The U.S. Supreme Court has turned away two cases involving the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which makes accessing computers without authorization into a federal crime. That leaves the existing 9th Circuit court rulings in place despite concerns that the...
With Halloween coming in a few weeks, much attention is being centered on all the children who will be taking to neighborhood streets in search of candy. The Party City commercials should give you a clue. It is an annual tradition here in Grand Rapids; so much so that...
In one of the most disappointing and high-profile sexting scandals of the last five years, former congressman Anthony Weiner was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison. The sentence stems from Weiner’s guilty plea to one count of transferring obscene material...
Since voters passed the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act in 2008, thousands of people have gotten arrested and incarcerated for marijuana cultivation and distribution. Even those who believe they are protected by the Act could end up victims to a no-knock narcotics raid...
It is expected that people will marvel over the newest release from Apple. The iPhone X is arguably the most advanced smartphone the computer maker has ever produced, and will have major technological updates, such as faster processing, longer battery life and...
As technology and science continue to advance, it stands to reason that U.S. crime labs would produce increasingly sound results that help implicate or exonerate those accused of committing crimes.Unfortunately, that is not the case. Government-run crime labs across...
Nothing creates anger and frustration like having your property stolen. Whether you are robbed at gunpoint or thieves invaded your home, it is reasonable to believe that you would be fairly angry.But what if the “thieves” happened to be the federal...
We hope our readers had a fund and entertaining Labor Day weekend. In our last post, we highlighted the possibility that law enforcement agencies may overstep their Fourth Amendment constraints by seeking information not necessarily covered in search warrants or...
Facing a heroin charge is a very serious crime. The punishment you may incur will vary based on the severity of your offense.There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to penalizing drug offenders. Every case is unique and requires its own special handling....
It is no secret that law enforcement agencies now rely on social media as means of gathering information to charge individuals with crimes. But where do authorities draw the line between zealous investigations and privacy violations? Chances are that what they believe...