Government

New Secondhand-Smoke Frontier Focuses on Shared Residential Buildings

Smoking has been banned in a number of public places and worksites. But, although individuals also have a right to live smoke-free in their own homes, if they wish, there’s no comparable law prohibiting smoking in residential buildings, the New York Post reported. And that’s creating work for a number…

Jul 14, 2011 6:17 PM CDT

If a Patient Has a Cold, Why Does a Doc Need to Know About Guns, a Federal Judge Wonders

Physicians fighting a Florida law that restricts them from asking all patients about guns or dropping a patient simply because he or she has a firearm could be facing an uphill legal battle. During a court hearing today on a lawsuit filed by several physician groups, an assistant attorney general…

Jul 13, 2011 10:11 PM CDT

Fishing Captain Fights Court Battle for Moon Rock He Says He Saved from Museum Trash

A piece of the moon presented to the state of Alaska in 1969 by President Richard M. Nixon was missing for almost 37 years. But it surfaced against last year, after a lawyer who has made it his life mission to track down the 230 moon rocks presented to various…

Jul 12, 2011 9:21 PM CDT

Mich. Woman Faces Misdemeanor Trial Over Veggie Garden in Her Front Yard

Editor’s note: Charges against Bass have been dropped. Read our update. At first Oak Park warned Julie Bass. Then she got a ticket from the Michigan municipality. And when that didn’t work, she was criminally charged. Her alleged crime? Growing vegetables in the front yard of her home, according to…

Jul 11, 2011 8:15 PM CDT

Fla. AG Had No Income in 2010

The attorney general of Florida, Pam Bondi, gave up her job at the Hillsborough County State’s Attorney’s office at the end of 2009 so she could run for office in 2010. Hence, Bondi, who is now engaged to an ophthalmologist, had no income in 2010, according to financial disclosure forms…

Jul 8, 2011 1:48 PM CDT

EEOC Sues Restaurant, Says It Allowed Sheriff’s Deputy to Harass Waitresses

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a sexual harassment suit against a South Florida restaurant, contending that it discriminated against employees by allowing a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy who was a frequent customer there to create a hostile work environment. Filed Tuesday, the federal suit contends that the…

Jul 8, 2011 12:23 PM CDT

Some Companies Behind Shrinking Belly Ad Are Conning Consumers, FTC Alleges

Those online ads showing a shrinking waistline and offering “1 Tip for a Tiny Belly” have linked to some diet companies that are conning consumers, the Federal Trade Commission has alleged. Independent promoters sell the ads to companies hawking diet products made from foods such as acai berries and African…

Jul 7, 2011 1:16 PM CDT

Is the Debt Ceiling Unconstitutional? Obama Won’t Go There

A constitutional question spurring debate among law professors was put before President Obama on Wednesday: Why not declare the debt ceiling unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment? The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal’s Washington Wire blog and National Public Radio were among the news outlets covering the question, posed during…

Jul 7, 2011 11:47 AM CDT

Can an Undocumented Immigrant Be Admitted to Practice? California Supreme Court Must Decide

Corrected: In what could be the first such case in the United States, a California State Bar panel is set to decide whether to deny an applicant a law license solely on the basis of his undocumented immigration status. Sergio Garcia was brought to this country from Mexico when he…

Jul 6, 2011 10:56 PM CDT

New York AG Probes Life Insurers’ Efforts to Find Beneficiaries

The New York attorney general is investigating whether nine companies are trying hard enough to find beneficiaries of life insurance policies after the holder dies. If a case results, an unidentified source tells Bloomberg, the office of AG Eric Schneiderman could invoke the Martin Act, which doesn’t require proof of…

Jul 5, 2011 5:05 PM CDT

Suit: Lord’s Prayer at Start of Council Meetings Treats Non-Christians Like ‘Second-Class Citizens’

Delaware residents looking to enforce the divide between church and state have sued their local county council, aiming to end its practice of beginning each public meeting with the Lord’s Prayer. The plaintiffs, who include a retired Lutheran pastor, maintain that by reciting an explicitly Christian and Protestant version of…

Jul 5, 2011 3:14 PM CDT

Wis. Teachers Union Challenges Law Giving Governor Veto Power

The Wisconsin Education Association Council today sued to block a law that gives the governor veto powers over rules written by other elected officials and state agencies, including the Department of Public Instruction, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. It’s the latest of many battles between Wisconsin state employees and Gov.…

Jun 30, 2011 9:29 PM CDT

City Attorney in California Says He’ll Quit Rather than Outsource Legal Work

The city attorney in Newport Beach, Calif., is so dismayed with a plan to cut his staff that he is quitting his $220,000-a-year job. City Attorney David Hunt announced his resignation after the city council asked him to create a plan to outsource legal work and save costs, report the…

Jun 30, 2011 1:00 PM CDT

Archaic Law Being Used to Roust NYC Food Trucks

One branch of New York City government—the parks department—is wooing gourmet food trucks to set up shop in the city’s parks in an effort to provide the working masses an array of quick and convenient lunchtime options. But another branch of city government—the police department—has begun shooing food trucks away…

Jun 29, 2011 4:47 PM CDT

State Budget Crisis Kills Conn. Child-Welfare Law Firm

A small Connecticut law firm considered a model at providing services to children who are victims of abuse and neglect is closing its doors after losing the $1.1 million state contract that was its only source of funding. Founded three years ago by attorneys Tammie Gildea, Priscilla Hammond and Michael…

Jun 24, 2011 1:05 PM CDT