Autocomplete search led to government stalking, lawsuit contends

Image from Shutterstock. A former employee with a government contractor claims the government began a campaign of harassment against him because of Google’s autocomplete feature. Jeffrey Kantor says in a federal lawsuit (PDF) that he intended to search for “How do I build a radio-controlled airplane?” in October 2009 because…

Dec 12, 2013 1:38 PM CST

Will there be a SCOTUS vacancy in 2014? Not according to this legal prognosticator

There won’t be a U.S. Supreme Court vacancy in 2014, there won’t be a U.S. prosecution of Edward Snowden, and there will be little court scrutiny of U.S. surveillance. Those are among the 2014 legal prognostications by legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin in the New Yorker He also asserts that legal…

Dec 11, 2013 12:15 PM CST

When will law grads and law jobs reach equilibrium? Between 2015 and 2021, depending on who you ask

Back in October at the Midwest Association of Prelaw Advisors conference, University of St. Thomas School of Law professor Jerry Organ (who also blogs at The Legal Whiteboard) predicted that, owing to a decreasing number of law students, available jobs will meet or exceed the number of law school graduates…

Dec 6, 2013 2:30 PM CST

Jodi Arias jurors won’t have to disclose Twitter accounts, judge rules

An Arizona judge has ruled that jurors considering the sentence for Jodi Arias won’t have to disclose their Twitter accounts. Judge Sherry Stephens rejected a defense bid to obtain the account information so jurors’ tweets could be monitored, report the Arizona Republic and ABC15.com. Stephens said there was no reason…

Dec 6, 2013 1:45 PM CST

‘Granny cam’ law aimed at curbing nursing-home abuse takes effect in Oklahoma

Outcry over nursing-home abuse caught by a secret video has spurred Oklahoma to become the third state to pass a law explicitly allowing cameras in rooms of long-term care residents. The law passed after Doris Racher placed a secret, motion-activated camera in the room of her mother, 96-year-old Eryetha Mayberry,…

Nov 20, 2013 11:45 AM CST

Travelers may sue airline for alleged sex-toy prank, 5th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has ruled that a lawsuit against an airline for allegedly taping a sex toy to the top of a checked bag should survive a motion to dismiss. The suit for intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy, and negligence is not pre-empted by an airline…

Nov 12, 2013 11:50 AM CST

Dating website information allowed in trial of accused movie theater shooter

A Colorado judge is permitting prosecutors to use information from dating websites in the trial of accused movie theater shooter James Holmes. Judge Carlos Samour of Arapahoe County ruled on Thursday that Holmes had no expectation of privacy in comments he made on his profile in an effort to find…

Nov 8, 2013 2:24 PM CST

Victims are taking on ‘revenge porn’ websites for posting photos they didn’t consent to

Nov 1, 2013 9:30 AM CDT

Teen wrestler sues after he is suspended for tweet saying he will ‘drill’ his teammates

A high-school wrestler in Minnesota has filed a suit claiming his school violated his constitutional rights when it suspended him over a tweet. The 16-year-old youth from Shakopee High School says he was indefinitely suspended for a tweet he sent in August some time before a football scrimmage, the Minneapolis…

Oct 23, 2013 1:53 PM CDT

Alleged name-calling not defamation, judge says in dismissal of NJ lawyer’s suit against ex-wife

A judge has dismissed a New Jersey lawyer’s defamation suit against his ex-wife. Ocean Township lawyer Mark Kentos had sued his ex-wife, Kelly, for remarks he says she made about him in front of one of his clients, the New Jersey Law Journal reports. According to the suit, Kelly Kentos…

Oct 3, 2013 7:45 PM CDT

Hearsay: Social media remorse

Oct 1, 2013 9:00 AM CDT

Spies’ love interests have been snooped on for non-security reasons, NSA inspector general admits

In the past decade, there have been 12 proven instances of National Security Agency representatives intentionally misusing surveillance tools for personal reasons, the agency admitted this month. The conduct involves snooping on girlfriends, husbands and first dates, Slate reports. NSA Inspector Gen. George Ellard released the information in a Sept.…

Sep 27, 2013 6:30 PM CDT

Scalia: Courts will decide legitimacy of NSA surveillance programs, but may be least equipped

Courts will determine the legality of National Security Agency surveillance programs, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said Wednesday. And in his opinion, that may not be a good thing. Speaking before the Northern Virginia Technology Council, the Associated Press reports, Scalia mentioned the Supreme Court expanding privacy rights in the…

Sep 26, 2013 6:42 PM CDT

Suit seeks secret indictment in JonBenet Ramsey case

A newspaper reporter and a press advocacy group have filed suit seeking release of a secret grand jury indictment in the JonBenet Ramsey case. The suit was filed on Wednesday by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and by Charlie Brennan, a reporter for the Boulder Daily Camera,…

Sep 20, 2013 3:08 PM CDT

Surveillance court releases new opinion upholding NSA collection of phone data

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has released an opinion upholding the constitutionality of the phone data collection program by the National Security Agency. The opinion, dated Aug. 29 and written by U.S. District Judge Claire Eagan of the Northern District of Oklahoma, said metadata that includes phone numbers, time and…

Sep 18, 2013 3:04 PM CDT