Law Advice

Insight: FBI relies on secret US surveillance law, records showReutersWhile the recent spotlight has been on the use of the FISA law by the U.S. National Security Agency for surveillance programs following disclosures by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the FBI also makes extensive use of the law for domestic ...and more » […]

New York Times (blog)Justices Block Law Requiring Voters to Prove CitizenshipNew York Times (blog)The ruling was the second in two terms to reject Arizona laws that the state's officials justified as responses to illegal immigration. In both cases, the court insisted that the federal government has the dominant role when it comes to national issues ...S […]

Supreme Court blocks Arizona law on voter registrationLos Angeles TimesScalia insists on closely following the words of the law, and in this instance, the words of the federal measure were clear in their meaning, he said. As written, the Motor Voter Act “forbids states to demand that an applicant submit additional ... […]

Voter Proof-of-Citizenship Law Voided by Supreme CourtBloombergA U.S. appeals court had invalidated the Arizona law, pointing to a 1993 federal statute that says states must “accept and use” a standard registration document known as the federal form. That form instructs prospective voters to swear that they are ... […]

Washington PostPhilippines reproductive-health law tests power of Catholic Church as it ...Washington PostMANILA — In what is expected to mark a pivotal moment in this rapidly developing but still impoverished nation, the Supreme Court of the Philippines will weigh next month the constitutionality of a new reproductive-health law that pits the entrenched ... […]

NPRHealth-care law's network for resolving confusion shows mixed resultsWashington Post (blog)About half of Americans say they don't know how the Affordable Care Act will affect them. Four in 10 think the 2010 law has been repealed or overturned, or they are unsure where it stands. So chances are good that when the major provisions kick in next ... […]

The RepublicGov. Quinn signs bill to regulate frackingChicago TribuneEnvironmental groups helped hash out the law, which places most of the responsibility for enforcing the law with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, together the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Environmental groups said they would ...Illinois Gov. Signs Tough Fracking Re […]

Supreme Court: Arizona law requiring citizenship proof for voters is illegalFox NewsFederal law "precludes Arizona from requiring a federal form applicant to submit information beyond that required by the form itself," Justice Antonia Scalia wrote for the court's majority. The court was considering the legality of Arizona's ... […]

Supreme Court strikes down Arizona voter ID citizenship lawYahoo! News (blog)In Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council, seven justices agreed that the Arizona law oversteps the state's authority by essentially invalidating the federal voter registration form. The form, established by a 1993 law, lets people register to vote by sending ... […]

Justices strike down citizenship provision in Arizona voter lawCNNWashington (CNN) -- The Supreme Court on Monday tossed out a provision in Arizona's voter registration law that required proof of citizenship. The 7-2 majority said the state's voter-approved Proposition 200 interfered with federal law designed to make ... […]

Justices to Review Housing Bias CaseWall Street Journal- IndiaWASHINGTON—The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review an important legal strategy used in housing-discrimination cases, taking up a dispute similar to one that has caused political trouble for labor secretary nominee Thomas Perez. The court ...and more » […]

Myriad: End to Legal Battle over PatentsZacks.comFollowing the Supreme Court review, earlier ruling by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals to declare the patentability of Myriad's composition of matter claims covering isolated DNA of the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes were subject to legal scrutiny once again.and more » […]

Fox shapes legal team; Janet Nova upped to deputy counselLos Angeles TimesZweifach has been the point person in the company's tangle of legal problems, including lawsuit settlements and a corruption probe by the U.S. Department of Justice, stemming from the costly cell phone hacking scandal at the now-shuttered London ...and more » […]

The Case For Legal Certainty On UnlockingForbesReversing the decision of the Librarian is a terrific first step, but the market needs regulatory certainty. Venture capitalists need certainty before investing. Entrepreneurs need certainty before they leave their current job or drop out of college ... […]

Empowering Women: Legal Rights and Economic Opportunities in AfricaWorld Bank GroupDrawing on the new Women's Legal and Economic Empowerment Database for Africa, the authors of a new book, Empowering Women: Legal Rights and Economic Opportunities in Africa, will review the extent of gender inequality in legal rights to property ... […]

Ask a Lawyer: Did Superman Have a Legal Obligation to Save Lives in Man of ...WiredBut there are a few key points in the film in which he makes decisions with particularly interesting legal ramifications. Perhaps the most important one is when he allows his father, Jonathan Kent, to be killed by a tornado, in order to protect the ...and more » […]

Richmond considers legal tactics to force city councilman to clean up his propertyContra Costa TimesRICHMOND -- After months of wrangling, the city appears poised to initiate legal action against its most colorful councilman because he allegedly refuses to clean up a fenced lot where he stores dozens of old cars and other items. A closed session ...and more  […]

Feds won't budge on public access to drone legal memosPolitico (blog)The public has no right to examine classified Justice Department legal opinions on the so-called "targeted killing" of Americans and foreigners, even though President Barack Obama recently acknowledged that the U.S. used drones to kill alleged Al Qaeda ... […]

Minneapolis Star TribuneIs legal pot ready for a “Starbucks” brand? Activists say no, but a ...Washington PostSEATTLE — For the activists who led the effort to legalize recreational marijuana in Washington state last fall, Jamen Shively was one of their biggest fears: an aspiring pot profiteer whose unabashed dreams of building a cannabis empire might attrac […]

Clarence Thomas's Legal Time Machine Zooms to 1789BloombergDon't let the U.S. Supreme Court's very contemporary cases on gene patenting and same-sex marriage fool you: At least one justice is still living in the 18th century and doesn't care who knows it. Justice Clarence Thomas followed his astonishingly ...and more » […]

The Supreme Court on Monday gave something to both sides in a closely watched dispute at the intersection between patent and antitrust law. […]

The ruling struck down an Arizona law that required residents to provide proof of citizenship when using federal forms to register to vote. […]

Concerns about allocating possible excess cash seem to have held up a proposed $1.6 billion deal related to sudden acceleration defects. […]

The decision could broadly impact patent litigation by prompting more judges to split infringement suits into liability and damages phases. […]

Three claimants stand to collect 5 percent each of a $7.5 million enforcement action against a "sham" hedge fund and its CEO. […]

Roberta Gelb, president of Chelsea Office Systems, talks about how trends such as cloud computing and bring your own device (BYOD) have law firms realizing the importance of training in the adoption of new technologies. […]

Eric Turkewitz, of The Turkewitz Law Firm and author of the New York Personal Injury Law Blog, offers dos and don'ts for first-time legal bloggers. […]

Attorney Daniel Cummins and staff reporter Ben Present discuss the emerging issue of social media law. In this installment, the two discuss the differences between Facebook and Twitter, and whether Twitter posts can be discoverable. […]

Steve Fletcher, CIO at Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, speaks to issues "bring your own device" policies bring to law firms, such as securing client data. […]

Oil-rich cities topped the list of areas in which the nation's 350 largest law firms added the most lawyers during 2012. Denver, Houston and Dallas showed the biggest gains, with Pittsburgh?s Marcellus shale work fueling growth there. […]