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It is Time for a “Second Look” at Legislative Efforts to Combat Mass Incarceration & Recidivism
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May 19, 2025
It is Time for a “Second Look” at Legislative Efforts to Combat Mass Incarceration & Recidivism
By: Sara Dalsheim
Government efficiency and spending is a hot topic of controversy in the United States. But even in the context of heated “DOGE” fights, there are proven examples of government efficiency and reduced spending that are clearly working—the passing of measures like the Second Chance and First Step Acts in an effort for mass incarceration and recidivism reduction. The U.S. government spends a total of $80.7 billion on public prisons and jails, and $3.9 billion on private prisons and jails.[1] The government (federal and state) can reduce their spending on incarceration and correctional facilities if efforts are made to remedy the mass incarceration crisis and to combat recidivism. A decline in recidivism saves the government money, makes society safer, and allows…
A Luigi Mangione Death Penalty Trial
April 15, 2025
A Luigi Mangione Death Penalty Trial
By: James Trusty
The Attorney General’s recent announcement that DOJ will seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione raises a host of interesting legal and philosophical issues, and it almost certainly reflects a dramatic about-face from the Biden administration’s approach towards federal prosecutions for death-eligible offenses. Aside from having personally prosecuted three death penalty trials while I was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Maryland and when I was…
Trouble in Paradise: White Lotus Character’s Legal Woes Illustrate Civil Forfeiture’s Overreach
April 14, 2025
Trouble in Paradise: White Lotus Character’s Legal Woes Illustrate Civil Forfeiture’s Overreach
By: Abbey Block
Last Sunday, millions of viewers tuned in to watch the season finale of White Lotus – a widely popular show that centers around the week-long vacation of several ultra-wealthy patrons of the fictional “White Lotus” resort in Thailand.[1] The show follows a dynamic cast of quirky characters as they navigate their opulent getaway. One of those characters in this most recent season was Timothy Ratliff…
Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein to Make First Supreme Court Appearance in Sentencing Case, Even as Rumors Continue to Swirl of Potential Firing
April 23, 2018
Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein to Make First Supreme Court Appearance in Sentencing Case, Even as Rumors Continue to Swirl of Potential Firing
By: Ifrah Law
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will be arguing before the Supreme Court today for the first time in his nearly thirty-year government career even as rumors abound that Donald Trump is talking about firing him to cut off investigations into his administration’s Russia ties. Although the United States is usually represented before the Supreme Court by the Solicitor General, it is not uncommon for…
Congress Passes the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017
March 26, 2018
Congress Passes the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017
By: Jeffrey Hamlin
As of March 21, 2018, both chambers of Congress have approved H.R. 1865—the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 (FOSTA). In a rare show of bipartisanship, both Houses approved the bill with veto-proof majorities—the House by a vote of 388 to 25 and the Senate by a vote of 97 to 2. But some free-speech advocates, internet-law experts, and…
SEC’s Updated Cybersecurity Disclosure Guidelines Leave Questions Unanswered
March 2, 2018
SEC’s Updated Cybersecurity Disclosure Guidelines Leave Questions Unanswered
By: Ifrah Law
As previewed in our previous post, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) unanimously approved new cybersecurity interpretive guidance—a format used to clarify the SEC’s views on security laws and regulations—on Wednesday of last week. The guidelines make no mention of how they affect and interplay with other regulators’ data privacy requirements, so whether compliance with these guidelines absolves companies of liabilities is a…
If ICOs are Securities: What Cryptocurrency Issuers, Exchanges and Gatekeepers Need to Know.
March 1, 2018
If ICOs are Securities: What Cryptocurrency Issuers, Exchanges and Gatekeepers Need to Know.
By: Jeff Ifrah
As predicted, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has taken additional steps to clamp down on the exploding ICO market: yesterday the Wall Street Journal reported the agency had issued “dozens of subpoenas and information requests to technology companies and advisors.” After repeated warnings from regulators like SEC Chairman Jay Clayton, the SEC is now sending its message loud and clear: every ICO involves the sale…
Employer Liability for Data Breaches: Avoid Getting Eaten By Your Own
January 31, 2018
Employer Liability for Data Breaches: Avoid Getting Eaten By Your Own
By: Nicole Kardell
When a company suffers a data breach, it is hit with a barrage of issues. For instance, How can it safeguard against another breach? Who should it notify of the breach and when (Authorities? The people whose data was compromised?)? What type of measures should it undertake to minimize possible damage to those whose data was compromised? How can it guard its reputation and brand?…
