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1500 questions
40
votes
2 answers
What is the legal status of "warrant canaries"?
A warrant canary is a repeated claim by an individual or organization that they have not been served any warrants with an attached gag order. The idea is that you can say whatever you like if you have not been served such a warrant, but if you are…
Michael Burge
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How can I declare independence from the United States and start my own micro nation?
How can I take back my sovereignty from the American government and start my own micro nation?
I've read about starting a foreign company with my name in all caps but I want a lawyer's answer.
Gabriel Connor Nelson
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39
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4 answers
Why did this US prosecutor keep asking whether documents would refresh a witness's memory?
Background
I served on a jury during a criminal trial in the United States several years ago. There was a strangely formal interaction that repeated itself a few times during the trial.
The prosecutor, while holding some document, would ask a…
Steve V.
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4 answers
What's the problem with red ink?
I have repeatedly encountered lawyers who refuse to sign documents using red ink or accept documents that are signed in red ink.
No one has been able to articulate exactly why in my conversations, but there seems to be a belief that red ink is…
bdb484
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1 answer
Isn't a hung jury proof of reasonable doubt?
I don't understand the logic with allowing additional trials after a hung jury. Isn't the fact that the prosecution can't get 12 jurors to agree the accused is guilty proof that guilt was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and so he should be…
Ryan_L
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39
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3 answers
What is the legal distinction between Twitter banning Trump and Trump blocking individuals?
For reference, this recent NPR article contains all of the information that inspired this question.
The lawsuits referenced in the above article center on then-President Trump blocking individual users on Twitter from interacting with or seeing his…
Geoffrey
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39
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4 answers
Can you legally move a dead body to preserve it as evidence?
A fisherman is heading upstream in his boat, and sees a human corpse float past. Obviously even if it wasn't murder, it still warrants a 911 call because it was a death. The river however, is steadily moving the body away.
Can the fisherman move the…
Razmode
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3 answers
What legal liability does one's participation on Stack Exchange carry?
This question is motivated by a question which came up recently on engineering.SE: Cracks on the wall. It may be closed in the future so I will summarize. The user posted pictures of (very large) cracks in the wall of his house and asked the…
Chris Mueller
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39
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2 answers
Is the typo in the 25th amendment significant?
The fourth section of the 25th amendment to the US constitution provides for the president to be declared unfit involuntarily. The first of its two paragraphs describes the declaration itself, made by the vice president along with "a majority of…
phoog
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Do I have legal rights against a company that offered me a raise to not leave, and then promptly fired me after turning down the other offer?
I was just informed of this situation that occurred somewhere by a co-worker, and was wondering what the legal ramifications are (U.S. Law). To be clear, the scenario is as follows:
I tell my boss I've been offered a position at another company.
My…
MrDuk
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39
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4 answers
Can a soldier refuse to carry a weapon?
During WWII, Desmond Doss joined the US Army as a combat medic. Due to his religious belief in nonviolence, he refused to carry a weapon and was eventually allowed to do so, going on to win various medals (including the Medal of Honor) for rescuing…
08915bfe02
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39
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4 answers
Is it legal to have an abortion in another state or abroad?
Alabama passed new laws recently, making abortion a very limited option. In that context is it legal for a US national who lives in Alabama to
have an abortion in another state where it is legal in the circumstances she in in?
have an abortion…
WoJ
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39
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1 answer
Can someone legally require me to return a gift they gave me?
So a "friend" in Canada sent me a tablet ( I think it was worth $400 U.S. currency) to replace the one I had that I could barely do anything on. I never asked for one, and I remember repeatedly that I told him not to get it for me, but he did.
…
Maria
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39
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4 answers
Consent to searches: Who wins "my-word-against-yours?"
Hypothetical
Officer testifies citizen consented to be searched.
Citizen denies consenting to be searched.
There is no other evidence (that weighs net in favor of either party).
Question
Whom does the judge believe?
Clarifying Discussion
from…
Alexanne Senger
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I fancy myself an amateur lawyer. Can I represent someone in court, in the state of Maryland?
I live in Montgomery County Maryland. I am not a lawyer.
But I have significant legal experience. I have successfully sued people, watched many trials, I have successfully won dozens of trials for my own traffic violations. And I'm a former state…
Saqib Ali
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