TV viewers are addicted to forensic cop shows – CSI, NCIS, etc etc. The shows make it look like every crime can be solved by forensics and that forensic science is unassailable. In fact, bad forensics is one of the leading causes of wrongful convictions across the country. When I talk about “bad forensics” I […]
Former Alabama Senate candidate and State Supreme Court Judge Roy Moore has filed a $95 million defamation lawsuit against comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, Showtime and CBS after he appeared on Cohen’s series, “Who Is America?” In July, Moore appeared on the third episode of Who is America?, a Showtime series where the comedian disguises himself […]
Omarosa Manigault Newman will likely be continuing to make headlines for a little while longer as she can be expected to continue trickling out information from her time as a member of the Trump White House. The President has already filed for arbitration for a claim against her that she violated a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) […]
The news that Michael Cohen recorded conversations between him and Donald Trump has led to the usual and predictable firestorm. And in this day and age the usual and predictable firestorm includes “legal experts” on the many cable news channel opining on the legality of a lawyer taping a conversation. Some that I have seen […]
Not a month goes by that I don’t receive a phone call from some family member, friend, or friend of a family member, or family member of a friend, asking “What’s the best way to get out of jury service?” With about the same or similar frequency I get asked “I see that you are […]
The First Amendment is causing quite a stir in social media as a result of two headlines this week: (1) A Federal Judge said that because the President’s Twitter feed is a public forum, he cannot ban any followers due to their speech and (2) The NFL stated that it will issues fines to teams […]
Giving employers a significant win, a sharply divided Supreme Court upheld the right of employers to include arbitration clauses in their employment agreements that seriously curtail employees’ ability to file class actions and pursue court claims for wage and hour violations. The case was closely watched by advocates on both sides of the issue as […]
When I first started practicing law in 1986, copyright in a piece was easy to determine. It lasted 28 years from date of publication and then could be renewed for another 28 years. That gave the author a good 56 years of exclusive ownership to profit from: then the work became the world’s – public […]
In powerful language that will likely find its way into many future briefs to overturn wrongful convictions, a NY appeals court has reminded everyone that, when it comes to the criminal justice system, courts should not place form over substance. The case is People v. Hargrove 2018 WL 1833080, and it was handed down on […]
Copyright 2009-2018 Oscar Michelen.