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Tropical Storm? The Supreme Court Considers Double Jeopardy and the Sovereign Status of Puerto Rico

Description: This legal sidebar discusses the nature of the relationship between the United States government and the territory of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Based in part on statutory language providing that the relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States is "in the nature of a compact," arguments have been made that any change in Puerto Rico's political status must be consented to by both parties.
Date: November 4, 2015
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Home Is Where They Have To Take You In: Right to Entry For U.S. Citizens

Description: This legal sidebar discusses the Congressional interest to revoke passports of U.S. citizens who have gone abroad to fight for foreign terrorist groups. This issue derived from the concern about preventing such persons from returning to conduct terrorist activities in the U.S.
Date: October 16, 2014
Creator: Lee, Margaret Mikyung
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Insurance and Climate Change: Do Governments Have a Duty to Protect Property Owners?

Description: This legal sidebar discusses the climate change in context of federal and private insurers. One of the many insurance company concerns is whether the government can be held liable for not putting in place adequate infrastructure to protect against property damage from climate-change-related extreme weather.
Date: October 16, 2014
Creator: Meltz, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Can Marriage Conquer "Consular Nonreviewability" for a Spouse's Visa Denial?

Description: This legal sidebar discusses the case of Kerry v. Din. The case asks the Court to recognize marriage as a constitutionally-protected interest of a U.S. citizen which can trigger limited judicial review of a spouse's visa denial and require the government to identify the specific laws and facts that are grounds for denying the visa.
Date: October 30, 2014
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

You Win Some You Lose Some...New Second Amendment Rulings

Description: This legal sidebar discusses constitutionality of firearms laws under the Second Amendment since the Supreme Court decided District of Columbia v. Heller in 2008, in light of two recent federal appellate cases in which the circuit courts struck down some parts of firearms laws.
Date: November 5, 2015
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Selected CRS Materials on Detention and Interrogation of Terrorist Suspects and Enemy Belligerents

Description: This legal sidebar discusses issues of contention, which include whether U.S. detention and interrogation practices were permissible under domestic and international law, and whether U.S. personnel who authorized or engaged in such practices could be subject to criminal liability.
Date: December 16, 2014
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Big Deal? U.S. Changes Stance on Cruelty Prohibition

Description: This legal sidebar outlines a change in the U.S. interpretation regarding aspects of the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT); these comments were presented as part of the U.S. periodic report to the U.N. Committee Against Torture.
Date: December 16, 2014
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Federal Court Weighs in on "VisaGate 2015": Part 1, the Visa Bulletin and Recent Revisions to It

Description: This legal sidebar discusses the incident widely known as "VisaGate 2015" regarding the timeframe for temporary alien guest workers to file applications for lawful permanent resident status. It includes an analysis of the decision from the federal district court in Washington State on the permissibility of certain changes made by the Department of State (DOS) regarding the incident.
Date: November 16, 2015
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Tying Up Loose Ends... Supreme Court To Evaluate Federal Firearm Provision Again

Description: This legal sidebar discusses certiorari to hear Voisine v. United States, a decision examining the federal provision that makes it unlawful for an individual to possess a firearm or ammunition if he or she has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence (MCDV).
Date: December 3, 2015
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

No Second Amendment Cases for the Supreme Court's 2014-2015 Term...Yet

Description: This report discusses the reluctance by the Supreme Court to take cases involving the Second Amendment. Commentators have observed that the Court appears to have become "gun shy" regarding this issue, given that it has not taken up a Second Amendment case since its landmark rulings in District of Columbia v. Heller in 2008 and McDonald v. City of Chicago in 2010.
Date: October 23, 2014
Creator: Chu, Vivian S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Still Fair Use for Google Books: Second Circuit Ruling in Authors Guild v. Google

Description: This legal sidebar discusses the decision in Authors Guild v. Google case, in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the lower court's ruling and held that Google's copying and distribution of books as part of its Google Books Project qualifies as fair use under the Copyright Act, and thus Google is not liable for infringement of the authors' copyright in these books.
Date: November 30, 2015
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

JPMorgan Data Breach Involves Information on 76 Million Households, 7 Million Small Businesses

Description: This report discusses the JP Morgan data breach. According to the filing, although account information was not compromised, hackers had access to information of users of Chase.com, JPMorganOnline, Chase Mobile, and JPMorgan Mobile, covering "name, address, phone number and email address [information] -- and internal JPMorgan Chase information relating to ... approximately 76 million households and 7 million small businesses."
Date: October 23, 2014
Creator: Murphy, M. Maureen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Fifth Circuit Declines to Lift Injunction Barring Implementation of the Obama Administration's 2014 Deferred Action Programs

Description: This legal sidebar discusses a decision by the Fifth Circuit in which they declined to lift an injunction barring the implementation of the Obama administration's 2014 deferred action programs. Additionally, the decision argued that the expansions are impermissible because they conflict with certain provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Date: November 12, 2015
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Eleventh Circuit Provides Guidance for the Definition of "Foreign Official" under the FCPA

Description: This legal sidebar discusses the opinion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in United States v. Esquenazi, which is the first federal appellate court decision to provide guidance for and to flesh out the definition of the term "foreign official" under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA or Act).
Date: October 15, 2014
Creator: Seitzinger, Michael V.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Independent Bids for President

Description: This report briefly discusses legal and practical obstacles for candidates pursuing an independent run for the presidency after participating in the nomination process of a major political party--including competing in state primaries and caucuses for delegates to the party's national nominating convention.
Date: January 6, 2016
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Bankruptcy for Marijuana Businesses?

Description: This legal sidebar discusses recent bankruptcy court cases that suggest that one such risk may be the ultimate unavailability to both debtors and creditors of the protections, benefits, and predictability of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code when state-regulated marijuana businesses fail.
Date: October 29, 2014
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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