By Kaitlyn Burns, Staff Writer On February 16, 2016, the Pennsylvania General Assembly followed the lead of at least 18 other states[1] by enacting its first criminal record sealing law.[2] While the law only went into effect a couple of months ago on November 14, 2016 — and it […]
Post Tagged with: "Criminal Law"
Assault with a Deadly Tweet: Grand Jury Says GIF is a Deadly Weapon
By Amy Kerlin, Staff Writer A Maryland man was recently arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon. The weapon in question? The combination of a Tweet, “Electronic Device and Hands,” and a GIF or “Graphics Interchange Format.” John Rayne Rivello was accused of causing Newsweek journalist Kurt […]
Nadia’s Initiative: Clooney’s Quest for Bringing ISIS to Justice
By Alyssa Lazar, Staff Writer At the 2015 Golden Globes, Tina Fey joked, “George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin this year. Amal is a human rights lawyer who worked on the Enron case, was an adviser to Kofi Annan regarding Syria, and was selected to a three-person U.N. commission investigating rules […]
Torrenting and the Fourth Amendment
By Katherine Mannion, Staff Writer The internet is large, powerful, and still growing. It permits communication across the world, from breaking news to benign updates. As the capabilities of the internet continue to grow, however, it also becomes easier to use it for nefarious purposes. From here, the courts […]
Supreme Court Decision Frees Pittsburgh Man Who Grew Up in Prison
By Kristin Hoffman, Staff Writer In United States v. Miller, a divided Supreme Court struck down mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles.[1] The ruling said that these mandatory sentences violate the constitutional amendment prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment because children lack maturity, have an underdeveloped sense of responsibility, […]
Protecting Victims of Human Trafficking: The Need for Safe Harbor Laws
By Amy Kerlin, Staff Writer The Department of Homeland Security classifies human trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery that involves the use of manipulation, coercion, fraud, or force to compel a victim into some type of labor or commercial sexual act.[1] Although the Federal Bureau of Investigation believes […]
Court Orders No Sex Until Marriage for 19-Year-Old Rapist
By Natalia Holliday, Staff Writer In Twin Falls, Idaho, 19-year-old Cody Duane Scott Herrera pleaded guilty to raping a 14-year-old girl in March 2015.[1] In lieu of 5-15 years of imprisonment, Fifth District Judge Randy Stoker ordered Herrera to complete a yearlong therapeutic program with a hitch: If he […]
Amazon Echo Voice Recordings: Potential Problems in Privacy
By Kady Enright, Staff Writer Law enforcement in Bentonville, Arkansas, served a warrant on Amazon requesting voice recordings from the Echo device of James Andrew Bates.[1] Bates is accused of murdering Victor Collins in November 2015.[2] Echo is a voice-activated, home personal assistant; it can perform various tasks — […]
Expungement Law Change Helps Expand Pennsylvanians’ Employment Opportunities
By Phil Raymond, Staff Writer Putting past minor mistakes behind you just recently became a lot easier thanks to an addition to Pennsylvania’s expungement law. In February 2016, Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law Pennsylvania Senate Bill 166.[1] This bill became active on Nov. 14. To celebrate this important […]
Nice Until Proven Naughty: 5 Crazy Christmas Crimes
By Carlie Masterson, Staff Writer ’Tis the season for spreading love and cheer… and also for some psycho Santas to board their sleighs? Here is a synopsis of five crimes where Santa proved to be quite naughty: Santa’s Ho-Ho-Holdup In 2009, a man dressed as Santa with dark sunglasses […]
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