I should be bleeding red, white and blue over reports that the Internal Revenue Service has singled out some Tea Party groups for extra-special scrutiny as tax exempt organizations. Instead, I can’t help but giggle. If ever there were two groups who deserve one another it is the tax department and the playpen patriots wearing tin foil hats.
First, the tax man.
A federal income tax has been part of the United States Constitution for 100 years now. The sixteenth amendment saw to that. The amendment is, frankly, a mockery of the first ten amendments. In a bygone era folks actually...
May 16, 2013
Here’s some free legal advice that might just keep you out of jail: If federal officials pay you a surprise visit and want to talk to you, don’t do it. If you just can’t say no, then demand that they permit you to tape record your conversation with them. If they won’t let you record the conversation, then, at the very least, take their business cards, call a lawyer, and politely ask them to leave your premises.
Why such a hardline with the feds?
It is a federal offense to lie to a government employee. (It is not, however, a violation of the law for a...
May 16, 2013
I originally posted this in 2010. Over the weekend, I was approached and asked for permission to republish this by a third party. I am reposting today to remind folks that you do not have to talk to the police. Indeed, it's never a good idea to do so without the assistance of a lawyer.
I'm a battle-hardened criminal defense lawyer, so it always surprises me how weak in the knees I get when a policeman pulls me over. The urge to confess runs rampant, even if I haven't done anything. I assume the authorities must have a reason for wanting to talk to me. What have I done?
Police prey...
May 13, 2013
Tamerlan Tsarnaev is dead. He can’t hurt anyone again. So what’s the big deal about whether he is buried in Hamden, or in Russia, or on the dark side of the Moon?
In medieval times, courts pursued claims not just against persons who committed harm, but also against the material things that cause the harm. Strike me with a stick, and I might have brought an action against you and the stick. This later form of claim is what the law calls an in rem proceeding.
I’d like to believe that law has evolved beyond the point of thinking we need to punish...
May 9, 2013
May 8, 2013
Is Amanda Knox guilty of murder? One Italian jury said yes. Then a second jury said no. Now the case is being sent back for another trial. Ms. Knox...
May 5, 2013
If you are confused by the recent actions of Bethany’s Planning and Zoning Commission, here’s an attempt to decode them. The...
May 5, 2013
I wasn’t surprised to learn that United States Attorney David Fein tendered his resignation and will soon step down from his latest...
May 2, 2013
Perhaps the most telling moment in Ken Burns’ new documentary on the Central Park Five case is when a juror explains why he voted...
April 27, 2013
Update: The Bethany Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to reject Green Haven's proposed zone change last night, with Patricia Winer...
April 25, 2013
Trial is an imperfect vehicle for finding the truth. We all know that. Juries and judges make mistakes. We permit clients to seek a new trial when a...