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As California’s physician-assisted suicide law went into effect last Thursday, the American Academy of Medical Ethics, Life Legal Defense Foundation, and several physicians went to work to try to stop it. The law, the End of Life Option Act, allows doctors to prescribe lethal doses of medicine to competent, terminally ill adults with less than six months to live. But the group of conservative physicians and medical professionals argues that the law strips patients of legal protections and is seeking to have the law overturned....

It’s not your imagination if you think airline seats are getting smaller. Even the U.S Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has taken note. “As many have no doubt noticed, aircraft seats and the spacing between them have been getting smaller and smaller, while American passengers have been growing in size,” Judge Patricia Millett wrote in Flyers Rights Education Fund v. Federal Aviation Administration. Incredible Shrinking Airline Seat The plaintiffs sued because Americans are getting fatter, alleging that shrinking airline seats are creating safety problems for passengers who have to leave the plane in an emergency....

We’ve had some critical words to say about the lawyers featured in Netflix’s ‘Making a Murderer’ documentary. But we don’t have much criticism for Dean Strang, the Wisconsin attorney who, along with Jerome Buting, defended Steven Avery against charges of murder. Strang comes out looking like pretty much exactly what you’d want in a defense attorney. But while ‘Making a Murderer’ has brought new attention to Strang, the defense attorney was shedding light on criminal injustice years before the documentary....

A sex offender who has obtained the relief provided in section 1203.4 is subject to the Megan’s Law Internet publication provisions because he or she is required to register in accordance with the Sex Offender Registration Act, and the Internet publication provisions of section 290.46 apply, by the terms of that statute, to those persons who “are required to register” pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration Act. Thus, trial court did not err in denying petitioner’s writ of mandate....

A Pennsylvania judge has landed on the other side of the law after police found him (sans robe or gavel) highly intoxicated, naked and wrapped in a bedsheet in a Cumberland County hotel. Douglas Gummo, a magistrate judge in Huntingdon County, is charged with harassment, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. Police said they were called to the Radisson Penn Harris hotel in Camp Hill on April 1 after getting a call from another judge....

A Florida teen learned the hard way that science experiments are best kept in chemistry class, after the student’s volatile brew blew up into felony charges. Kiera Wilmot, a 16-year-old student in Bartow, Florida, was arrested last week on charges of possession and discharge of a destructive device on school grounds, reports the Miami New Times. With the homemade bombs of the Boston Marathon still fresh in many people’s minds, it isn’t a far cry to see why Wilmot is facing felony charges....

Florida Gator receiver Chris Rainey may be a star on the field, but the 21 year-old junior is a potential stalker off. According to Bleacher Report, Rainey has been arrested for felony stalking an on- again off-again girlfriend with threatening text messages, and showing up at her apartment. Stalking is defined as a clear pattern of conduct in which the offender follows, harasses, or threatens another person. More than just a singular incident, stalking can take the form of any physical or cyber medium to make a victim feel unsafe....

While southern California surf towns, like Laguna Beach, might be known for being full of hot air, liberal people, and progressive notions, there’s no shortage of anti-tobacco sentiment. In fact, in May 2017, the city of Laguna Beach actually banned all smoking in all public places. Even outside a bar, late at night, after a few drinks. Even for vapers, e-cig users, marijuana smokers, and midnight tokers. The Laguna Beach smoking ban prohibits an individual from smoking anywhere in the city except on their own private property and in their cars....

This case is one of a man breaking one of the great unwritten rules of life: do not stuff monkeys down your girdle. While you are trying to make the picture in your head go away, further explanation will be provided. One, Roberto Cabrera, was arrested after authorities at Mexico City’s International Airport searched him and found 18 titi monkeys (genus Callicebus) stuffed in pouches attached to his girdle. Officials noticed, reports the Associated Press for CBSNews, that Cabrera became “markedly nervous” when approached and asked what the unsightly bulge under his shirt was....

