US Law Archives - Page 6 of 71

Feds to Sue Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio for Targeting Latinos

Reuters: “The Obama administration on Tuesday said it was preparing to sue Arizona county sheriff Joe Arpaio and his department for violating civil rights laws by improperly targeting Latinos in a bid to crack down on illegal immigrants.”

Could there be a link to the Obama administration’s investigation of Sheriff Joe and Sheriff Joe’s investigation into the authenticity of Obama’s birth certificate and the expansion of his investigation? Read “Sheriff Joe Expands Obama Probe to Hillary Supporters.”

Federal Appeals Court Demands DOJ Explain Obama’s “Judicial Activism” Comment

ABA Journal: In response to a “judicial activism” comment by President Barack Obama, since clarified, about the health care law currently being reviewed for constitutionality by the U.S. Supreme Court, a federal appeals court judge overseeing a different health-care case has called for the Department of Justice immediately to provide a three-page single-spaced memo.

It should detail both the DOJ’s position and the views of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder “in regard to the recent statements by the president, stating specifically and in detail in reference to those statements what the authority is of the federal courts in this regard in terms of judicial review,” said Judge Jerry Smith of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals during a Tuesday hearing, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports.

Continue reading federal appeals court demands DOJ explain Obama’s “judicial activism” comment.

Congress Makes it Easier for Small Business to Raise Capital

Phoenix Business Journal: “Legislation that will make it easier for small companies to obtain capital from investors is headed to President Barack Obama for his signature. The House passed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (Jobs) Act 380-41 on March 27, accepting changes made by the Senate. The legislation will enable small businesses to use the Internet to raise up to $1 million in small investments from lots of people, a technique known as crowdfunding.”

Arizona Contractor gets Probation, Big Fine in Illegal-hiring Case

Arizona Republic: “A southern Arizona contractor who pleaded guilty to knowingly hiring illegal immigrants was sentenced to probation Thursday in the first case in the state in which authorities pursued criminal charges instead of just fines against an employer in an illegal-hiring case. Ivan Hardt, owner of Sun Dry Wall & Stucco Inc. of Sierra Vista, was sentenced in Tucson by U.S. District Judge Raner Collins to one year of probation for the misdemeanor conviction. The . . . felony charge will be dismissed if he pays the government $450,000.”

Justice Stevens Reflects On The Unpopularity Of Kelo

ABA Journal: Retired Justice John Paul Stevens says his 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of New London was so unpopular that he was criticized by fellow bridge players.

A duplicate bridge player, Stevens has silver life master status for the points he has amassed with the American Contract Bridge League, according to a 2009 story (PDF) in its Daily Bulletin. He tells the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) that he was merely applying 50-year-old precedent when he wrote the opinion allowing the city of New London, Conn., to use eminent domain to seize property for economic development by a private developer. “It’s the most unpopular opinion I ever wrote, no doubt about it,” he acknowledged.

“I had people at a bridge game stop me and ask, ‘How could you have written that opinion? We thought you were a good judge, but we learned otherwise,’ ” Stevens told the newspaper. “But you can’t explain the whole law of eminent domain to your bridge opponents.”

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