Articles Tagged with constitutional law

Why Are There Only Six Jurors in George Zimmerman’s Murder Trial? Updated: by

The media has been closely following the criminal trial of George Zimmerman, the racially charged trial in which Zimmerman is accused of murdering teenager Trayvon Martin. Just this week, a jury of six was chosen. For most people, when we think of juries, we think of them as being comprised…

Can Texas Secede From the Union? The Answer Is Still “No” Updated: by

After President Barack Obama was reelected last week, several petitions to secede appeared on the White House website. The petition feature of the site promises that “if a petition meets the signature threshold [of 25,000 signatures within 30 days], it will be reviewed by the Administration and we will issue…

Sixth Circuit Holds “Instinctive Jump” is Not a Search in Violation of the Fourth Amendment – United States v. Sharp Updated: by

On July 27th, 2012, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee's ruling that a canine’s jump and subsequent sniff inside the defendant's car was not a search in violation of the Fourth Amendment because the jump was instinctive and…

Has the Defense of Marriage Act Gone Bankrupt? Updated: by

On Monday, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, in Los Angeles, made an unusual ruling for a bankruptcy court: it declared Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional. In that case, a legally married same-sex couple in California tried to file a joint petition…