Florida jails tourist for collecting seashells
"Fiscal-Gonzalez said she didn't know taking the shells from the beach was illegal. She was planning to give the state-protected mollusks away as gifts."
California: Laws That Are ‘Impossible’ to Follow Can Still Be Constitutional
"Just because a law is impossible to follow is not enough of a reason for a court to throw it out. So California's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday."
Nanny State: A Permit Patty and BBQ Becky In Every Neighborhood
"With a phone pressed to the side of their sanctimonious faces, this army of volunteer state minions get to feel like their local police--tyrannical psychopaths."
If the Law Is This Complicated, Why Shouldn’t Ignorance Be an Excuse?
"America’s judges still cling to the proposition that it’s perfectly fine to lock people up for doing something they had no idea was illegal. But it’s not fine, and the justifications for that palpably unfair rule have only grown more threadbare with time."
Harvey Silverglate: How Robert Mueller Tried To Entrap Me
"The most serious problem with a special counsel is that when a prosecutor is appointed to examine closely the lives and affairs of a pre-selected group of targets, that prosecutor is almost certain to stumble across multiple actions that might be deemed criminal under the sprawling and incredibly vague federal criminal code."
Toddler Denied Kidney Transplant Because Donor Violated Parole
"Everything was on track in the weeks preceding the surgery, until the justice system got involved. Now, A.J. is being denied the kidney he needs because his father violated his parole."
In Indiana, sex with minors is OK, but it’s illegal to sext them
"The defendant, who faces a maximum of three years in prison if convicted, argued that it was 'patently illogical' to hold someone criminally liable for sending nude pictures to a minor—yet it's legal to expose themselves to minors in person. The Indiana ruling is among a string of cases in which sexting laws are clearly nonsensical."
Lemonade Stands Legalized in Utah
"Originally, the bill protecting childhood entrepreneurs sought to guard home-based businesses against state intervention. However, many child-run lemonade stands are not operated solely on privately owned property. Often, these amateur businesses are operated on neighborhood street corners or sidewalks, which are unfortunately considered public property." Continue reading →
People Keep Getting Charged With a Crime for Selling Bitcoin
"It's not illegal to sell bitcoins per se, but at least four people across the US this year have been charged or pleaded guilty to the crime of exchanging the cryptocurrency for fiat as a business without a license—'business' being the keyword." Continue reading →
IRS Agents Rob Convenience Store
"In June 2014, the government seized Ken Quran's entire bank account—more than $150,000. This was money that Ken worked for years to earn, and that he was counting on for his retirement. Ken had no prior warning before the government seized the account. The government told him they were taking the money because he withdrew cash from the bank in amounts under $10,000." Continue reading →