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You might’ve thought enabling Touch ID on your iPhone made it more secure. After all, it’s harder to fake your fingerprint than to guess a passcode. But when it comes to the law enforcement searches, your smartphone might’ve gotten a lot more vulnerable. According to Forbes, federal law enforcement officers recently served a warrant on a California home which gave them “authorization to depress the fingerprints and thumbprints of every person who is located at the SUBJECT PREMISES during the execution of the search and who is reasonably believed by law enforcement to be the user of a fingerprint sensor-enabled device that is located at the SUBJECT PREMISES and falls within the scope of the warrant....

On “CSI,” DNA analysis takes minutes to do. Fingerprints are matched in seconds. Hair comparisons are so easy to do that even detectives can take a look into a microscope, and see the match. We have been duped by TV to believe that forensics give quick, clear, easy – and correct –answers. If only it worked that way in real life. The Justice Department and the FBI have admitted that nearly every FBI forensics examiner in the FBI’s microscopic hair comparison unit gave faulty testimony at every trial they testified in since 1980, reports The Washington Post....

The battle between the government and motorcycle clubs engaged in illegal activity has spilled into trademark law. Federal prosecutors are asking a federal court to ban members of the Mongols motorcycle gang from wearing or distributing their trademarked logo and name. More than 100 Mongols faced criminal charges in state and federal courts under a 2008 racketeering indictment accusing members of drug trafficking, torture, and murder. Illegal Logo? Founded in southern California in 1969, the motorcycle club’s logo consists of a sunglasses-wearing Mongol warrior on a motorcycle....

American rapper and producer G-Eazy (nee Gerald Earl Gillum) was arrested this week in Stockholm, Sweden on drug possession and assault charges after a scuffle in a nightclub. According to TMZ, the artist was partying at Solidaritet after a show, then became belligerent when a fan attempted to photograph him in the VIP area of the club. Details are few, but it appears G-Eazy won’t be facing any jail time following his arrest....

The United States Supreme Court has taken up the issue of California’s horribly over-crowded prisons. Right now in California prisons, one inmate dies every eight days from lack of medical care. A failure to provide minimum-required healthcare to inmates is a violation of the constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. In 2009, a three-judge panel ordered the state to reduce its prison population, down to 137.5% of capacity, reports The Los Angeles Times....

The Driver License Compact is an interstate agreement between 45 states to exchange information about license suspensions and traffic violations of non-residents, including DUI offenses. Its theme is “One Driver, One License, One Record.” The five non-member states are Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Tennessee. All other states, and the District of Columbia, are members. So what does it mean if your state has (or has not) signed on to the Driver License Compact?...

Ah the conjugal visit, always a favorite prison topic. Yes, they do exist, but that doesn’t mean that every visit by a spouse is a conjugal visit. Most visits are simply standard visits, during which no funny business is allowed. But that doesn’t mean that some people don’t give it the old college try, just the same. Rapper T.I. is in trouble after Arkansas prison guards caught him getting “frisky” with his wife during her prison visit, TMZ reports....

Normally you expect candidates to petition to be included on a ballot, not fight in court to be taken off. Well wake up Dorothy, because you’re in Kansas politics now – and a state court has declined to force the Democratic Party to field a candidate for U.S. Senate on the November 4 ballot. A three-judge panel announced Wednesday that a legal petition to force Kansas Democrats to put forward a replacement for ex-candidate Chad Taylor, who quit the race two weeks ago, was supported by zero evidence and lacked legal standing....

Even cases that don’t go a particular plaintiff’s way can have larger and more positive ramifications for an entire community. Engineer Nicole Wittmer’s claims against Phillips 66 – that the energy company refused to hire her because she’s transgender – could be one of those cases. Though a federal judge in Texas ruled that Wittmer lacked the evidence to prove discrimination in her particular case, the judge also ruled that federal employment law protecting workers from sex discrimination also applies to sexual orientation and gender identity....

What if your data gets lost in the cloud? This weekend, T-Mobile subscribers using the popular Sidekick mobile devices received word that data including their contacts, calendars, notes and photos had almost certainly has been lost. The data was reportedly lost by the aptly named Microsoft subsidiary Danger, Inc. With more and more individuals and businesses storing their data “in the cloud,” the massive data loss has sparked fear and questions about what, if any, legal recourse consumers have....

