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Weeks after the start of a new school year, Washington State’s high court ruled that it is unconstitutional to fund charter schools with money from public coffers. The ruling reignited a national debate, raging for decades, about the controversial hybrid form of education that borrows from both the public and private school systems. The Washington court concluded that charters are not “common schools” and cannot receive public money. “A common school, within the meaning of our constitution, is one that is common to all children of proper age and capacity, free, and subject to and under the control of the qualified voters of the school district,” the opinion stated....

As if the Nxivm case couldn’t get any stranger! Allison Mack, the Smallville actor who was charged with sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labor conspiracy has come up with her defense, and it’s based in Scientology. The Nxivm cult was a pyramid scheme, with Keith Raniere at the apex, and Allison Mack being one of his direct underlings. Mack, and a few noteworthy others, would enlist others to join the group, which claimed to empower women....

A Cleveland judge recommended criminal charges be filed against two police officers in the homicide of Tamir Rice. Rice was shot and killed by officers while holding a toy gun in a park last year. While Municipal Court Judge Ronald Adrine could not issue arrest warrants, he did rule that probable cause existed to charge Cleveland Police Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback with multiple criminal charges. Probable Cause As noted above, the judge’s ruling doesn’t constitute actual charges filed against the officers, only that sufficient probable cause existed as the basis for charges to be filed....

On Monday, the Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit upheld a dismissal of the defamation suit against author John Grisham and co-defendants Dennis Fritz, anti-death penalty advocate Barry Scheck, author Robert Mayer and their publishers. The plaintiffs, former Oklahoma District Attorney William Peterson, former Shawnee police officer Gary Rogers, and former Oklahoma state criminologist Melvin Hett, had sued the defendants for defamation, invasion of privacy and civil conspiracy for their books recounting the botched investigation and trial for the 1982 rape and murder of Debra Sue Carter, in Ada, Oklahoma....

Toyota Motor Corporation lost an early battle in the war that is the multi-billion Toyota recall lawsuit, In re: Toyota Motor Corp Unintended Acceleration Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation. Toyota is facing a total of over 200 federal lawsuits and more than 150 state cases. Toyota argued in court Wednesday that the protection of trade secrets should receive priority over disclosing the information for the sake of the recall lawsuit....

Some 5-year-olds throw tantrums. Some throw toys. And some just stab bystanders when deprived of their juice box. You read that right – a juice box stabbing. Police in Ruckersville, Va. took a 5-year-old boy into custody on Monday afternoon after he stabbed two children and an adult with an “edged weapon.” Neighbors claim the stabbing occurred during an altercation over a juice box. Though the stabbing victims were only taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, WCAV-TV reports the unnamed child still must undergo a mental evaluation....

Robert Durst will be staying in jail for the foreseeable future. Now that authorities have Durst in their grasp, they aren’t going to let him go any time soon. A Louisiana magistrate denied bond, also known as bail, for Robert Durst at a bail hearing in New Orleans. Durst was arrested recently after “The Jinx,” an HBO documentary, showed him allegedly confessing to killing a California woman and his wife. He was also charged with illegally owning weapons and drugs....

This week is National Fishing and Boating Week and many people are doubtless planning to hit the water for a little fun in the sun. However, boating under the influence (BUI) is becoming an increasing issue on lakes, rivers, and wateways across America, leading to large numbers of citations as well large numbers of injuries and fatalities. Here are five sobering facts about BUIs that might make you think twice before you get wet and reckless:...

A few years ago, Ethan Couch was made infamous as a result of the defense his lawyers pleaded in an effort to get him off on four counts of DWI manslaughter. Couch is the notorious “affluenza teen.” This week he is again making headlines as the Texas Supreme Court denied his appeal. Unlike influenza, affluenza is a rather different ailment, if it can even be considered such at all. Couch’s medical expert testified that the teen was unable to appreciate the consequences of his actions (of killing four people while driving drunk) due to his affluent upbringing....

That cup of coffee you’re sipping right now at work could be setting you back financially. The average U.S. worker spends more than $1,000 a year on java – on top of another $2,000 a year on lunch, a new survey finds. In fact, the $3,000 a year that the average U.S. worker spends on lunch and lattes is twice as much as a worker typically spends on commute costs, the survey finds, according to Reuters....

