SORNA requires adult and juvenile sex offenders convicted before its enactment to register with the National Sex Offender Registry. A lawsuit challenging the law was brought by a juvenile who had been adjudicated as a sex offender in 2005, before passage of SORNA. The Ninth Circuit held that the law’s retroactive application to juvenile offenders violates the ex post facto clause. The court distinguished the case at hand from a Supreme Court case, Smith v. Doe, 538 U.S. 84 (2003), which held that retroactive application of a similar state statute to adult offenders was constitutional. The Ninth Circuit made a distinction between the cases, noting convictions of adult offenders, such as in Doe, are matters of public record, while juvenile proceedings are not such openly public matters.

 Source:  http://www.loc.gov/lawweb/servlet/lloc_news?disp1_1579_United%20States

The groups, the Humane Society of the United States, the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Aminals, and Maddie’s Fund, claim that the trustees are engaged in a scheme to deprive dog welfare charities from sharing in the funds of the Helmsley estate and acting against the wishes expressed in Helmsley’s will. The hotel heiress’ estate has been valued between $5 and $8 billion, with $12 million left in a trust for her Maltese dog named Trouble. A judge later reduced that trust amount to $2 million.

Source: http://www.breakinglegalnews.com/5599

In a 1962 article in the Saturday Evening Post, Shriver revealed that her older sister, Rosemary Kennedy, was developmentally disabled. Rosemary had been institutionalized since the age of 23. Her father arranged for her to have a prefrontal lobotomy in 1941, an experimental operation which destroyed part of her brain, leaving her in an infantlike state. She was later kept out of sight at other institutions snd secluded from her family. Shriver’s candor about her sister helped raised awareness about proper treatment for those with mental disabilities.

In 1982, Shriver founded the Community of Caring, an organization devoted to at-risk teens. Their work focuses on issues such as preventing teenange pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, and encourages teens to stay in school and develop proper values. Shriver’s political activism on behalf of those who are mentally disabled and at-risk teens helped earn her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984, the nation’s highest civilian award.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/11/AR2009081100689.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2009081101304

The bartender was the girlfriend of the drunk driver, Hawkeye Kinkaid, who was killed in the crash. The other car’s driver and all of its passengers were injured, included a 7-year old who was left a paraplegic. It was estimated that Kinkaid drank the quivalent of 21 12-ounce beers or 30 ounces of 80-proof alcohol and had a blood alcohol content of .32 at the time of the collision. At issue on appeal was whether the plaintiff needed to provide specific “point-in-time” evidence that Kinkaid seemed drunk when the bartender served him. However, the Washington Supreme Court disagreed, since the bartender admitted to others that Kinkaid seemed too tipsy to drive and eventually refused to serve him any more alcohol.

Source: http://www.breakinglegalnews.com/entry/14-million-DUI-award-restored-in-Washington-state

Because Illinois was the only state in the region without an active parental notification law for minors seeking abortions, pro-life groups had argued that minors from surrounding states would travel to Illinois seeking abortions. Currently, there are 35 other states with parental notification or permission laws for minors to obtain an abortion.
Source: http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2009/07/7th-circuit-dissolves-injunction.php

The Obama administration has taken a more lenient position toward a state’s ability to pass medical marijuana legislation. Attorney General Holder indicated in February that the DEA is no longer going to target and harass state compliant medical cannabis providers in states that adopt medical cannabis laws. Also, the executive branch issued a memorandum, entitled “Pre-emption”, to all federal agency heads, in effect instructing them to no longer oppose states seeking greater autonomy to pass laws that may possibly be in conflict with federal laws, and to only oppose them if there is a positive conflict with federal laws resulting in genuine risks to national security.

Source: http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/hotline/2009/07/rhode-island-challenges-federal-ban-by.php

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit had approved the sale, but it was challenged by emergency requests filed by groups representing unions, lenders, stockholders, and others. The stay will give the Court additional time to consider the matter. No timeline has been given for when the Court will issue a decision.

Source: http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2009/06/chrysler-sale-delayed-temporarily-by.php

Obama’s plan also includes 800 additional federal agents to enforce the tax code. The president’s proposal would eliminate some tax deductions for companies that earn profits in countries with low tax rates, as well as making it a vioaltion of U.S tax laws for U.S. citizens to use tax havens in the Bahamas or Cayman Islands.

Business leaders have been highly critical of the new plans and claim they will hurt the U.S. economy. The Netherland, Ireland, and Bermuda have been named as tax haven countries. The U.S. government is currently negotiating to revise its tax treaty with Switzerland, another country criticized as a tax haven.

Source: http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2009/05/obama-administration-announces-plans-to.php

Connecticut follows Vermont as only the second state to allow gay marriage through legislative vote.

Source: http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2009/04/connecticut-legislature-approves-same.php

http://www.newstimes.com/ci_12210376

The IRS sent Jones a notice of tax deficiency in the amount of $14,785. The appellate court held that Jones was entitled only to the amount he paid for or invested in the material, which was nothing. The materials, which were donated to the Universtiy of Texas, consisted of FBI reports, videotapes, transcripts, correspondence, and other materials. 

Source: http://www.breakinglegalnews.com/entry/Appeals-court-rejects-tax-case-of-McVeighs-lawyer