One of the most common questions on our FindLaw Answers Criminal Law message board is whether someone can expunge an out-of-state conviction. This applies whether you got arrested for a DUI while in Florida on vacation, or if you live in one of the many “tri-state” areas across the country and happened to get arrested in a neighboring state. So can you get that out-of-state conviction expunged from your criminal record?...
It appears as though a new chapter will be added to the tumultuous legal battle befalling tot mom Casey Anthony. Probation officials in Orlando, Florida should expect the acquitted murderer by August 26, at which time she is to begin serving one year of probation on a check fraud conviction from 2010. But while this seems easy enough, Anthony’s lawyer asserts that she already served her year of probation while awaiting jail....
When an actor working as a reporter visits a wanted fugitive to talk about making a biopic, is it a crime? The question presents itself because last week Mexican officials arrested drug kingpin Joaquin Guzman, known as El Chapo, and the next day Rolling Stone published an account of a secret meeting between the fugitive and Sean Penn. The clandestine meeting took place in October, while law enforcement agents were still hunting El Chapo down....
The Federal Appellate Court for the Fifth Circuit rejected the appeal of a few organizations that are trying to protect a controversial, Confederate monuments in New Orleans. Three of the four monuments that are the subjects of this litigation can now be removed and stored pending a more appropriate location (if that even exists). In the short, three-page, court order ruling against those seeking to preserve the Confederate monuments, issued yesterday, the Court of Appeals specifically states that the groups’ legal claims “wholly lack legal viability and support....
Last May, President Obama announced the establishment of a White House office to be led by a Cybersecurity Coordinator. According to reports, Frank Kramer, a member of Bill Clinton’s administration, may soon be named as the Cybersecurity Coordinator, tasked with coordinating cyber security efforts within different branches of government and with private industry. Last week, Reuters reported, from an unnamed source familiar with the decision-making process, that Frank Kramer, a former assistant Defense secretary under President Clinton, looks to be the current front-runner....
You’ve been arrested for a DUI, your arraignment is coming up, and you’re itching to tell your side of the story. Maybe you weren’t drunk, or you think the breathalyzer was broken, or you shouldn’t have been pulled over in the first place. All you have to do is explain this to the judge, and everything will be all right. Not so fast, my friend. While an arraignment might be your first court appearance, it’s not a full-blown trial....
A 2006 Hazelton, Pennsylvania immigration law that allowed the city to revoke business licenses for those companies that employed illegal immigrants, and fine landlords that knowingly rented to them has been struck down by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. You can read the case opinion in Lozano v. City of Hazelton on FindLaw.com. The Philadelphia Inquirer quotes Chief Judge Theodore McKee’s rationale in the Pennsylvania immigration law case: The Hazelton Pennsylvania law was a proud trailblazer in local anti-immigration policies, and many other states and cities patterned similar laws after it – a trend that many states may now find themselves facing similar constitutional challenges....
How green is green? When purchasing products, how does the concerned consumer make an educated decision about which products will help them buy green? The FTC says there are too many vague and misleading claims by companies that their products are “green,” so help is on the way. This week, the FTC has released its draft guidelines for eco friendly products updating those first set up in 1998, according to The New York Times....
The armed forces take care of us, so it’s only right that we take care of servicemembers. A group of senators are proposing new legislation that would protect U.S. servicemembers from abusive financial practices. Nine Democrats have introduced legislation to allow the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to oversee and enforce provisions of the Servicemember Civil Relief Act (SCRA). That’s a lot of acronyms, so let’s take a look at how the new law would work....
Whether your retirement is just around the corner or still decades away, the Social Security Administration’s new Online Retirement Estimator can help you get a quick estimate of the Social Security income you can expect to receive. With the new Retirement Estimator, users can get personalized Social Security benefit estimates based on their current and future earnings, and can compare different scenarios based on retirement age. In announcing the SSA’s new online feature, Commissioner of Social Security Michael J....
