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A California federal district court took a little and gave a little in the Twitter versus government surveillance fight. The court agreed completely with a federal government argument that Twitter’s complaint did not allege that information was not properly classified by the feds. However, the district judge did not concede to the government’s change in venue request. Twitter has about twenty days to amend its complaint to address concerns noted by the federal judge....

What happens when “cool moms” go bad? For Tara Mauney of Colleyville, Texas, her alleged role in a juvenile prank could potentially land her in jail. The pranks, tied to a preteen sleepover, involved the toilet-papering of trees and shrubbery, Dallas’ WFAA-TV reports. But the vandalism also involved raw chicken stuffed inside a mailbox and peanut butter smeared on pillars. In addition, the pranksters scrawled insults with mustard and a permanent marker, and stuck tampons doused in ketchup to a home’s windows....

While many people out there will tell you that there’s more to life than the material objects you own, obviously those people have never owned a model of every single type of Lamborghini made for two decades. Cars are more than just possessions. They’re status symbols. They’re an extension of your personality. They’re good, clean, wholesome fun. And most importantly, they’re freedom. And although not all cars appeal to all people, from the 10 year old inside us all, a lawyer’s coolness can definitely be judged based upon what they drive....

Why do people binge-watch lawyer shows on television, but will do anything to avoid lawyers in real life? For attorneys who know better, however, there is another painful truth about the popular drama. It features an alcoholic attorney. Alcoholic Attorney But “Billy McBride” wrestles with another demon, which makes him a compelling character to watch. Hollywood Reporter says the show is “quite watchable” because Thorton’s “gift at taking predictably quirky characters and making the beats of that quirkiness slightly off-kilter is close to unmatched....

The Southern California Institute of Law (SCIL) is suing California Bar officials for violation of its First Amendment rights. According to The Wall Street Journal, the law school claims that the bar’s requirement that SCIL let students know where to find bar exam passage rates on its website is unlawful. The school brief states that the California bar examiners “have no right to foist their ideology onto SCIL and compel it to refer or disclose bar passage rates of its graduates....

Fresh off a defeat in a California appellate court, plaintiff James Maral, with the support of the California branch of NORML (National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws), will petition the state’s high court for review of a decision that upheld the City of Live Oak’s ban on cultivating marijuana for personal use. According to California NORML, Maral, 42, suffers from compartment syndrome, a painful and life- and limb-threatening condition caused by insufficient blood flow to nerves and muscles, as well as six damaged discs in his back from work as a heavy equipment driver....

Sometimes divorce attorneys are like house cleaners. In order to get the best help, you need to be totally honest about what you need, why you need it, and what problems might be coming down the road. Often, there are embarrassing messes that have to be dealt with; sometimes they are your messes, sometimes your spouses, and sometimes your kids. Only by being honest about what you want, and sometimes being pretty nit-picky about it, will you get what you need....

Trial court order approving a settlement in a class action labor lawsuit is vacated where the trial court: 1) did not receive and consider the information required for an understanding of the amount in controversy and the realistic range of outcomes of the litigation; 2) thus lacked the sufficient basis to make the requisite independent assessment of the reasonableness of the terms of the settlement; and 3) the court abused its discretion in giving incentive awards to the named plaintiffs of the magnitude approved in the case, and in awarding costs greater than the maximum amount specified in the notice given to the class....

Hillary Clinton, like many presidential contenders throughout history, is a lawyer. This is hardly a secret. Her work at the Children’s Defense Fund and advocating for the rights of the disadvantaged generally is often touted by the candidate and her campaign. But Hillary’s public interest work is only a small part of her history. For much of her legal career, Clinton worked as a corporate lawyer and as a partner at one of the most venerable firms in the South....

With student debts climbing well into the six-figure range, there’s a surprising amount of misinformation out there when it comes to financing a legal education. The general feeling is this: corporate BigLaw or bust. This mentality is probably responsible an increasing number of students dropping their ambitions of working in public office to pursue more “practical” law. But there is hope for the lawyer with more compassion and largess. Consider some of the options below if you are still interested in public interest law....