In June, the Supreme Court vacated a Colorado Civil Rights Commission decision finding that Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, violated the civil rights of a gay couple by refusing to bake a same-sex couple a cake for their wedding. Rather than ruling that business owners have a right to discriminate against customers based on sexual orientation or gender identity, the Court found that the Commission was too hostile to Phillips’ claims of religious beliefs....

It seems a new scam consumer is born every minute, and a new one has just reared its ugly head on Facebook. Its goal is to get your credit card information. Its method is distraction. This scam tries to distract you with advertisements, fake news, and fake endorsements into believing that Singapore has just switched its national currency to CashlessPay cryptocurrency, and offers to let you buy CashlessPay cryptocurrency on their website....

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has ordered that airlines must allow passengers to deplane if they have an airplane wait of 3 hours or longer. Unfortunately for holiday travelers, the rules won’t take effect until 120 days have passed from the DOT’s announcement. NPR reports that the new regulations aim to address largely ignored passenger rights on airplanes. The Obama Administration hopes that it will send an important message across to the airline industry about tarmac delay abuse....

Englewood, New Jersey’s City Attorney Bill Bailey told FindLaw that the city’s lawsuit seeking an injunction to halt all construction on the Libyan government’s Englewood property would be filed in approximately one hour – around 4 p.m. EST / 1 p.m. PST. Englewood’s Mayor, Michael Wildes, also told FindLaw that the city was suing the Libyan government over the property’s construction. After Scotland’s release last week of a convicted Lockerbie bomber from Libya, Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi reported plans to set up a large tent on the country’s Englewood property, creating a firestorm of controversy....

This week, an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine is highlighting the growing concern over CT scans. These scans give doctors an extremely sharp x-ray picture which allows them to quickly rule in or out many types of injury or disease. However, now experts are saying that Congress should give the FDA oversight on the use of CT scans due to the concern over the risks of increased exposure to radiation....

Funk Band War is at war with soft drink giant Pepsi over what they allege is the inappropriate use of their ’70s hit, “Why Can’t We Be Friends.” The answer to that question is simple, because friends pay friends royalties for use of their song. The suit, filed in Los Angeles last week, alleges that Pepsi did not hold up their end of the friendship by failing to include the band in the negotiations, reports the Washington Post....

In one of the more unconventional terrorism court cases in the past few years, a federal judge last week ordered Iran to pay a combined $600 million in punitive damages to two American families that fell victim to state-sponsored terrorism abroad. The orders, issued in two separate lawsuits, end years of litigation, but will be difficult to enforce. Even so, the presiding judge took these cases as an opportunity to encourage Iran to oppose terrorism....

Whether or not you can drive with a BB gun in your car will vary from state to state. For the most part, weapons of all types can be transported in a vehicle within a state, subject to certain state law restrictions. Usually, and according to gun safety experts, all firearms should be transported while unloaded and locked in a trunk or an out-of-reach lockbox. Transporting a firearm across state lines can often be a trickier matter....

Elder abuse is a serious concern but stolen wedding bands don’t necessarily constitute abuse, do they? Abuse or no, Ashley Michelle Sweeney was found guilty of stealing wedding rings belonging to her elderly patients. She worked as a nursing aide in a state nursing home for veterans in Virginia. The 24-year-old was convicted on Tuesday. During the sentencing part of trial, Sweeney took the stand to defend herself. She didn’t try convincing the judge that her actions were justified but she did want to tell her story....

In recent weeks, 2016 presidential candidate Donald Trump’s charity, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, has come under increased scrutiny for not being very charitable. Now, the New York Attorney General says the Foundation isn’t listed as a charity at all, and must stop fundraising in the Empire State. According to AG Eric Schneiderman’s office, the Trump Foundation failed to register with the state Charities Bureau and therefore illegally solicited contributions. In a Notice of Violation, the AG’s office ordered the Foundation to “immediately cease soliciting contributions or engaging in any other fundraising activities in New York....