Ian’s Legal Fact of the Week 2/22/16: The Right to Privacy

While the Constitution contains no explicit reference to privacy, the Supreme Court has held it is found within the “penumbra” of the Bill of Rights as an implied right. Specifically, the Court had pointed to the 1st  Amendment (privacy of beliefs), 3rd … Continue reading

Ian’s Legal Fact of the Week 4/11/16: ‘Be Kind to Lawyers’ Day

Distressingly, there is no official “Lawyer’s Day” in the U.S.–despite the fact that nearly half of the members of Congress are lawyers. In fact, a member of Congress in 2015 was 66x more likely to be a lawyer than the average … Continue reading

Ian’s Legal Fact of the Week 1/26/14: Felony Murder

The common law felony murder rule holds that if a person kills another while committing or attempting to commit a felony, the killing is classified as murder. This can include unintended and accidental deaths caused during the felony, and also … Continue reading

Ian’s Legal Fact of the Week 1/12/15: False Imprisonment v. Kidnapping

False imprisonment is the act of confining or detaining someone with no legal justification and against their will, and is treated as a felony in some (but not all) states In contrast, kidnapping involves moving a person against their will, through use … Continue reading

Ian’s Legal Fact of the Week 9/1/14: The Bill of Rights

James Madison introduced 39 proposed amendments to the Constitution before the House of Representatives in 1789; the House approved 17 of these, 12 of which were ultimately approved by Congress. Ten amendments, now known as the Bill of Rights, went on be ratified … Continue reading