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Court of Federal Claims’ dismissal of plaintiff’s Fifth Amendment taking claim is affirmed where it correctly determined that plaintiff’s property interest arose from access to and use of a navigable waterway, and thus, the interest is subservient to the Government’s navigational servitude and is not compensable under the Fifth Amendment. Read Northwest Louisiana Fish & Game Preserve Comm’n v. U.S., No. 08-5039 Appellate InformationAppeal from the United States Court of Federal Claims....

Quentin Tarantino protested police brutality in New York this weekend. As a result, his films are now the subject of a protest. The NYPD is calling for a boycott of the director’s upcoming release in NYC, Rolling Stone reported. The filmmaker, known for his snappy dialogue and love of blood, joined in a rally at Washington Square Park for families of victims of police brutality. He expressed outrage over police shootings....

A sentence for multiple sex crimes pursuant to a ruling that defendant was not a fit and proper subject to be dealt with under the juvenile court law, and instead was to be sentenced under the general law of California is affirmed as Apprendi and its progeny do not apply and defendant forfeited any due process claim by failing either to raise it or object to the procedures used. Read People v....

A veteran proceeding pro se gets extra leeway in making his benefits case. And if the Board of Veterans’ Appeals and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims don’t give him that leeway? Well, they’ll probably be reviewing the claim again on remand. On July 29, 2002, Harris filed a pro se claim seeking service-connected disability compensation for, among other things, contact dermatitis and latex allergy. The Department of Veterans Affairs regional office ultimately granted the claims, and assigned an effective date for his skin condition disabilities of July 29, 2002....

When most people envision law students at Ivy league schools, they don’t see the stereotypical unwashed, Birkenstock wearing, granola eating, public interest lawyers-of-tomorrow who aren’t in it for the money, you know, like you’d expect to see at UC Santa Cruz. Traditionally, top ranking law schools focused on producing top BigLaw candidates, but as these jobs have become even more exclusive and out of reach than before, more and more Ivy league law grads are looking to public interest positions....

It was like the worst DMV visit ever. Except that Aaron Schnitzler wasn’t trying to renew his drivers license; he was trying to renounce his U.S. citizenship. And instead of the DMV, he was going to the U.S. State Department. And instead of being a driver on the open road, he was a state prisoner in South Dakota. Schnitzler wanted to renounce his U.S. citizenship “[f]or reasons we do not understand,” the D....

With an epic SantaCon pub crawl right around the corner, the NYPD is urging bar and club owners to keep Kris Kringles from entering their chimneys establishments unless they remove their fake beards. Only in New York must Santa be clean shaven. SantaCon is an annual event held in cities across the nation in which thousands of merrymakers dress like Santa and other holiday characters (including dreidels!) to spread yuletide cheer....

Are traumatized students disabled students, entitled to extra help and accommodations in schools? Yes, according to a new lawsuit brought by students and teachers against Compton Unified School District. The class action lawsuit, which has its first hearing today, alleges that students exposed to trauma through violence, family disruption, discrimination, and extreme stress are disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act and are entitled to the same benefits and accommodations afforded students with more widely recognized learning disabilities....

In a case involving covenants, condition and restrictions (CC&Rs), trial court’s judgment granting homeowner’s motion for summary judgment is reversed where, while the plain language of the CC&Rs could support either of the proffered interpretations, the circumstances of the creation of the CC&Rs indicate that general responsibility for landscape is assigned to the Association, but specifically provide that individual property owners will be responsible for drainage facilities and here, the homeowner cannot avoid that responsibility solely because the V-ditch on her property happens to also coincide with the landscape maintenance area....

The technology behind one of the most iconic shapes in American Airforce – the Skunkwork’s beaute B2 Bomber – is back in court again after twenty-something years of legal wrangling. The question: who really developed stealth technology? The factual issues of the case seem almost to pale against the legal issues of national security and the state secrets privilege, doctrines that have increasingly come under intense public scrutiny in recent years amidst allegations of abuse....

