Legal News

High Fees, Long Waits Cast Shadow Over New Criminal Expungement Laws

Published by josie@omahadail... on Fri, 12/01/2023 - 5:00am

More states are making it easier for residents to clear or seal their criminal records.

The effort has drawn bipartisan support, as lawmakers across the political spectrum say it will help people find jobs and housing, in turn boosting local economies and reducing reliance on social services.

“Folks that get out of jail or prison with criminal records, it’s like getting out with the handcuffs still on,” Keith Wallington, the director of advocacy with the Justice Policy Institute, a nonprofit criminal justice research and advocacy group, told Stateline.

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Experts to Examine a Controversial Forensic Test That Has Helped Convict Women of Murder

Published by josie@omahadail... on Fri, 12/01/2023 - 5:00am

The U.S. has not prioritized stillbirth prevention, and American parents are losing babies even as other countries make larger strides to reduce deaths late in pregnancy.

Legal experts from two universities will convene a group to study a dubious forensic test that has helped send some women to prison for murder though the women insisted they had stillbirths.

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The Supreme Court Has Adopted A Conduct Code, But Who Will Enforce It?

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 11/17/2023 - 5:00am

The Supreme Court on Monday released a code of conduct governing the behavior of the country’s most powerful judges for the first time in its history. But experts said it was unclear if the new rules, which do not include any enforcement mechanism, would address the issues raised by recent revelations about justices’ ethics and conduct.

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Colorado Supermarket Shooting Suspect Pleads Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 11/17/2023 - 4:00am

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A man accused of a mass shooting at a Colorado supermarket in 2021 pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity Tuesday as a judge ruled the case can move to a trial following testimony giving new details of how he killed most of the 10 victims in just over a minute using a gun with a high-capacity magazine.

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We Studied Jail Conditions And Jail Deaths − Here’s What We Found

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 11/17/2023 - 3:00am

The family of Samuel Lawrence, one of 10 people to die in Georgia’s Fulton County Jail in 2023, is fighting for answers and accountability.

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The Words That Helped Wrongly Convict Kathleen Folbigg

Published by jason@omahadail... on Fri, 11/10/2023 - 2:00am

Kathleen Folbigg reacts the day after her release from prison in Coffs Barbour, Australia, Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Folbigg, who spent 20 years in prison was pardoned and released Monday June 5, 2023, based on new scientific evidence that her four children died by natural causes as she had insisted.
(AP Photo)

Prosecutor: Are you able to say whether or not Caleb died from a catastrophic asphyxiating event of unknown causes?

Pathologist: I believe that is likely. […]

Prosecutor: In relation to Laura […] her cause of death was consistent with smothering?

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Omaha, Lincoln Responses To New Concealed Handgun Law Could Be Headed To Court

Published by jason@omahadail... on Fri, 11/03/2023 - 3:00am

OMAHA — Since the Nebraska Legislature this year limited cities’ authority to regulate concealed handguns more strictly than the state does, Omaha and Lincoln have restricted people from carrying concealed handguns on some city land.

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AIs Could Soon Run Businesses – It’s An Opportunity To Ensure These ‘Artificial Persons’ Follow The Law

Published by jason@omahadail... on Fri, 11/03/2023 - 2:00am

Only “persons” can engage with the legal system – for example, by signing contracts or filing lawsuits. There are two main categories of persons: humans, termed “natural persons,” and creations of the law, termed “artificial persons.” These include corporations, nonprofit organizations and limited liability companies (LLCs).

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Nebraska Joins 40 Other States In Suing Facebook/Instagram Owner Meta

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 10/27/2023 - 5:00am

LINCOLN — Nebraska and 40 other states announced a barrage of federal and state lawsuits Tuesday against the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. The filings allege Meta designed social media platforms it knew were addictive and damaging to teens.

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She Trusted Her First OB-GYN Because He Spoke Spanish. Now She’s 1 Of 94 Women Suing Him For Sexual Assault.

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 10/27/2023 - 4:00am

Disclaimer: This story discusses sexual assault.

When Carmela arrived in Utah from a village in Oaxaca, Mexico, in 1998, she was a newlywed following her husband for his job and was four months pregnant with her first child. She had never seen an OB-GYN and was hoping to find one who spoke Spanish.