Obiter Dicta

Courts must decide whether new high-tech toys can also be targets

You know how sometimes it feels like you’re being watched while on a bus or in line at the supermarket? You look to your left and right to see whose peepers are peering at you. But these days you might want to shoot a glance upward, as it’s possible that…

Mar 1, 2016 12:40 AM CST

What’s the evidentiary standard for emojis?

Shorthand has been around in one form or another since Xenophon described the trial of Socrates with papyrus and a feather. It’s a way to convey information in the shortest, easiest way possible. Today, with keyboards and social media having supplanted handwriting as preferred methods of communication, shorthand often takes…

Feb 1, 2016 12:40 AM CST

These plaintiffs argue derogatory words can’t hurt them

In this most disputatious of eras, maybe it’s time to look at the subject of derogatory words. Some see anger at their use as political correctness; others see acceptance of them as abusive and insulting. And then there are those who take those insults and embrace them. While it seems…

Jan 1, 2016 12:40 AM CST

‘Free-range’ parents encourage kids to broaden their horizons—the law, not so much

Those of us who’ve raised offspring know how we cherish them, nurture them, teach them and ultimately guide them—toward the door. Does that seem a tad harsh? It shouldn’t. That’s the way nature intended it (and besides, they’re always welcome for a visit—unless it’s for a loan). In fact, many…

Dec 1, 2015 12:50 AM CST

Could the next person you sue be yourself?

The law allows for a certain level of creativity when it comes to legal theory, rules of procedure and so forth. So when there’s a legal problem to be solved, a little ingenuity can sometimes get you where you need to go. But in certain situations, a little extra ingenuity…

Oct 1, 2015 6:35 AM CDT

Those who refuse vaccinations can cause outbreaks: Should they have to pay for it?

Let’s say your kid’s birthday party seemed to have gone well. She was happy with her gifts, only one of her little friends upchucked, and the clown wasn’t too creepy. But that was two weeks ago. This week, it’s a whole different story. It turns out that one of the…

Jun 1, 2015 1:10 AM CDT

Wine collector broke laws, paid price; will bottles be ‘decanted’ down the drain?

When booze began flowing legally again as Prohibition ended, regulations had to be put in place to ensure that Uncle Sam got his taxing share. But the 21st Amendment essentially left it up to the states to set controls on the importation, distribution and sale of hooch in their various…

Apr 1, 2015 12:40 AM CDT

Satanists challenge local governments over public religious expression

In a progressive society, people are tolerant of myriad viewpoints and lifestyles. Same-sex marriage? Most would agree that two people loving one another is hardly a scourge on our existence. Legal marijuana? It might not be everyone’s cup of tea (figuratively or otherwise), but it’s not been shown to be…

Mar 1, 2015 1:20 AM CST

Traffic Stop Roulette: Sometimes motorists get lucky, sometimes they don’t

If you do enough driving, it’s all but inevitable that you’re going to be pulled over by a police officer one day, and it’s best to be cooperative (if not polite). The encounter will most likely be conducted professionally and you’ll soon be on your way, muttering expletives under your…

Jan 1, 2015 12:40 AM CST

Birth of a Nation: Find unclaimed land, and you can be king!

Given one wish, many people might go for something predictable, like winning a lottery jackpot or scoring the last jelly doughnut at the office. Some of us, though, might think really big and go for absolute power. Like have-your-own-country-with-no-one-to-answer-to kind of power. But short of fomenting a revolution in an…

Sep 1, 2014 7:10 AM CDT

Cops can’t be everywhere, so citizens fill the void

Mention the term citizen’s arrest and the reference point for some people may be a classic episode of The Andy Griffith Show in which Gomer Pyle gives Deputy Fife a taste of his own medicine by citing him for an illegal U-turn. Situation comedy aside, the citizen’s arrest is a…

Aug 1, 2014 6:20 AM CDT

The privileged few walk away from trouble so easily, there’s even a term for it

“(______) has its rewards.” How would you fill in the blank? Would you say virtue? Or patience? Or hard work? How very “99 percent” of you. These days, with the ever-widening gap between the 1 percent and the rest of us, that blank should more realistically be filled with the…

Jul 1, 2014 6:40 AM CDT

Despite contractual obligations to clam up, some folks can’t can the chatter

These days, with such a plethora of media outlets, it’s much too easy to share unfiltered thoughts and opinions. An offhanded comment in an unguarded moment can scuttle a friendship—or a career—in short order. Share too much personal info and the “ick factor” kicks in. In other words, some of…

Jun 1, 2014 6:40 AM CDT

Kicking the IRS when it’s down should be considered very, very carefully

For many of us, the arrival of April means shaking off the winter malaise and looking forward to hearing the thwack of a fastball hitting a catcher’s mitt. It also means, however, that the income tax deadline is fast approaching. We may not like it, but the fact is we…

Apr 1, 2014 5:50 AM CDT

Some criminals can’t help taking ineptitude to the next level

It’s not a crime to be an idiot. Which is actually a good thing because with prisons already over capacity, there’s no room for thousands more. Politicians alone would overtax the system (pun intended). But idiots and crime have always been a natural—if sometimes dangerous—combination, and occasionally the crimes rise…

Mar 1, 2014 7:30 AM CST