Have you ever heard of Marcus Reymond Robinson? He is the man who was convicted of kidnapping 17-year-old high-school student Erik Tornblom and shooting him in the face with a sawed-off shotgun during a robbery that netted a grand total of $27. In 1994, Robinson was sentenced to death in Cumberland County Superior Court for his heinous crimes – crimes with an arguably racially-tinged motive. The facts set forth in the order of the North Carolina Superior Court state: Other evidence
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Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down down several portions of Arizona’s immigration bill, holding that three of the four challenged sections were preempted by federal law. Federal preemption severely limits what state and local governments can do in terms of creating laws intended to identify illegal aliens or punish those who knowingly or recklessly employ, transport or shelter them. Even state laws that directly copy federal law are held preempted, because Congress has “occupied
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At the end of last month, The Supreme Court ruled on SB 1070, Arizona’s controversial immigration law. Parts of the law were upheld, but the Court held that others were preempted by federal immigration law and were struck down. Some have considered the Arizona law to be the broadest and strictest measure in American history to prevent illegal immigration. Basic Provisions of SB 1070 At the federal level, current law requires all aliens over the age of 14 to register with the U.S.
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The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” In District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), the U.S. Supreme Court, in striking down a ban on possession of handguns in the District of Columbia, held that “the Second Amendment conferred an individual right to keep and bear arms. Of course, the right was not unlimited,
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Only if we understand can we care. Only if we care will we help. Only if we help shall they be saved. – Jane Goodall On October 18, 2011, a mentally unstable man released 56 exotic animals from his private collection into his rural community before he committed suicide. Panic ensued as residents of Zanesville, Ohio watched their town become a scene from Jumanji. Lions, tigers, leopards, wolves, primates, and bears took to the streets, and open season was announced as
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Amid the frenzy over the much-anticipated Supreme Court decision regarding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, the Court handed down its decision in American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock. The American public and media, with laser focus on the Court’s decision in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, didn’t seem to be listening when the Supreme Court quietly disposed of its opportunity to reconsider its 2010 decision permitting corporations to
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Imagine reading “convicted sex offender” on an individual’s Facebook or LinkedIn page. Such social media websites may need to add a new field to users’ profiles because on August 1, Louisiana will become the first state to require convicted sex offenders to openly list their status on social networking pages. The Louisiana law was signed into law in May 2012 and mandates that sex offenders and child predators “shall include in his profile for the networking website an indication
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While social media is often associated with distant friends showing pictures of their pet or what they ate for dinner, it is advantageous for small and large law firms to participate in at least some of the many forms of social media now available. Social media is a broad category. Webster’s Dictionary defines it as “forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas,
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The headlines are almost weekly: car wrecks, injured passengers, one or more dead. The most cited culprit? Distracted driving. The increased use of cell phones has invaded nearly every sphere of life, including the confines of four-door sedans or family mini-vans. To many drivers, that long commute seems like the perfect time to call someone you’ve been meaning to get in touch with, check the daily lunch specials at your favorite restaurant, or even figure out which direction to drive
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In June, the Supreme Court decided a First Amendment case without touching the First Amendment. In fact, they decided the case largely on issues that were merely grazed over during oral argument and in the submitted briefs (where have we heard that before?) – due process and fair notice. Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the seven-justice majority, stated, “[a] fundamental principle in our legal system is that laws which regulate persons or entities must give fair notice of conduct
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Legal concerns are present at nearly every stage of the Olympic games, beginning with initial bids entered by respective cities to host upcoming games and lasting well after the closing ceremony. As for the 2012 Olympics, legal considerations began as early as 2004, when various United Kingdom law firms were hired by the the London 2012 Bid Team to advise and offer services to win 2012 summer games bid, and legal considerations will continue to play an important role after the games begin on
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On July 3, 2012, the North Carolina legislature adjourned sine die – with no appointed date for resumption – bringing the two-year legislative session to an end. State lawmakers passed significant legislation affecting everything from municipal annexations to allowing table games at Harrah’s Casino, operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. However, it was the events of the night before, Monday, July 2, 2012, that captured the attention of internet junkies everywhere and
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A bill to create a public-private partnership between the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DENR) and the North Carolina Zoological Society did not garner enough support to pass the legislature during the short session, but we have not heard the last on this issue. Dr. David Jones, Director of the NC Zoo in Asheboro since 1994, told the Asheboro Courier Tribune that the setback was disappointing, but at least the efforts in the short session brought the serious financial needs of
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You hear about the stories, see them on television, read about them on the Internet – tales of horrendous animal abuse and neglect. Whether the story is of a dog being dragged behind someone’s car and fighting for his life or the cat who is lit on fire or stabbed during a domestic altercation and survives, there are regularly tremendous stories of harmed animals flooding our senses. And it is more than companion animals. There are the atrocities which surface through undercover video
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“Hey! Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!” No, it is not Superman, and it is not fighting for “truth, justice, and the American way.” It is a domestic unmanned aerial surveillance aircraft, commonly referred to as a “drone.” Earlier this year, the U.S. Congress paved the way for the domestic use of unmanned drones by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies as well as by civilians. The
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