Thoughts & Musings from a lawyer about law and life.
There are two police reform bills currently in the United States Congress. The first is the "George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020" (actual bill available here) and the other is the "Just and Unifying Solutions To Invigorate Communities Everywhere Act of 2020" or "JUSTICE Act" (text available here) for short here is a quick difference of the two:
Following the Dayton Massacre (nine dead, twenty-seven injured in less than a minute), a number of laws were introduced to help curb gun violence. House Bill No. 240 was among these.
In the wake of each of these tragedies, it has become a predictable play. It isn't even nuanced anymore, and it sure isn't interesting. Here is the recap - tell me I'm wrong. One side says, "WE NEED REFORM!" The other side says, "IT ISN'T THE GUNS' FAULT, IT IS THE CRAZY PEOPLE!" Then someone … Continue reading Taking apart the dialogue of the gun debate.
Another weekend passes and our country has had two more mass shootings. After each of these, I sit down and write Senator Robert Portman, to say, hey, we have a problem, what are we doing? This time, one of the shootings was in Ohio. I think I have had a single response - and it … Continue reading Meaningful Changes – Gun Control
The United States Supreme Court just issued its opinion on United States v. Jones in January of 2012. The issue before the Court was whether or not law enforcement's attachment of a GPS unit to a suspect's vehicle was a violation of the suspect's Fourth Amendment rights. The Fourth Amendment protects the "right of the … Continue reading Government Attachment of GPS Unit to Car is Violation of Fourth Amendment
On October 7, 2009, two police officers pulled into a Walgreens parking lot and noticed a pickup truck that was poorly parked leaving the rear of the vehicle hanging approximately four feet into the thoroughfare of the parking lot. The officers stopped their cruiser, got out and walked around the vehicle. Moments later, two men came … Continue reading Officer’s Illegal Seizure Results in Suppression of Evidence
On April 12, 2011, the Franklin County Municipal Court, Judge Barrows, issued a ruling on a suppression hearing that was held thirteen days earlier. At issue during the suppression hearing was whether or not the senior operator of the breathalyzer had the proper credentialing to operate the breathalyzer. Pursuant to Ohio law, operators must be properly … Continue reading Breathalyzer Test Results Thrown Out
The 129th General Assembly did not waste any time in changing state law to allow citizens with conceal carry permits (CCWs or CHLs) to carry their handguns into new venues. State Senator Tim Schaffer introduced SB 17 for the first time on February 1, 2011, it passed the Senate on April 13, 2011 and was … Continue reading Ohio Conceal Carry Laws – Effective September 30, 2011