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A Cook County judge brought a police officer’s manslaughter trial to an abrupt end on Monday, acquitting the officer of all charges. The acquittal means that the officer, Dante Servin, probably cannot be re-tried for the killing of Rekia Boyd. Servin had been the first Chicago officer to face a trial for a fatal shooting since 1997. Essentially, Judge Dennis Porter the judge said the prosecution failed to prove Servin acted recklessly, and therefore could not be guilty as a matter of law....

Swatting, the asinine behavior of gamers reporting crimes at the addresses of other gamers, can have serious consequences. Take the case of Andrew Finch, first the victim of an elaborate swatting prank in which a murder and hostage situation were called into his Wichita, Kansas home, then the victim of a police officer’s bullet. Police are putting the blame for Finch’s death squarely on the alleged prankster, Tyler Barriss, a 25-year-old Los Angeles man who was arrested in connection with the killing....

April 15th is here, and you may still be busy filling out tax forms and checking them twice. To help you complete your income tax return on time and accurately – and make sure you take advantage of all tax breaks available to you – Bob D. Scharin, Senior Tax Analyst with Thomson Reuters Tax & Accounting offers a Last Minute Tax-Filing Checklist for taxpayers. Check out the first few items on the checklist below (see the full checklist: Senior Tax Analyst from Thomson Reuters Provides Last Minute Tax-Filing Checklist)....

Beginning today, American citizens entering the U.S. by land or sea are required to present a valid U.S. passport or similar proof of both identity and citizenship. The new rule applies to persons age 19 or older seeking entry into the U.S. at the borders. Identification documents must include a photo, name and date of birth. (See Document Options, from the Department of Homeland Security). Children ages 18 and under will only be required to present proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate....

A product that was being marketed as an opiate withdrawal remedy that promised to ease the associated pains has settled claims brought by the FTC against it. The company that makes Withdrawal Ease and Recovery Ease will no longer be able to make claims about the products’ health benefits unless the claims are supported by actual evidence. These products were marketed toward individuals seeking help recovering from the withdrawal symptoms of opiate addiction, and made specific claims that the product was effective, despite there being no scientific evidence to support those claims....

Live Your Life was the chart topping song that put Atlanta-based rapper T.I. on the music radar last year. Unfortunately, it appears that T.I. may be living his life outside the confines of the law. T.I. and his wife, Tameka Cottle (aka, Tiny), were arrested in West Hollywood late Wednesday night on drug charges. The Los Angeles Times reports on the incident: “During the course of a traffic stop, deputies smelled a strong odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle....

With President Trump and his administration’s focus on immigration, it’s no surprise that immigration topics are often in the news. A bulk of the current news relating to immigration pertains to undocumented immigrants and the concept of sanctuary cities. Cities that consider themselves sanctuaries limit the amount of assistance that law enforcement and other government employees can give to the federal government when it comes to matters relating to immigration....

In the past two days, the US Supreme Court has issued opinions in four criminal cases. The decisions affect issues including evidence at trial, judges’ power in consecutive sentencing cases, possible punishments for not showing up to jail, and when the clock starts ticking to file a federal habeas corpus petition to get out of prison. In Herring v. US, the Court was talking about evidence, particularly the “exclusionary rule.” In short, the exclusionary rule, rooted in Fourth Amendment protections, forbids criminal courts from considering evidence acquired in an unreasonable search and seizure....

The safety issues and recall troubles are not yet over for Toyota. On June 25, the Japanese car company announced it was recalling and halting delivery on its new 2010 Lexus HS250h hybrids. This time the issue is not one of acceleration, but concern that fuel might leak after a crash. USA Today reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that Lexus failed to meet its fuel leakage standard in a test that involves rotating the vehicle after crashing it....

