The Debate In 2015, expanding the application of previous similar laws, the Texas legislature passed a law to allow citizens to take concealed guns into buildings on public college campuses. Two years later several professors from the University of Texas at Austin sued, calling the law unconstitutional. When their case was dismissed they appealed, and […]
Colorado law gives judges the authority to hide information about court cases from the public, information ranging from the least important details to the very fact of the cases’ existence. Judges use this power either by a procedure called sealing, which has strict limits set out in state codes, or by orders of suppression, which […]
With the passage of Colorado Amendment 64 in 2012, a new era of marijuana tolerance swept the state. As of January 1st, 2014, dispensaries which had gained the proper licensing from the state opened and began marijuana sales to the public. The result has been a steadily-increasing industry, with weed sales, including edibles, medicinal marijuana, […]
Paul Manafort is President Trump’s former campaign chairman who is currently the defendant in two upcoming trials on money laundering and bank fraud. On Friday, a judge ordered he spend the rest of his pretrial period in jail. The accusation which led to this pretrial charge is witness tampering. The Judge determined that since there is no […]
The Supreme Court recently overturned a long standing sport betting act called PASPA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act) which was originally enacted in 1992 by President Bush. This act essentially banned betting on sports at the federal level. However the repeal of this act does not necessarily legalize sports betting across the country. What […]
The East Area Rapist terrorized California in the 1970s and 80s. He was responsible for over 50 rapes, a dozen murders, and more than 100 burglaries. He came to be known as the Original Night Stalker, the Visalia Ransacker, and the Golden State Killer. Interest in this unresolved mystery was recently revived with the publication […]
Distracted driving is a highly dangerous activity that rivals the risk taken when drinking and driving, which we have discussed before here. One of the main distractions is texting, most often by teenagers. But despite the risks, motivating teens to stop texting has proven difficult. However, a new study indicates we could change teen habits more […]
Freedom versus safety is a common and important debate that informs how we design laws and regulations, but when it comes to kids, the questions become more sensitive. What are reasonable boundaries to set and at what ages? Utah has passed a law eliminating a set age limit for kids to participate in certain activities. […]
Background checks are something we don’t think about every day but they are an important part of a number of activities we participate in. Whether it’s job-hunting, travel, or applying for certain privileges, your criminal history follows you and a background check is a great way to know exactly what that history is so you […]
Swatting is the act of calling in a false report of a very serious crime to police in order to prompt them to send a SWAT team (Special Weapons and Tactics) to someone’s home. This so-called prank has led to terrible legal consequences for some and worse, it led to the death of an […]