A judge tossed out a lawsuit by rap producer Dr. Dre claiming that his former label, Death Row Records, violated his rights of trademark and publicity by releasing a new version of his iconic album “The Chronic.” In analyzing the case, California District Court Judge Christina Snyder ruled that the alterations to the album were “minor and inconsequential.” In addition, the image used on the cover jacket is the same photograph from the original album, instead of a more current photo, which may have implied Dr....
Steve Wynn was awarded a hefty sum by the jury in the ruling of his slander lawsuit against ‘Girl’s Gone Wild’ founder Joe Francis. The ruling is only the latest in a string of lawsuits between the two men over Francis’s gambling debt and the statements he’s made surrounding Wynn’s conduct over the debt. The jury found on Monday that Francis’s statements were false and awarded $20 million in damages to Wynn....
The shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin will be heading to a grand jury, according to Florida State Attorney Norm Wolfinger. The decision comes a day after the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice decided to open their own investigation into the case. The Trayvon Martin grand jury will convene April 10, and will likely spend days, if not weeks, poring over evidence, WFTV reports. The grand jury will then decide whether to indict George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who claims he shot and killed Martin, who was unarmed, in self-defense....
North Carolina’s plan to offer “Choose Life” license plates to state residents has been blocked by a federal court. State legislators approved the pro-life design in June 2011, but rejected specialty plates that would have proclaimed pro-choice slogans such as “Respect Choice.” Before the plates could be issued, the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit. On Monday, Senior U.S. District Judge James C. Fox issued a permanent injunction against the “Choose Life” plates....
Popular messaging app Snapchat was reportedly hacked last week, allowing hackers to download and share thousands of private images and videos, some of which were graphic in nature. Snapchat is an app that allows users to send each other pictures or videos that purportedly “disappear” after being opened by the intended recipient. This feature has made Snapchat popular with teens and other users who wish to share photos or videos that they would not want to be made public or seen by other than the intended recipient....
At DUI checkpoints from coast to coast, law enforcement agencies are cracking down on drunken driving. You don’t want to end your Labor Day weekend with a DUI arrest. To help you avoid the unpleasantness that follows a drunken driving conviction, here are nine “no-nos” to avoid when you encounter a DUI checkpoint: Say no to these nine “no-nos” and say yes to safety and avoiding arrest. Related Resources: Contact a DUI Attorney in Your Area (FindLaw) DUI Checkpoints (FindLaw) Are New Year’s Eve DUI Checkpoints Legal?...
Actors are necessarily dramatic people and so it is perhaps not surprising that their personal lives are full of drama, too. Today, for example, Michael Jace, an actor who played a policeman on the hit television series “The Shield,” was found guilty of murdering his wife in 2014. His trial in Los Angeles lasted a week. The jury – six men and six women – deliberated for two hours before finding him guilty of second-degree murder....
Ariel Castro has been sentenced to life in prison plus 1,000 years for the kidnapping, torture, and rape of three women whom he imprisoned in his Cleveland home for as long as 11 years. At Castro’s sentencing hearing Thursday, one of his victims, Michelle Knight, spoke publicly about her ordeal. Relatives of the two other victims, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, also had choice words for the convicted kidnapper. “You took 11 years of my life away....
As if riding a motorcycle by itself weren’t hazardous enough these days, TMZ and news agencies report that former NFL’er Brian “The Boz” Bosworth was arrested for DUI last night while riding his Harley. If you don’t remember Brian Bosworth from the NFL, it’s probably because his NFL career was pretty short (1987-89) and perhaps not terribly successful, although to be fair, many would say he had a phenomenal collegiate career....
In a few days, the Buju Banton news went from Grammy for Best Reggae Album to Buju Banton Found Guilty of cocaine possession. The reggae artist is facing up to 15 years in a federal prison. Banton was in the news recently when he won his Grammy Award. It wasn’t widely publicized that he was also set to stand trial in a federal court in Florida, which the New York Daily News reports stemmed from charges that he conspired to distribute cocaine....
