Nine members of the California legislature recently issued a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta. They are requesting an official court opinion on the constitutionality of Donald Trump’s potential 2024 presidential run, under the stipulations of the Fourteenth Amendment. This constitutional amendment prohibits any individual who has instigated “insurrection or rebellion” against the United…
Mississippi has a long-standing reputation of neglecting the rights of its citizens. Of note today, is the right to legal representation in criminal trials. As reported by ProPublica, Mississippi has been systemically evading this constitutional obligation for nearly two decades now. Public defense systems nationwide are commonly known for being overburdened and underfunded. Yet Mississippi…
Being well-rounded in the field of legal practice requires not just specialization but also adaptability. Justin Murphy, a former federal prosecutor, embodies this kind of resilience. Now renowned for representing both corporate and individual clients embroiled in government enforcement cases, Murphy handles a broad range of legal matters including complex antitrust affairs, fraud allegations, and…
In a recent development, the California Office of Administrative Law approved the Civil Rights Council’s proposed amendments to regulations regarding the consideration of criminal history in employment. The changes are due to come into effect from October 1, 2023, mandating compliance from employers with individual assessments and other pre-existing requirements under the California Fair Chance…
In the past decade, there has been an acute focus on reforming wage laws in New York, leading to the introduction of several pieces of legislation. These efforts by New York lawmakers have been amplified by the recent passing of a bill that codifies wage theft as criminal larceny. The law was enacted on September…
In legal discourse, one aspect which must be prioritized in today’s COVID-19 era, is the question of custody rights and what remedies are accessible. With the pandemic throttling the Pennsylvania judicial system, a significant drop in the dispensation of legal cases have occurred in comparison to the Superior Court’s pre-COVID-19 paced dispatching of 7,500-8,000 filings…
Federal prosecutors in the case relating to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s alleged interference with the 2020 election, made a plea on Friday to the US District Court for the District of Columbia. This plea beseeches the court to prevent the former President from making prejudicial and extrajudicial statements that could potentially influence the jury….
A group of 40 survivors of a boat accident involving migrants in Greek waters has filed a criminal complaint against all parties they consider accountable for the tragedy, according to a statement from the survivors’ representatives. The survivors are clamoring for an in-depth investigation into the reasons behind the sinking and the response from the…
On Friday, UN experts issued a formal appeal to Saudi Arabia, urging the revocation of the death sentence imposed on social media dissident, Mohammad Al Ghamdi. Ghamdi was taken into custody by Saudi security services on June 11, facing criminal allegations related to his online commentary, including “betrayal of religion, country, and leadership” and the…
The Supreme Court of India declared on Wednesday that courts should not arrive at differing decisions for two or more criminal defendants if the evidence against them is nearly identical. This observation was made by a bench comprising of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Sanjay Karol in the case of Javed Shaukat Ali Qureshi vs…
As legal professionals, we are aware of the rapid development and continually changing landscapes of the appellate litigation. Therefore, it is essential to stay updated with weekly developments roundups, one such being the compilation at Howard Bashman’s How Appealing blog, the Web’s founding blog dedicated to appellate litigation. Recent critical issues include the White House…
The UK government has officially designated the Wagner Group as a terrorist organization. This move makes it illegal to associate with the group, either domestically or internationally. The pronouncement came a few weeks subsequent to a proposed bill containing this proscription being presented to Parliament on September 6. The formal announcement was made on a…
In recent developments, Patrick Muyaya, Minister of Communication and Media in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) confirmed that the government is keeping a close eye on the case of journalist Stanis Bujakera who got arrested earlier this week. While Muyaya expressed a measure of empathy towards Bujakera, he stressed the need to uphold…
The California state legislature recently passed a bill mandating lawyers to report to the state bar if they suspect their colleagues of engaging in serious criminal activities, such as treason. With Senate Bill 40 (SB 40) having obtained the consent of both the California State Senate and the State Assembly, the bill’s fate lies in…
In a significant development, a Colorado construction company owner pled guilty to criminal manslaughter charges last month. The charges stem from an incident resulting in the death of an employee due to a trench collapse. As reported by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the worker was fatally injured while installing a sewer…
On September 11, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reached a settlement with a group of entities engaged in the business of background reporting; namely, Instant Checkmate, LLC, TruthFinder, LLC, The Control Group Media Company, LLC, Intelicare Direct, LLC, and PubRec LLC (collectively referred to as the ‘background report companies’ or ‘the companies’). The claim…
In a series of recent legal updates, key events include Hunter Biden’s gun charge indictment, CNN reports. Supreme Court Justice Alito will draw attention using the President’s son as a reference in an upcoming opinion on gun laws. Meanwhile, proceedings in Donald Trump’s financial crimes case were brought to a temporary standstill by a New…
In a recent legal development, a federal judge in Connecticut has ruled that a state law demanding convicted sex offenders to reveal their online identities to authorities cannot be applied against a former attorney who had filed a lawsuit against the state and law enforcement officials post his 2018 arrest. This report explores the noteworthy…
The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill is slated to obtain Royal Assent1 thereby finalizing its transition into UK law, following the conclusion of its Parliamentary passage on Tuesday. However, the Bill’s content has not been spared from widespread criticism. The Bill reached the level of its initial reading in the Parliament in May…
A Georgia judge recently agreed to sever attorneys Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell from the remaining 17 co-defendants in a criminal case involving allegations of interference in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election. This case implicates former US President Donald Trump and his allies, with Chesebro and Powell already having pleaded not guilty to their respective charges….
Amnesty International has recently taken a stand on the plight of climate activists in Mexico. In a report published last Wednesday, the organization takes specific aim at the “disproportionate use of criminal law,” terming it as one of the biggest barriers to peaceful protest in defense of land, territory and environment in Mexico. The report…
Recent trial developments have shed a new perspective on the case concerning the fatal 2020 shooting of a federal courthouse security guard. An FBI agent provided testimony on Wednesday that contravenes the defense’s assertion that the driver of the getaway vehicle was forced into this role under duress. The man on trial, who is alleged…
In a move to protect workers’ rights, on September 6, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an amendment to the New York Penal Law, thereby revising the notion of criminal larceny to include wage theft. This amendment serves as yet another decisive factor urging New York employers to ensure all employees are appropriately compensated,…
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has recently delivered an alert concerning a prevalent virtual currency fraud methodology infamously known as “pig butchering”. As unsettling as its moniker suggests, the term “pig butchering” metaphorically signifies the unsettling process of “fattening a hog before the slaughter”. This particular financial subterfuge primarily traces its roots to the…
In a bid to protect employees’ rights and benefits, new legislation has been introduced in New York. Signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul on September 6, 2023, the legislation makes failure to pay wages a criminal offense. This move is a significant step in expanding New York’s definition of larceny to include “wage theft.”…