Site Map - Legal Issues

11/04/2009 - Dogs, especially their noses, have been an important law enforcement tool for ages, whether its scent tracking or sniffing out drugs or explosives. But one use has come under harsh criticism recently: the dog-scent lineup, reports The New York Times.

10/28/2009 - A company that installed a surveillance camera to record activity in an empty office after hours to discover who was viewing pornographic material did not invade the privacy of the two employees who used that office during the day, California’s Supreme Court ruled.

08/31/2009 - A restaurant owner may not sue a man who made negative remarks in an online forum. Ed Doherty, the owner of several restaurants, was quoted in an online article saying that respecting his employees was key to his success. Michael Murray, the father of a young woman who had sued Doherty, claiming she had been sexually harassed by restaurant managers when she worked for Doherty, posted a response to the article. Murray said that Doherty was “repugnant” and that his comments were untruthful. Doherty filed a defamation lawsuit against Murray. A New Jersey court dismissed the case, ruling that some of Murray’s statements were opinion and others were protected because they touched on issues of public concern. (Doherty Enterprises, Inc., v. Michael Murray, Superior Court of New Jersey, No. ESX-L-10079-08, 2009)

08/31/2009 - The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a person cannot be convicted under a federal statute forbidding aggravated identity theft unless the person knowingly misappropriated the identities of others.

08/28/2009 - A recent court ruling dealing a blow to fraud-alert companies leaves consumers in the dark.

08/28/2009 - The strip search of a middle school student is unconstitutional; plus legislation on chemical facilities, food safety, and airport screening.

08/21/2009 - They say there's nothing certain in life but death and taxes. Still, when it comes to prosecuting a criminal case or defending against it, it seemed that DNA evidence was hard to challenge. Now, a team of Israeli researchers shows why we can't be so certain of that either.

07/31/2009 - A federal appeals court has ruled that new regulations requiring that certain urine drug tests be performed under direct observation are justified and constitutional.

07/31/2009 - A federal appeals court has ruled that to recover compensatory damages under a law protecting stored electronic communications, plaintiffs must prove that they suffered actual harm. In the case, the court ruled that a plaintiff whose employer accessed her private e-mail account cannot recover compensatory damages even though the employer violated the law.

07/31/2009 - The federal government has issued revised guidelines for suspicious activity reporting for law enforcement to help prevent discrimination and protect First Amendment rights.

07/28/2009 - The Constitution and 9-11 argues that the Bush administration's response to 9-11 has damaged America's constitutionally protected rights and culture, much like earlier periods in U.S. history.

07/14/2009 - A federal judge yesterday said that a new law to protect businesses from animal rights extremists "may be legally vulnerable," during a hearing for the first four defendants charged with breaking the law, reports The Mercury News.

06/29/2009 - Court rulings on negligent hiring, religious discrimination, and trade secrets; plus legislation on whistleblowers, bioterrorism, and cybersecurity.