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The DOJ Steps Up for Military Families
FEATURED
June 29, 2026
The DOJ Steps Up for Military Families
By: Lauren Scribner
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), 50 U.S.C. § 4025a, grants military spouses portability of their professional licenses. That means when a military spouse moves with his or her servicemember to the servicemember’s assigned duty station in a new state, the spouse’s professional license essentially moves with them.[1] In order to take advantage of this license portability benefit in the new state, the SCRA requires a military spouse to submit only three documents: (1) proof of military orders documenting the assigned duty station in the new state; (2) a marriage certificate; and (3) a notarized affidavit affirming a few key details, such as the applicant being in good standing in all other states of licensure. The reasons the SCRA exists…
How Much is Too Much? – Second Circuit Establishes Guardrails for Sentencing Hearings
June 22, 2026
How Much is Too Much? – Second Circuit Establishes Guardrails for Sentencing Hearings
By: James Trusty
As any federal criminal practitioner can attest, judges holding a sentencing hearing are privy to an intentionally wider universe of information about the defendant than a jury would have heard about at trial. We want judges to consider all sorts of things about the offender and the offense, beyond just the facts establishing the crime – social background, employment history, criminal record, substance abuse history, mental health issues, and more. Particularly in…
Robotic Risk—but Is the Ultimate Answer Still a Human One?
May 26, 2026
Robotic Risk—but Is the Ultimate Answer Still a Human One?
By: Lauren Scribner
It now goes without saying that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a convenient solution for accomplishing certain tedious tasks, such as planning an upcoming trip, figuring out what to make for dinner with ingredients already on hand, or adding some professional flare to an email. But when it comes to some of the more high-stakes areas of life, such as obtaining financial, medical, or legal…
Charges Against Former Virginia Governor McDonnell Brought on by Whistleblower
January 23, 2014
Charges Against Former Virginia Governor McDonnell Brought on by Whistleblower
By: Ifrah Law
The media coverage of this week’s announcement that federal prosecutors have charged former Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, with illegally accepting gifts from a wealthy Richmond area businessman have largely focused on what the Commonwealth’s first family may have given in return. To be sure, the question of whether and how these gifts corrupted the state government is an important one,…
Bitcoin Goes Mainstream
January 17, 2014
Bitcoin Goes Mainstream
By: Ifrah Law
As followers of trends in e-commerce, our firm takes a keen interest in new e-payment methods. Last year, we predicted the Bitcoin would emerge as an innovative mode of currency for online transactions. When Bitcoin – an alternative virtual currency – first appeared in the mainstream media, it was largely portrayed as a wonky, nerdy counterculture experiment in decentralized wiki-currency. Reports explained that it was…
Don’t Let Google+ Get You Arrested
January 15, 2014
Don’t Let Google+ Get You Arrested
By: Ifrah Law
A Massachusetts man, whose ex-girlfriend had a restraining order out against him, was recently arrested for sending her an invitation to join Google+. This unfortunate drama sheds light on the disparate impact of ordinary things. According to the Salem News, after receiving a Google+ invitation, Tom Gagnon’s ex-girlfriend went to the police station with a copy of the invitation and the restraining order in hand….
Prosecutor’s Tweets May Have Been Improper but Did Not Deprive Defendant of Fair Trial
January 11, 2014
Prosecutor’s Tweets May Have Been Improper but Did Not Deprive Defendant of Fair Trial
By: Jeffrey Hamlin
Last month, the Missouri Court of Appeals published its opinion holding that criminal defendant David Polk is not entitled to a new trial. Although the prosecutor may have acted improperly by posting trial updates via Twitter, there was no evidence that her updates swayed the jury to convict Polk. The court’s decision resolves a once-cold case that began in St. Louis more than twenty years…
Federal Government Blocks International Online Gamblers, Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Sue
January 3, 2014
Federal Government Blocks International Online Gamblers, Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Sue
By: Ifrah Law
The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes have filed suit against Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell after the Department Interior blocked their effort to offer real-money online gaming to international customers. The Tribes were prepared to launch Pokertribes.com after coming to a revenue-sharing agreement with the state of Oklahoma. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes were permitted to offer their…
