technologies, Inc. (NETECH), Sousan Anghaie, apparently was key in securing the government contracts, and to top things off, one of their two sons was vice president and director of NETECH....

A Washington state judge has ruled that a suburb of Tacoma can prohibit marijuana retail operations despite the new state law legalizing the practice. The ruling came in a case brought by a resident of the town of Fife who wished to open a pot shop there but was blocked by city authorities, reports The Associated Press. What was the basis of the ruling and what does it mean for the future of Washington’s still-fresh foray into legalized marijuana sales?...

Consumer protection group World Against Toys Causing Harm (W.A.T.C.H.) has released its list of “10 Worst Toys” for kids for 2014. In releasing this year’s list, the group notes that many of the toys included are example of toys designed and marketed to increase sales at the expense of safety. Inadequate warnings or misleading instructions on products made for children can lead to injury or even death. The group also warns against assuming that toys purchased in stores are safe, even those from trusted toymakers or those purchased at major retailers....

The stop-and-frisk tactics of the NYPD were halted Monday by a federal judge’s ruling that the practice violated the constitutional rights of those who were targeted, mainly minorities. Calling the New York Police Department’s practice a “policy of indirect racial profiling,” Judge Shira A. Scheindlin called for broad reforms to end the abuse, including the use of “body-worn cameras” for specific officers, reports The New York Times. But this isn’t the end of stop-and-frisk in New York City, and the general practice may still be legal elsewhere in the nation....

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker worked hard to pass a law to significantly restricted unions’ collective bargaining rights. A ruling by a Wisconsin judge on Friday has effectively undone all of that. The law was the subject of national debate when it was passed over a year ago. It’s been in effect for months and while Walker’s popularity suffered for it, he survived a recall election in June. The law also survive a previous suit brought before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, according to Fox News....

An Xbox stabbing and shooting after an online dispute sent a 20-year-old California gamer to the hospital, Sacramento’s KOVR-TV reports. The alleged attacker, a 17-year-old boy, was arrested on suspicion of burglary and attempted murder. Prosecutors plan to charge the teen as an adult. The victim, Kevin Kemp of Oakley, Calif., says he and the boy were family friends who played video games over Xbox Live, which allows players to interact via headsets....

No, you cannot make threats online, and threats in games are not fine. You can’t threaten presidents on Twitter, and Snapchat threats aren’t any fitter. Your Facebook threats are not low-key, even if they’re done with emojis. Feds do not care if on “anonymous” apps you made it – a threat to kill will get you raided. Garrett Grimsley may have thought his communications were private, having made them on a supposedly anonymous messaging app, Whisper....

Five ex-cops convicted for killings in the wake of Hurricane Katrina will get a new trial, after a federal judge overturned their convictions Tuesday. The former New Orleans police officers were convicted in the shooting deaths of two civilians who were crossing a bridge in the post-hurricane chaos – an incident that led to a massive cover-up. But a judge found that prosecutors had tainted the trial, reports The New York Times....

“True Detective” gives viewers a taste of investigating crimes, both in and out of the police force. Rust and Marty go from investigating as on-duty police officers to rouge cops, private investigators, and even average citizens. We don’t suggest that people model their lives after “True Detective,” but the show poses an interesting question: Can anyone investigate crime? Tuesday: Are Drug Stings Legal? Wednesday: Did a Real Case Inspire the Show?...