Nullification

Activist found not guilty of vandalism for writing with chalk outside Bank of America

"An anti-bank activist who faced more than a decade behind bars for using chalk to voice his protests against Bank of America was found not guilty of vandalism on Monday. A jury found Jeff Olson, 40, not guilty on all charges, according to NBC San Diego. Olson was charged with 13 counts of vandalism by San Diego City Attorney Jan Goldsmith for writing statements such as 'No thanks, big banks' and 'Shame on Bank of America' in front of Bank of America branches last year. Mayor Bob Filner had described the prosecution of Olson as a waste of resources and 'a stupid case.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingActivist found not guilty of vandalism for writing with chalk outside Bank of America

Texas Governor Rick Perry Signs a Pair of Bills Upholding Fourth Amendment

"With Governor Perry’s signature on HB 912, Texas now joins Idaho, Virginia, Florida, Montana, and Tennessee on the list of states that have enacted laws regulating the use of drones in their sovereign skies. Meanwhile, on June 14, Governor Perry signed into another important bill. As explained prior to Governor Perry’s signing of the bill by the blog Law360, HB 2268 'would establish the strongest email privacy protections in the U.S. by becoming the first measure to override a provision in the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act that allows law enforcement to access emails that are open or more than 180 days old using only a subpoena.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTexas Governor Rick Perry Signs a Pair of Bills Upholding Fourth Amendment

National Lawyers Guild Report Supports Further Marijuana Legalization Initiatives

"As the nation waits for a response from the White House, the NLG joins other organizations and individuals in calling for the end to marijuana prohibition. 'Marijuana legalization will create new jobs, generate millions of dollars in tax revenue, and allow law enforcement to focus on serious crimes,' said Brian Vicente, NLG member and one of the primary authors of Colorado’s legalization amendment. 'It would be a travesty if the Obama administration used its power to impose marijuana prohibition upon a state whose people have declared, through the democratic process, that they want it to end.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNational Lawyers Guild Report Supports Further Marijuana Legalization Initiatives

Secession and Nullification in Colorado

"In response to a few years of anti-rural, anti-gun, and high tax government in Denver, some rural counties in northern and eastern Colorado have proposed that they secede from Colorado. At the center of the effort is the Weld County government, which is controlled by rural and agricultural interests, and relatively more bible-belt-ish compared to much of the state. In addition, the northeastern part of the state is experiencing an oil-driven boom thanks to oil discovered in the Niobrara formation. These newly oil-rich counties also want to opt out of regulations they anticipate will be coming from Denver." Continue reading →

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Colorado Governor Signs Marijuana Legalization Bills

"In a public ceremony at the state capitol in Denver Tuesday, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) signed into law four bills that will establish a legal, regulated marijuana market for adults and begin the development of a regulatory framework for industrial hemp production. The package of bills had passed the legislature earlier this month in accord with the requirements of Amendment 64, which won with 55% of the popular vote last November. That groundbreaking vote led Hickenlooper to sign an order legalizing marijuana possession and to appoint an Amendment 64 Implementation Task Force late last year, which provided guidance to the legislature." Continue reading →

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Carroll County passes resolution opposing new Maryland gun law

"Carroll County officials have taken a stand against Maryland's tough new gun law, voting to support law enforcement officials who use discretion in choosing when to enforce it. The Board of County Commissioners unanimously passed a Second Amendment Preservation Resolution, stating that it believes Maryland's new law is unconstitutional. Two other counties -- Cecil and Harford -- also have passed resolutions opposing the law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCarroll County passes resolution opposing new Maryland gun law

Most Likely To Secede: The Rise of Nullification

"Nullification acts have been introduced in state legislatures all across the country, particularly in the last few months. According to one estimate at the Tenth Amendment Center, which tracks such things, there are more than 70 proposed bills to nullify federal laws and practices now in state legislatures, sometimes consciously labeled nullification, sometimes not. For example, 12 states have introduced proposals for state marijuana laws in defiance of federal regulations under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. State laws against National Defense Authorization Act indefinite detention provisions have been introduced in almost half the states." Continue reading →

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Jury Nullification Advocate Out Of Jail, Files Federal Lawsuit Against Judge

"Mark Schmidter is a free man after spending 104 days in the Orange County Jail. He was convicted late last year of indirect criminal contempt by Chief Judge Belvin Perry for handing out flyers at the Orange County Courthouse in the months leading up to and during the Casey Anthony trial. He says his fight over free speech is not over. Those flyers explained the right of jurors to nullify convictions if they thought the law was wrong, even if a defendant had committed the crime. Schmidter says he will jump right back into the fray now that he has served his time." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJury Nullification Advocate Out Of Jail, Files Federal Lawsuit Against Judge

Colorado Sheriffs Unite to Block ‘Unenforceable’ Gun Control Laws

"In the wake of the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado passed some of the strictest gun control measures in the country. But in recent months, an overwhelming 55 of the state’s 62 county sheriffs have joined a lawsuit aiming to block the measures. Sheriff Terry Maketa of El Paso County is one of the opposing sheriffs. Maketa says they believe the laws are unenforceable, but also violate the Second and Fourteenth Amendments. After explaining the tactics used to pass the bills that essentially 'eliminated all public input,' Maketa reiterated that it’s clearly an 'overreaching step' for politicians to claim law enforcement supports stricter gun control." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingColorado Sheriffs Unite to Block ‘Unenforceable’ Gun Control Laws

Florida Sheriff Arrested After Defending Second Amendment

"A Florida sheriff who believes in the Second Amendment was charged Tuesday for removing the arrest file of a suspect held on an unconstitutional gun charge but later released. Liberty County Sheriff Nicholas Finch, 50, was booked in his own jail Tuesday with one count of official misconduct by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The FDLE accuses Finch of covering up the arrest of Floyd Eugene Parrish after releasing him from the Liberty County Jail. Parrish had been arrested for carrying a concealed firearm without a license, a third-degree felony in Florida." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFlorida Sheriff Arrested After Defending Second Amendment