Carpenters have a rule of thumb before sawing a piece of wood: “Measure twice; cut once.” It works for many ventures, including the adventure of law school. For aspiring law students seeking letters of recommendation, it starts with thinking twice. Here are a couple of tips: First, choose wisely when it comes to selecting professors to write your letters. Second, never draft the letter for them. “Choose Wisely” We all know what happened to the man who drank from the wrong cup in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade....

Mac Kennedy and Mary Vu have the kind of drive that can help in law school and in life. The UCLA law students won a $70,000 prize for a startup that recycles carbon dioxide emissions into plastic. Based on their business plan and presentation, they won the money in a competition for new entrepreneurs. They were motivated because carbon dioxide is a serious problem, and they weren’t going to just sit around watch it get worse....

Forty-one suspects have been charged for their alleged involvement in an insurance scam involving fake car accidents and piles of dead deer. Ronald Galati Sr., the owner of a Philadelphia auto-repair shop, is accused of being the ring leader in a scheme in which false insurance claims were filed for car-on-deer collisions. According to the New York Daily News, this fraud was worth at least $5 million. So how were these dead deer used to make a buck?...

A staged stunt by a pair of YouTube pranksters involving a pile of fake feces and a stranger’s Lamborghini went wrong (or perhaps right) when the stranger turned out to be armed with a Taser. The so-called “Viral Brothers” Erik Meldik and Cenek Styblo are YouTube stars from the Czech Republic visiting the United States. They’ve been filming short prank videos that typically involve an unsuspecting victim tricked into reacting on camera....

Being the savvy law student, pre-law student, or associate that you are, you likely always know how to get the latest in legal news…and in good style. 10 Things You Can’t Be Asked at a Job Interview Applying for a job can be a stressful pursuit…Cyberbullying: A Rundown of Cyberbullying Laws Cyberbullying is becoming more and more prevalent…Are Neon or “Underglow” Car Lights Legal? Whether you’re a hobbyist or enthusiast who likes making car modifications… FindLaw Blotter...

Sports doping is a funny thing. First, some leagues or competitions seem to take doping more seriously than others, and punishments and other enforcement mechanisms can vary as well. Second, the list of banned substances can vary depending on the sport and the country, and in some cases there is little reason behind why some substances are banned and others are not. Third, some substances, perfectly legal under a nation’s drug laws, may be banned, leaving athletes wondering which may garner a doping charge....

Governor Jerry Brown announced Tuesday that he is nominating Berkeley law professor Goodwin Liu to the state’s Supreme Court. Liu must now be approved by the state’s commission on judicial appointments. This is not Liu’s first judicial nomination. President Barack Obama previously nominated Liu for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Senate Republicans blocked a vote on the nomination, criticizing Liu’s liberal leanings and lack of practical legal experience. Liu eventually withdrew his candidacy....

While 2013 appears to be “the year of doing nothing” in Washington, D.C., the California Immigrant Policy Center has lauded it “the ‘year of the immigrant’ in California, reports the Los Angeles Times. Governor Brown stated: “While Washington waffles on immigration, California’s forging ahead … I’m not waiting.” And forging he is, signing eight bills making sweeping changes to immigration laws in California. AB4 The Trust Act Perhaps the law getting the most attention is AB4, The Trust Act, which prohibits law enforcement for detaining individuals longer than necessary, for non-serious offenses, because of Immigration and Customs Enforcement holds....

D.C. is known for having the highest concentration of lawyers in nation – one in every twelve D.C. residents is a lawyer – but San Francisco’s “right to civil counsel” pilot program could turn the City by the Bay into the new lawyer Mecca. Board of Supervisors President David Chiu introduced a proposal that was approved in February to create a one-year pilot program granting parties in need a right to civil counsel, reports the San Francisco Examiner....

For those lucky law students that actually landed a firm job for the summer, you may have an endless number the number of questions. Luckily, you can search the web, and the FindLaw blogs for legal professionals, to get some answers (without having to sheepishly ask a legal secretary). Even if you don’t have any questions, you may still want to take a few minutes to read over some of the following FindLaw advice columns, as not having any questions means you might actually just not know what to ask....