Recently, the tri-state region scored low in the national highway safety report. The Report says South Dakota and Nebraska need much improvement in adopting more roadway safety laws on distracted driving and child passenger safety.

The 2023 Highway Safety Report says South Dakota and Nebraska have less than five out of the recommended 16 laws needed for safety. The report marked Nebraska and South Dakota in red.

Continue reading “Roads in the tri-state receive low marks in latest federal highway safety report” →

I was a little bit surprised when I first found out about this interesting “possession law” here in Iowa. After a certain amount of time, a squatter can put in a claim for ownership of a property you own. It could be land, a building, or a house. It does take a bit of time and there are things you can do if you run into a squatting problem but the fact that this is even possible is nuts.
Continue reading “Did You Know Squatters Can Claim Rights To Your Property In Iowa?” →

South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem spoke out following her enactment of an executive order prohibiting state agencies or those who contract with them from accessing the China-owned social media app TikTok – warning the Chinese Communist Party is ripping information from users.

“It’s off our networks. It’s blocked off of our servers. Any state employee, anybody who contracts with the state of South Dakota, anybody who uses any of our systems no longer will be able to download or utilize this app because of the national security threat that it is,” Noem told Fox News on Wednesday.

Continue reading “South Dakota governor bans TikTok for state agencies, warning of security threat” →

The Supreme Court will hear arguments today on two criminal fraud cases that explore whether people who work privately for government officials owe a duty of honest services to the public under what the Wall Street Journal calls “the ill-defined honest-services fraud statute.”

In the first case, former state official Joseph Percoco was serving as campaign manager for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo at the time he accepted a $35,000 payment from a real-estate developer to help obtain government approval for a project. The government declared him to be “functionally a public official” because he had clout with state agencies. Thus, the US Attorney said, Joe committed honest-services fraud.

Continue reading “Fraud Takes the Stage at Supreme Court” →

Thanksgiving is one of our favorite days of the year because it reminds us to give thanks and to count our blessings. So many things become little when we realize how blessed we are.

From Angel Law Prof. L.L.C. to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

A South St. Paul teen shot dead outside his home in a botched drug deal. Bullets peppered throughout a crowded St. Paul bar. A gun stolen from a Ham Lake home fired at motorcyclists less than a half hour later.

Legally bought firearms are showing up at crime scenes in Minnesota — and nationally — faster than ever, in part a reflection of a more concerted effort by law enforcement to trace guns used in crimes back to those who, in some cases, helped deliver them to the shooters.

Continue reading “Legally bought guns turning up at crime scenes faster than ever in Minnesota, nationally” →

State lawmakers might get rid of South Dakota’s requirement that a prison- or jail-impact statement be prepared as part of any proposed legislation or amendment.

The Legislature’s Executive Board voted 12-1 Tuesday to seek a repeal of the eight-year-old law during the 2023 session that opens January 10.

Continue reading “SD lawmakers might drop prison, jail statements” →

As results from the midterm elections continue to trickle in, this week our team has a roundup on how some major criminal justice candidates and issues fared, and what the fallout from these races and ballot measures may look like moving forward.

Continue reading “7 Key Criminal Justice Takeaways From the Midterms” →

A land surveyor for Summit Carbon Solutions faces a criminal trial in December for allegedly trespassing on land in northwest Iowa that is part of the company’s proposed carbon dioxide pipeline route, according to court records.

State law allows the land surveys — without the threat of a trespassing charge — after hazardous liquid pipeline companies hold informational meetings about the projects and send notice to landowners.

The surveys are meant to help determine the path and depth of the potential pipelines.

Continue reading “Trespassing case might test state’s pipeline survey law” →

Iowa Law Professor Mihailis Diamantis and Will Thomas of the Michigan Ross Business School recently asked readers:

Can you name ten corporate criminals?

Bernie Madoff, Martha Stewart and Jeff Skilling don’t count – they are individuals, not businesses.

How about just five? Three?

Continue reading “Can You Name Ten Corporate Criminals?” →