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A DUI charge may sound simple enough. Maybe you didn’t get into an accident, had a low breathalyzer result, or even heard about a friend who got a similar charged dropped. Unfortunately, not all drunk driving charges are that easy. Depending on the circumstances of your case, a first-time DUI can be a misdemeanor charge or a felony; you could be looking at community service or jail time; and you could plea bargain it to a non-DUI offense or be stuck with an expensive drunk driving charge on your permanent record....

In a decision that was bound to be controversial regardless of the result, a Missouri appeals court ruled that the frozen embryos of a divorced couple are not people, and refused to grant custody of the embryos to either spouse. While this result may seem completely logical, it is seemingly at odds with Missouri law. In Missouri, pretty much any time after conception, an unborn child is considered a human being with protectable rights....

Accused Arizona gunman Jared Loughner has invoked his Miranda Rights, including his right to remain silent since his arrest and has said “not a word,” according to Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, ABC reports. Jared Loughner, who is presumed innocent at this point, is wise to remain silent and assert his 5th Amendment rights. Jared Loughner has been charged in the Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shooting, where 19 people shot in Tucson Saturday....

As Star Magazine recently learned, sometimes all it takes is an apology to make a libel suit go away. But Australia’s NW didn’t get the memo, and after it refused to apologize, pop star Katy Perry filed suit against the tabloid for publishing allegations that she cheated on husband Russell Brand with producer Benny Blanco months after being married. The article at the center of the lawsuit claimed that Katy Perry had an “intimate relationship” with producer Benny Blanco while he mixed her hit song, “California Gurls....

Parents in Kansas have reason to fear for the future of their children’s education: there may be no public schools open at the end of summer vacation. The state’s Supreme Court today ruled that the legislature had not abided by its constitutional mandate to finance public schools equitably, especially poorer districts with less property wealth, and gave authorities an ultimatum. The court gave the state a deadline – until June 30 – to fix the funding issues or face a total shutdown, demanding $40 million or more be added to the public education budget....

As noticed by millions in Washington D.C. and around the world, President Obama’s oath of office featured a bit of a stumble yesterday. Chief Justice John Roberts misstated the oath, throwing off Obama, who completed the oath slightly differently than it is stated in the constitution. Now many have asked: should Obama retake the oath of office? Article II of the Constitution states: “Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation: ‘I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States....

Singer Erykah Badu has been fined $500 and will serve 6 months probation for her public music video striptease in Dallas, Texas. The 39 year-old singer got into some legal trouble while filming her music video, “Window Seat,” which involved striping off all of her clothes and feigning a shooting in Dealy Plaza – the same location that President John F. Kennedy was assasinated. The police did not like their window seat into the music video production and issued the singer a disorderly conduct citation for her behavior, according to People Magazine....

An elderly man from Sparta, who shot and killed three bears on his lawn and was caught trying to dispose of the carcasses, was found guilty and fined by a New Jersey judge last week. The judge called the defendant’s actions those of “a vigilante, usurping the right of the state,” according to the New Jersey Herald. Although this tale reads like fiction, it is fact. The 76-year-old Robert Ehling shot two adult bears and a cub on his lawn with a loaded firearm and was then caught disposing of the carcasses in a ravine....

Tarek Mehanna, a Sudbury, Massachusetts man, was charged with conspiring with others in a terror plot to attack U.S. shopping malls in furtherance of violent jihad. The charges allege that in 2003 Mehanna (inset) sought with others “to obtain automatic weapons, go to a shopping mall, and randomly shoot people,” having allegedly been inspired by the Washington, D.C. area sniper attacks in the fall of 2002. Read Tarek Mehanna’s new terrorism conspiracy charges here:...

It seems that children have always bullied other children, despite the best intentions of teachers and state anti-bullying laws. And now that many children have taken their social lives online, they’ve taken their bullying there as well. Cyberbullying is a crime in many states, and Texas is trying to join that list. Let’s see how the proposed Lone Star State statute compares to others already enacted. According to Austin’s KXAN is reporting that House Bill 306, which rewrites the state’s education code to include activities after school hours and electronic communications, is due for a hearing this month....