If you think Henry VIII was a tyrant, then you might not be surprised to hear that the actor who plays him on Showtime’s The Tudors is a bit of a tyrant too. Jonathan Rhys Meyers had to get it from somewhere, right? However, there is one difference between Meyers and the King he portrays. Henry VIII quite enjoyed the act of beheading, while Meyers simply fancies the combination of airplanes and being drunk....

A jury found Dzhokhar Tsarnaev guilty on all counts regarding his involvement in the 2013 bombing at the Boston Marathon. But the case isn’t over yet, and the jury’s work isn’t finished. Seventeen of the 30 charges for which Tsarnaev was convicted carry a possible death penalty, so now that jurors have found him guilty, they must decide whether to impose that penalty or life in prison. Let’s take a look at these separate stages of capital punishment cases and how they work....

The Boston Herald reported today that the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has given the judge in charge of accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s case until 5 p.m. tomorrow to rule on a change of venue request. This is apparently the third change of venue request Tsarnaev’s attorneys have filed with Judge George A. O’Toole. The defense wants the trial conducted in a different state, claiming that Tsarnaev wouldn’t be able to get a fair trial in Massachusetts....

A lot of people were surprised yesterday when Barry Bonds’ perjury trial defense team rested its case without calling any witnesses. There’s a lot of speculation as to why this decision was made–I even chimed in over on FindLaw.com’s Tarnished Twenty, highlighting potential strategic rationales. But the fact of the matter is that the Barry Bonds trial is a criminal prosecution, placing the burden of proof on the prosecution. This means that if Barry Bonds’ defense team didn’t want to call any witnesses, it didn’t have to....

Taxes can be scary for many people. The system is not necessarily user friendly. While debtors’ prisons are supposed to be a thing of the past, failing to abide by tax laws can result in criminal penalties, including fines and jail time. To make matters even more complicated, in addition to federal tax laws, there are also state and local tax laws that can have just as harsh, if not harsher, penalties, as one California man recently learned....

You might have seen a teddy bear with especially penetrating eyes and wondered to yourself: Are nanny cams legal? The basic answer: It depends. It’s currently legal in every state to make a video-only recording of anything happening inside your home, at any time, without letting anyone know. It doesn’t matter if the camera is hidden. But there are a few legal restrictions on nanny cameras you may not know about....

Two incidents of school security officers beating high school students in Oakland has us wondering what limits, if any, exist for campus police officers. Are school police officers just like real police officers? Where does their jurisdiction stop and start? The answer could depend on the type of campus and the relevant state laws. An Oakland Unified School District officer is already facing felony charges and the video below of one of episodes could mean more criminal or civil liability....

An orange jail or prison jumpsuit is fairly standard for criminal defendants who appear in court. But is it legally required, and perhaps more importantly, could it prejudice a jury? On Tuesday, a lawyer for Dias Kadyrbayev, one of the suspects alleged to have helped Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, asked a federal court if his client could wear “street clothes” instead of an orange jumpsuit when he appears in court, reports the Boston Herald....

Ever wish you could report crime on your smartphone? Now you can. The Crime Push app offers a new way to get in touch with police. With a few simple taps, you can send officers a wide array of information. The application will allow you to include the location of the crime, any photos, audio, or video. You can also send in a text description. All of this information is sent to police officers who can then pursue the culprits....

In the never ending saga that is the Dr. Luke versus Kesha lawsuit, new allegations have surfaced and each side has amended their respective lawsuits against each other. While Kesha’s lawsuit was amended to include seemingly random statements about Dr. Luke that tend to not have any legal bearing whatsoever, Dr. Luke’s new claims appear to be legally sound and based upon actual events. In addition to the new claims about new commissions owed by Kesha to Dr....

News is trickling out today regarding some of the conditions being blamed for the contamination that caused the recall of more than half a billion eggs in August. Government inspectors have found conditions on two Iowa farms that include rodents and manure tracked in by uncaged hens. According to the FDA, maggots were also found at one of the farms, Wright County Egg. The Wright farm, based in Galt, Iowa, has recalled 380 million eggs since Aug....