We know you can find great deals at Walmart. Whether you’re looking for a bathroom meth lab or the legal services necessary to defend a charge of making meth in a bathroom, the gargantuan retailer has everything you need. Or maybe you’re looking for a nice Easter present for your young daughter. Instead of faking a heart attack to steal a Barbie car, may we suggest the “Smart Shots Sports Center?...

Jewelry may be the way to some hearts, but a stolen engagement ring will just get you dumped. And stuck in jail. Ryan Jarvis, 25, popped into a Zales jewelry store in Burlington, Vt. Jarvis would have gotten away with the ruse if the woman hadn’t predictably posted photos of the ring on Facebook. Oh yes, the traditional money shot raised suspicions amongst the woman’s friends, who had seen the stolen engagement ring on the news....

In a negligence action brought under the Safe Drinking Water Act, Court of Appeals judgment is reversed where the County was not subject to an implied mandatory duty for purposes of Government Code sec. 815.6 liability or under Health and Safety Code secs. 64256(e) and 64257(a) to notify residents of any reported water contamination. Read Guzman v. County of Monterey , No. S157793 in HTML. Read Guzman v. County of Monterey , No....

Law students and new associates are heading into new offices for first jobs. Most of those positions involve at least some courtroom appearances which means it’s time to brush up on etiquette. Laugh all you want but knowing how to act in the courtroom is important not least of all because law is full of repeat players. Get on the bad side of a local judge and your career will feel much longer than you want....

A parking ticket can be expensive but it’s even more costly if when you get it the cops discover there’s a lot more wrong with your car. Amer Meqdadi, a Georgia truck driver, was parked illegally Wednesday morning at a shopping center when the problem started. Police approached his vehicle to ticket it but what they noticed made the ticket look like small potatoes. By the time the cops were done, Meqdadi had racked up over $4,600 in tickets for various violations....

Injuries are a reality of playing sports. But, as much as possible, clubs, coaches, and schools are responsible for minimizing injury risks, especially to younger athletes. And coaches especially have to be properly trained in order to avoid risky training drills and spot risks as they arise. That training allegedly did not happen in Spackenkill, New York, where a high school softball player sustained serious brain injuries after being hit in the head with a metal bat during a drill....

What happened to the good old days when an angry girlfriend would get revenge on her philandering beau by smashing the windows of his car? Today’s scorned women are more tech savvy. One unhappy Japanese woman exacted her revenge by dumping her cheating boyfriend’s iMac, iPhone, iPad and accessories in a water filled bath tub. She made sure he felt the pain by sending him pictures of his swimming accessories....

A former Lehigh University grad student is suing the school for $1.3 million over a C+ she received for her therapy internship. As can be expected, a Pennsylvania judge expressed uneasiness over potentially changing the grade, reports The Express-Times. Perhaps the court system should not be “injecting itself” into the academic process, the judge said. But he allowed the case to continue anyway, over the objections of university lawyers. Furthermore, when Thode complained about the grade, she claims that the school faculty did not properly handle the appeals process – for example, by failing to provide her with a student advocate....

A drunken horseback ride is never a good idea. One Colorado man learned that the hard way when he was arrested for drunken horseback riding, animal cruelty, and other charges after he was seen blocking traffic and beating his (alive) horse. But are the charges real or is it all a pile of legal horseplop? Contrary to popular belief, you can be charged with DUI-related offenses without a car. For example, Erin Brockovich was recently arrested for boating under the influence....

It wasn’t “drunk dialing” but rather drunk sexting and drunk Facebook-posting that got an alleged cell phone thief caught, literally, with his pants down. Anthony Casey, 29, of New Albany, Ind., was arrested after he failed to show up in court on felony theft and misdemeanor obscenity charges, the local News and Tribune reports. The sordid tale begins at a bar in New Albany, Ind., across the river from Louisville, Ky....