THE PUBLIC INTEREST: LEGAL NEWS
• Top Court Considers D.C. Handgun Ban
• Reebok Pays $1M Fine for Toxic Lead in Jewelry
• Contaminant Found in Heparin
• 'No Child' Law Relaxed for Some States
• Legal Commentary: Will California Make Home Schooling Illegal?
• FAA Orders Safety Review for All Airlines
• Employer Bias Thwarts Many Blind Workers
• Court Rejects La. Murder Conviction
• FDA Panel: Limit Anemia Drug Prescriptions
• Salmonella Outbreak May Be Tied to Water
• Is My Account Safe from Credit Crisis?
PUBLIC ACCESS: RESOURCE CENTER
• Paying Your Federal Taxes: If You Owe
• Fair Housing and Housing Discrimination
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THE PUBLIC INTEREST: LEGAL NEWS
TOP COURT CONSIDERS D.C. HANDGUN BAN
(FindLaw's Common Law Blog) The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in a challenge to a District of Columbia ban on handgun ownership, a case that may impact gun ownership rights nationwide. The specific question before the Court in Heller v. District of Columbia is whether the Second Amendment forbids the District of Columbia from banning private possession of handguns while allowing possession of rifles and shotguns. Read more...
Related Resources
• Read a Transcript of Tuesday's Oral Arguments [PDF file]
REEBOK PAYS $1M FINE FOR TOXIC LEAD IN JEWELRY
(FindLaw's Common Law Blog) Reebok has agreed to pay a $1M fine to the federal government in connection with the 2006 recall of charm bracelets that contained toxic levels of lead, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced Tuesday. Read more...
Related Resources
• Plastic Easter Eggs Linked to Lead Paint (AP)
• Lead Poisoning and the Law
CONTAMINANT FOUND IN HEPARIN
(AP) U.S. health officials have identified a contaminant in batches of the blood thinner heparin associated with 19 deaths and are trying to determine how the chemical got into the drug. The lots of heparin, whose key ingredient was imported from China, were recalled Feb. 28, and Food and Drug Administration officials said Wednesday that no new deaths have been reported since that time. Read more...
Related Resources
• More Heparin Blood-Thinner Meds Recalled (FindLaw's Common Law Blog)
'NO CHILD' LAW RELAXED FOR SOME STATES
(FindLaw's Common Law Blog) Requirements under the No Child Left Behind Law will be relaxed for certain states, allowing them to differentiate between schools with chronic underperformance problems and those that are only lagging slightly, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced this week. Read more...
Related Resources
• No Child Left Behind (U.S. Department of Education)
LEGAL COMMENTARY: WILL CALIFORNIA MAKE HOME SCHOOLING ILLEGAL?
(FindLaw's Writ) FindLaw columnist Vikram Amar and FindLaw guest columnist Alan Brownstein, both U.C. Davis law professors, discuss a recent ruling by a California appellate court upholding a law that effectively prohibits home schooling. Read more...
Related Resources
• Education and the Law: Articles, FAQ, and More
FAA ORDERS SAFETY REVIEW FOR ALL AIRLINES
(FindLaw's Common Law Blog) The head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered federal aviation inspectors to ensure that all commercial airlines operating in the U.S. are in compliance with FAA safety standards and regulations. Read more...
Related Resources
• FAA Resources for Passengers
EMPLOYER BIAS THWARTS MANY BLIND WORKERS
(AP) Technology and training have improved to the point that blind people can adeptly perform a dazzling array of jobs - soon to include the governorship of New York. The biggest obstacle still in their way, advocates say, is the negative attitude of many employers. Read more...
Related Resources
• Employer's Duty to Accommodate Religion Not Unlimited (Andrews)
• Employees' Rights: Discrimination and Harassment
COURT REJECTS LA. MURDER CONVICTION
(AP) The Supreme Court threw out the death sentence and conviction in a Louisiana murder case Wednesday, citing racial prejudice in the actions of a prosecutor who called the murder trial his "O.J. Simpson case" and kept blacks off the jury. By a 7-2 vote, the justices said state prosecutor Jim Williams improperly excluded blacks from the jury that convicted Allen Snyder of killing his estranged wife's companion. Snyder is black and the jurors were white. Read more...
Related Resources
• Read Wednesday's Supreme Court Decision: Snyder v. Louisiana
• Punishment and the Death Penalty
FDA PANEL: LIMIT ANEMIA DRUG PRESCRIPTIONS
(FindLaw's Common Law Blog) Drugs used to treat anemia carry health risks and should only be prescribed to patients with certain types of incurable cancer, a panel of scientists has advised the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Read more...
Related Resources
• Study: Anemia Drugs Pose Death Risk (FindLaw's Common Law Blog)
SALMONELLA OUTBREAK MAY BE TIED TO WATER
(AP) State health officials warned residents of a southern Colorado town Wednesday to stop drinking and cooking with tap water because they said it might be linked to a salmonella outbreak. The state health department said 33 cases of salmonella have been confirmed and 46 other reports were being investigated in Alamosa, a city of 8,500 about 160 miles south of Denver. Read more...
Related Resources
• What is Salmonella?
IS MY ACCOUNT SAFE FROM CREDIT CRISIS?
(AP) The credit crisis has done more damage on Park Avenue than on Main Street, but the near-collapse of investment bank Bear Stearns raises the question of whether Wall Street's troubles could spread to commercial banks and ordinary depositors. The short answer is this: Deposits in commercial banks are considered safe, barring catastrophe, and they are protected by federal insurance if a bank fails. Read more...
Related Resources
• Banking: Savings and Checking Accounts
PUBLIC ACCESS: RESOURCE CENTER
PAYING YOUR FEDERAL TAXES: IF YOU OWE
(FindLaw for the Public) As you prepare your federal income tax return ahead of the April 15 deadline, if you find that you owe money to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), FindLaw's Tax Center can help. In the "Paying Your Federal Taxes" section of the Tax Center you’ll find information and tips on handling your federal tax bill, your payment options, and what to do if you can't pay on time. Read more...
Related Resources
• FindLaw's Tax Center - Updated for 2008
FAIR HOUSING AND HOUSING DISCRIMINATION
(FindLaw for the Public) Housing discrimination and fair housing rights are important issues to keep in mind when you are looking for an apartment or considering buying a home. The "Housing Discrimination and Fair Housing Rights" topic in FindLaw for the Public's Civil Rights Center provides helpful information and resources on fair housing -- including articles on different types of housing discrimination, fair housing laws, U.S. Supreme Court cases on fair housing. Click on the link below to get started: Read more...
Related Resources
• Browse the Civil Rights Center
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