A Texas man is behind bars for assisting the suicide of his wife, whom authorities say was neither sick nor terminally ill. Mark A. Kelly, 47, called sheriff’s deputies Saturday to report the death of his wife Sonia M. Dixon, 49, the Houston Chronicle reports. Dixon wanted to commit suicide because of the couple’s dire financial situation, Kelly told deputies. Dixon apparently died alone while Kelly spent the night at a hotel, the New York Daily News reports....

Police are often harshly criticized for their lethal use of firearms, giving many reason to wonder: Why don’t police shoot to wound? That was CNN’s Wolf Blitzer’s question to legal scholar Jeffrey Toobin when discussing the shooting death of Ferguson, Missouri, teenager Michael Brown. “Why can’t they shoot a warning shot?… Why can’t they shoot to injure?” Blitzer queried. To answer Blitzer’s (and your) questions, here’s a general overview of why police don’t shoot to wound:...

There is perhaps no other incident quite like road rage in which an everyday ordinary person with no history of violent behavior can suddenly get arrested for a felony. Perhaps it’s because people are emboldened when they encase themselves in their cars that manners are thrown out and tempers are escalated. Regardless of the reason, here are three reasons to keep your road rage in check, as your actions can get you arrested:...

Amanda Bynes’ DUI charge is now official, and the actress is turning to a higher power for help: President Barack Obama. “Hey @BarackObama… I don’t drink. Please fire the cop who arrested me. I also don’t hit and run. The end,” Bynes, 26, said in via Twitter on Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Times. While we know President Obama is actively seeking political support (and donations) from Hollywood stars, he likely won’t be taking sides in Bynes’ DUI case....

The Ohio Police Chief accused of nosing around the home of the woman who is a surrogate mom who bore twins for Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker is pleading no contest to a misdemeanor. According to the Associated Press, Chad Dojack entered the plea to a dereliction-of-duty count during a pretrial hearing. In exchange, prosecutors have dropped earlier charges of complicity to burglary and complicity to receiving stolen property. A trial upcoming trial is scheduled....

In the face of recent police shootings, almost everyone has an opinion. And while the First Amendment protects your right to say most things, even critiques of the police, freedom of speech does have its limits. Those limits have been tested by some social media posts – and the subsequent arrest of posters – following the sniper attack that targeted police in Dallas. So what can you say about the cops on social media before they start knocking on your front door?...

Everyone’s favorite big box warehouse retailer, Costco, is learning a very expensive lesson in the jewelry business: There’s big difference between a “Tiffany” ring, and a ring with a “Tiffany setting.” The difference is so great, Costco’s going to have pay Tiffany & Co. nearly $20 million. World famous jeweler, Tiffany & Co., won their infringement case against the retailer on summary judgment by convincingly proving this point. While jewelers across the world use, and advertise certain rings as having, a “Tiffany setting,” Costco advertised their rings with the world famous setting as “Tiffany” rings, rather than rings with a “Tiffany setting....

Dell Inc. has reached a $3.35M settlement agreement with the attorneys general of 34 states, to resolve charges that the Texas-based computer giant engaged in deceptive customer service practices related to financing promotions, warranties, and rebates. Under the agreement, Dell will pay $1.5M into an account from which customers will be able to receive restitution for problems with Dell products and services (if they file a claim within 90 days), and the company will also pay $1....

The Walt Disney Company has agreed to pay $250,000 as part of a settlement over alleged water pollution from its studios in Burbank, California. The settlement ends six years of litigation involving the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency. The Clean Water Act Passed in 1977, the Clean Water Act prohibits discharge of any pollutants into navigable waters without a federal permit. The Act also authorizes citizens to file civil suits to enforce the law, as was done in this case....

A 19 year-old Brooklyn man was indicted by a grand jury on animal cruelty charges (see below) for throwing his one-year-old dog off the roof of a public housing project, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. Fabian Henderson faces criminal charges of aggravated cruelty to animals, criminal trespass in the third degree and overdriving, torturing and injuring Animals. Perhaps the greatest danger of animal cruelty cases isn’t that they involve violence by people against smaller, innocent creatures, but that they are often a precursor to violence against people by the same perpetrator....