FindLaw Blotter - Crime and Criminals Blog
2,762 FOLLOWERS
FindLaw, a Thomson Reuters business, providers consumers and lawyers with a range of case law, statutes, legal news, online career center, blogs and a variety of community-oriented tools. At FindLaw, we're making the law more accessible to people who need it each day and connecting them to legal professionals who can help.
FindLaw Blotter - Crime and Criminals Blog
5M ago
The governor of Arizona sure loves a veto. Since taking office over a year ago, Democrat Katie Hobbs has already broken the Grand Canyon State's veto record. She says the legislation that she’s been vetoing is “extreme.” Among the many measures Hobbs has already vetoed in 2024 so far is Senate Bill 1335, which would have criminalized the posting of deepfakes without the subject’s consent.
S.B. 1336, if passed, would have set up criminal penalties for making or distributing “deepfakes.” As you might know, deepfakes are videos or images that use artificial intelligence to realistically replace ..read more
FindLaw Blotter - Crime and Criminals Blog
5M ago
Mental health professionals typically have a duty to maintain doctor-patient confidentiality with their clients under HIPAA. This confidentiality covers “privileged communications,” which are discussions between two individuals that involve confidential information. State laws generally recognize a doctor-patient privilege, and this extends to psychotherapists as well. Therefore, in most cases, what you talk about in a therapy session stays in the room.
There are limits to this privilege, however, and this duty of care can be overridden. Therapists are required to break confidentiality in many ..read more
FindLaw Blotter - Crime and Criminals Blog
5M ago
Many people think of southern states like Georgia as largely white, but the Peach State is actually one of the more diverse states in the country. Its workforce is partly driven by immigration. Immigrants make up a quarter of the state’s farmers, fishers, and foresters and a quarter of the state’s computer and math science employees.
Despite that, state policy is not always immigrant-friendly. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp recently signed into law House Bill 1105, also known as the Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report 33 Act. It was sponsored by a Republican state representative from Savannah ..read more
FindLaw Blotter - Crime and Criminals Blog
5M ago
The Biden Administration recently announced that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will move to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The move comes just one and a half years after President Biden initially announced that he was urging the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to initiate the administrative process to review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.
It took some time, but now the administrative review process is complete, paving the way for one of the most significant changes t ..read more
FindLaw Blotter - Crime and Criminals Blog
5M ago
Nonviolent civil disobedience has a long history in America, particularly on college campuses. Recent protests across campuses regarding the war in Gaza have re-focused attention on how to protest effectively and whether it can harm a student's future opportunities. What are the consequences of civil disobedience for college students?
This blog does not advocate for students to attend or organize a protest event or avoid doing so. Rather, it's meant to inform students of their rights and the legal risks involved in participating in a peaceful protest.
Legal Foundations of Protesting and Free S ..read more
FindLaw Blotter - Crime and Criminals Blog
5M ago
In the latest development in the fatal shooting case on the set of the movie "Rust," Hannah Gutierrez, the film's chief weapons handler, was sentenced to 18 months in prison by the First District Court in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The sentence was delivered on April 15, following a jury verdict that found Gutierrez guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
The court heard emotional tributes and angry condemnations from Hutchins' colleagues and family, emphasizing the grief and outrage that has percolated through Hollywood and beyond. Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot in 2021 during a film rehearsal when ..read more
FindLaw Blotter - Crime and Criminals Blog
5M ago
In a case that underscores the severe repercussions of repeated driving under the influence, a Southern California woman has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. This sentencing follows her latest offense, which tragically resulted in the death of a pregnant woman and left her newborn in critical condition.
The Details
The incident, which occurred in August 2020, involved Courtney Pandolfi driving her Jeep SUV under the influence of a potent mix of cocaine, methamphetamine, and possibly other substances. She veered onto a sidewalk in Anaheim, striking 23-year-old Yesenia Aguilar, who ..read more
FindLaw Blotter - Crime and Criminals Blog
5M ago
On November 30, 2021, fifteen-year-old high school student Ethan Crumbley, armed with a 9mm semiautomatic pistol, murdered four classmates and injured seven others.
His legal consequences were resolved anticlimactically, with guilty pleas and a life sentence in prison, but the story of his murderous rampage occupied courts for years because Oakland County prosecutors made the bold choice to bring charges against the parents of the shooter.
A High-Profile Case From the Start
The legal drama began almost immediately. While reports of the shooting were still dominating the news headlines, the par ..read more
FindLaw Blotter - Crime and Criminals Blog
7M ago
Sexual assault and rape are loaded terms that can often be used interchangeably. However, there is often a legal distinction between the two. Generally, rape is sexual assault, but sexual assault is not always rape. Both are grave offenses with profound impacts on victims, yet they differ in legal definitions and the nature of the acts involved.
A Closer Look at the Crime of Rape
Rape involves non-consensual intercourse, where consent is absent due to force, threats, or the victim's incapacity to give consent, such as through the influence of drugs or alcohol. This definition underscores the a ..read more
FindLaw Blotter - Crime and Criminals Blog
7M ago
Longer life expectancies and a declining birth rate in the U.S. mean the American population is aging. The number of people aged 65 and older is expected to grow from 16.8% of the population in 2020 to 21.6% by 2040. The number of people aged 85 and older is projected to more than double from 6.6 million in 2019 to 14.4 million in 2040.
The U.S. also has the world’s highest incarceration rate, and it seems to be growing. The Bureau of Justice Statistics recently released a report showing data that the total prison population in the U.S. increased by 2% from 2021 to 2022. The majority (96 ..read more