A Pilot Flying J settlement related to the company’s fuel-rebate scandal has received preliminary approval from a court. The proposed agreement would give trucking firms more than $40 million, and their attorneys another $14 million, The Plain Dealer of Cleveland reports. Pilot Flying J, the country’s biggest truck-stop chain, designed the settlement after being slapped with about 20 lawsuits – filed by truckers and trucking companies – related to fuel-rebate shortages that came to light after raids by FBI and IRS agents....

If your cell phone is stolen, who ya gonna call? The answer may soon involve a new nationwide database that the FCC hopes will cut down on cell phone thefts. America’s “big four” wireless carriers – AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint – are joining forces to create a combined national database of stolen cell phones, ZDNet reports. The participating wireless carriers cover about 90% of U.S. cell phone subscribers, according to the Associated Press....

Hurricane Sandy brought on a flood of crime to New York City and other hard-hit areas. Since Sandy made landfall last week, affected areas in New York and New Jersey, among other places, have been plagued with burglaries, street muggings, fights, and other crimes, reports the New York Post. Things have gotten so bad that police on Manhattan’s Lower East Side are warning residents not to use the flashlight apps on their smartphones – for fear that the light will attract thieves and other low-lifes....

This is why we can’t have sweet things. Sugar is delicious, but it can kill you. High fructose corn syrup may also be deadly. And the two sweeteners have been locked in a sour legal battle over naming rights and advertising. Can corn syrup call itself “corn sugar?” Is it “natural?” Do we care? Can you just put it into a 64-ounce soda and give it to me, please? You can see sugar’s complaint below....

Owners of the newest luxurious, all electric, Tesla automobiles have filed a class action lawsuit against the automaker over the allegedly “half-baked” autopilot software. The class action case alleges that the software not only doesn’t work, but is dangerous to use. Despite the hefty, often six-figure price tags, Tesla has a history of poor quality control. The autopilot feature, which costs an additional $5,000, began going on sale in late 2016....

Although burglary, robbery, and theft are often used interchangeably, there are distinct differences between the three. What the three have in common, of course, is that they all may involve the unauthorized taking of someone’s personal property by another person (aka stealing). But beyond this shared link, burglary, robbery, and theft are all different crimes. What are the differences between the three? Theft is the most basic of the three crimes....

George Zimmerman was in court Tuesday on aggravated assault charges based on allegations that he pointed a gun at his girlfriend during a fight on Monday. According to The Associated Press, Zimmerman was slapped with the assault charge for allegedly pointing a shotgun at girlfriend Samantha Scheibe after she demanded that he leave her house. Zimmerman was released Tuesday afternoon on bond, but what lies ahead for the notorious Floridian?...

Dora the Explorer is a wildly popular cartoon on Nickelodeon that follows the bi-lingual Dora on her, well explorations. Now Dora is exploring the legal world. The Dora the Explorer actress is suing Nickelodeon, claiming the network (owned by Viacom) cheated her out of millions of dollars. 14 year-old Caitlin Sanchez, who has been the voice of Dora since 2007, claims that Nickelodeon misrepresented itself in the initial contract negotiations and has been cheating her out of her money ever since....

Although reality television supposedly gives a realistic and uncensored eye into the lives and times of the cast, it is not a bad idea to be aware that broadcasting one’s activities can come with side effects. Take Teen Mom star Amber Portwood. Portwood got into an on-air fight with ex-fiancé Gary Shirley in a recent episode of the MTV reality show. The Teen Mom fight episode has now lead to a police invetigation....

California drivers under the age of 18 will be prohibited from driving while using cell phones and other electronic devices, under a law signed Thursday by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Teens who violate the law would face a $20 fine for a first-time offense, and a $50 fine for any repeat violation of the law. A Press Release from the Office of the California Governor declares that California is joining fifteen states and the District of Columbia, which have also enacted laws “restricting the use of wireless communication devices by new and inexperienced drivers....