Feed homeless, get arrested. At least if you’re passing out meals in an Orlando park for the third time this year. Which is exactly what happened to three members of Orlando’s Food Not Bombs, a non-profit organization that feeds the homeless and tries to bring attention to the issues of poverty and social inequality. Jessica Cross, Ben Markeson and Jonathan McHenry were arrested on Wednesday for feeding about 40 homeless people in Orlando’s Lake Eola Park....

El Paso County Sheriff’s deputies arrested six penguins on Tuesday, believing they are behind an incident of early morning vandalism at Clint High School. The penguin vandals are accused of breaking into the school and then using glue to close doors and turn lights on. In a curious move, the penguin vandals also spray painted the number “2012” on a brick wall. Authorities believe they may be minions sent to spread the word about the year-end apocalypse....

Conviction of defendant for evading a police officer with a willful disregard for the safety of others and driving with a suspended or revoked license is affirmed where, although under the relevant statutes an officer must activate a red light when in pursuit of a traffic offender who attempts to flee, the officer may deactivate his red light during the period he momentarily loses sight of the offender. Read People v....

An Alaskan priest is facing DUI, firearms, and pot charges after a less-than-pious stunt on the Parks Highway. Father Sean P. Thomson, 52, was pulled over for weaving into oncoming traffic and speeding, after which the officer discovered he was packing both heat and weed, reports The Associated Press. Priests may be forgiven, but Thomson will need more than penitence before a judge. Thomson wasn’t exactly driving with holy purpose when he was pulled over near McKinley Village, Alaska....

“Attorneys need to wear a suit.” Can a woman attorney look authoritative if she is wearing something else? A “power suit” got its name for a valid reason, after all. Suits bring a sense of professionalism with them. Is this a good idea? It depends. Clothing retailers like Ann Taylor and Anne Klein reveal that work clothes don’t need to be boring. They can be colorful. Some retailers offer career-oriented dresses that mix fabrics, print, color and texture....

When Ashley Warden’s toddler son was playing outside and needed to go to the bathroom, she was OK with him peeing in the front yard instead of wetting his pants. But a nearby cop wasn’t, and slapped the 3-year-old offender’s mom with a ticket, Oklahoma City’s KWTV reports. The officer issued a $2,500 ticket for Dillan’s alleged public urination. It didn’t matter to the cop that Dillan was on his grandmother’s private property....

After twice being denied presidential permits to build the Keystone XL Pipeline connecting Alberta, Canada to America’s Gulf Coast, the third time was a charm for TransCanada. In fact, it was President Donald Trump who, in his first week in office, signed an executive memorandum “invit[ing] TransCanada … to promptly re-submit its application to the Department of State for a Presidential permit for the construction and operation of the Keystone XL Pipeline....

With more than 200 nationally accredited law schools, there is always a new dean taking over somewhere. Since the fall semester began, at least eight law schools have welcomed new deans, four had begun searching for new ones, and on average one dean leaves every month. Dean Daniel Rodriquez said last week he will return to teaching after six years as dean of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. It’s a law school fact that no dean stays on forever....

In a story that may have many screaming “It’s about time!”, the AP reports that members of Congress are taking a look at the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) to figure out “whether it is a fair way of choosing a college football champion.” So, letting computer rankings and a few polls determine two teams to battle for a “championship” might not be fair? Representative Joe Barton (R.-Tex.) is actually the sponsor of legislation that would, as described by the AP, “prevent the NCAA from labeling a game a ’national championship’ unless it culminates from a playoff system....

In an action alleging that the police unlawfully arrested plaintiffs during a protest, summary judgment for plaintiffs is affirmed in part where the city did not have probable cause to believe that the protesters knew the protest at issue lacked a permit. However, the order is reversed in part where: 1) the city only needed to show that the officers had reasonable grounds to believe that everyone arrested was part of the rioting group; and 2) the city could lawfully complete the mass arrest without first ordering the crowd to disperse and giving plaintiffs an opportunity to comply....

You work at a small law firm, either as a clerk or as an associate. Your boss employs multiple shady billing tactics, such as having you guesstimate how much time it would’ve taken him to review a stack of documents, then billing for that amount of time, while neglecting to actually do the work. The amount of overbilling is significant. In one case, you estimate that he inflated a $150,000 bill to over $395,000....