A new bill called the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act would make it a federal crime to evade U.S. Customs and Border Protection or other law enforcement agents aiding CBP by motor vehicle within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. The bill passed the House of Representatives Tuesday.
The bill is named after former Border Patrol agent Raul Gonzalez, who died during a high-speed chase in Texas, said the bill’s sponsor U.S. Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ).
Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT are entering law practices, promising more efficiency and less time spent on rote tasks. But risks remain around accuracy, ethics and privacy.
The legal sector has typically been characterized by a cautious, conservative approach to tech adoption. But emerging generative AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT are quietly gaining traction among attorneys.
Although ChatGPT and other powerful large language models are relatively new, they’ve already seen surprisingly widespread adoption in the legal sector. More than 40% of attorneys surveyed by legal data and analytics company LexisNexis said they currently use or plan to use generative AI in their legal work, according to an August 2023 report.
Continue reading “What does generative AI mean for the legal sector?”
$518,000 is expected to help aid South Dakota agencies in combatting domestic violence over the next three years.
The grant comes from the federal Office of Violence Against Women, designed to help improve local and statewide criminal justice response to domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
The Minnehaha County State’s Attorney, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, and South Dakota Attorney General’s Office are the three main agencies pushing for the grant. They received preliminary approval for the funds back in October. Minnehaha County State’s Attorney Daniel Haggar said after some adjustments in their application, they expect to be awarded the just over half a million dollars soon.
Continue reading “South Dakota to receive federal grant aimed at fighting domestic violence”
A Senate panel chaired by a member of the state’s Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee shot down a bill Wednesday with far-reaching implications for cannabis patients.
Among nine bills that would adjust South Dakota’s medical cannabis laws this legislative session in Pierre, seven remain alive, including bills to hike the price of a dispensary license, allow police to search dispensaries and force prescribers to notify a patient’s primary care provider about their receipt of a card.
The now-scuttled Senate Bill 82 was the most concerning for cannabis advocates, according to Jeremiah Murphy, a lobbyist for the Cannabis Industry Association of South Dakota.
It’s been two weeks since the South Dakota Legislature first convened, and a series of bills related to the planned operation of a state penitentiary in Lincoln County are slated for discussion and debate.
While some have already advanced, another was quickly swept away. A third cluster of bills have yet to be discussed.
As questions swirl about how to approach and logistics of the construction and operation of a new penitentiary, so do questions about Sec. Kellie Wasko, head of the state’s Department of Corrections (DOC). Continue reading “Series of state penitentiary, criminal defense bills move through SD Legislature”
A pair of Republican lawmakers are seeking to crack down on “swatting” incidents, introducing legislation on Wednesday to prohibit such calls under the federal criminal hoax statute.
Republican Sens. Rick Scott (Fla.) and Tommy Tuberville (Ala.) on Wednesday unveiled the bill, titled the Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act, which would amend the federal criminal hoax statute and establish strict penalties for swatting, including up to 20 years in prison if the attempt or attempts lead to serious injury.
Continue reading “Legislation prohibiting swatting unveiled by Republicans”
Saying they are not overly restrictive of free speech, two of Iowa’s so-called “ag gag” laws — which create penalties for individuals who trespass on agricultural property with intent to create financial harm — are constitutional, a federal appeals court ruled this week.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit delivered similar rulings Monday in two cases, reversing a lower court decision in both. A district-court ruling on a third lawsuit remains pending, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office said.
Continue reading “Appeals court upholds pair of Iowa ‘ag gag’ laws”
South Dakota should embrace the role of public defenders, work to guide young adults out of trouble’s way, try harder to protect judges from danger and support problem-solving alternative courts, South Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven Jensen told lawmakers on Wednesday at the Capitol in Pierre.
Jensen also touched on potential changes to bar admission for law school graduates, trumpeting the work of a committee that recently recommended a pathway to licensure through public service or rural practice.
In 2023, most large U.S. cities saw a precipitous drop in the rate of homicides. Despite the public perception of a rise in violent crime in major metropolitan areas, cities like Chicago and New York City saw dramatic declines in murders from 2022. But a few cities bucked that trend, including the nation’s capital. With the fifth-highest murder rate among the country’s most populous cities, Washington, D.C. has drawn national attention for its recent spike in violent crime.
The statistics are sobering: 2023 was the District’s deadliest year since 1997, with 274 recorded homicides. With 40 homicides per 100,000 residents—an increase of 35 percent from the previous year—D.C.’s high murder rate contrasted with falling levels in most other major cities, an ominous reminder of the District’s unofficial status in the late twentieth century as “America’s murder capital.” The high number of homicides was inextricable from gun violence, as the majority of these homicides were caused by firearms.
Professor Alison K. Guernsey recently presented at a continuing legal education (CLE) seminar focused on improving federal criminal defense practices, alongside Dr. Alison Lynch, a psychiatrist at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics.
Professor Guernsey is director of Iowa Law’s Federal Criminal Defense Clinic, where law students have the opportunity to act as real attorneys and handle federal criminal cases under Guernsey’s supervision. Students represent indigent people charged with federal crimes at the district court level, as well as in post-conviction and sentence-reduction proceedings, including compassionate release. Before coming to Iowa, Guernsey was the supervising attorney for the Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho.
Continue reading “Bringing law and medicine together to improve criminal defense representation”