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1500 questions
17
votes
5 answers
"Pressing charges" - is it needed to bring a charge?
In movies, it is often the case that we see police decline to proceed with a case because the victim "refused to press charges". Recently we saw this with the battery of Chris Rock by Will Smith on global TV that the LAPD refused to bring charges on…
WOPR
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17
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2 answers
Is it allowed to non-consensually submit someone's diary as evidence?
In episode 12, season 4 of The Office, called "The Deposition", the diary of a witness (Michael Scott) is used as evidence, without the witness's consent. The diary was taken by the suer, Jan Levinson, who was Soctt's girlfriend at the time. This…
user110391
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17
votes
4 answers
When can a US police officer stop me from recording our encounter?
During any encounter with a US police officer, under what circumstances would the officer have the right to force me to stop recording our encounter with my smart phone, and can he prevent me from retrieving my phone if I don't have it out already…
J.Todd
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17
votes
3 answers
Difference between lotteries and events that involve randomness?
A common marketing strategy is a 'Free giveaway', where 'one lucky person will be selected from (some group) to receive a free (thing)'.
I was read that such arrangements can be deemed illegal lotteries.
Yet, contradictorily, I also see major…
stevec
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17
votes
2 answers
Why is trying to get "vaccinated" into a fake arm considered fraud (in Italy)?
I'm curious under what legal provisions this bizarre story falls under in Italy.
An Italian man is facing charges of fraud after turning up for his Covid-19 vaccine wearing a fake arm. [...]
After completing the bureaucratic formalities, including…
the gods from engineering
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17
votes
3 answers
Why can the UK's Competition and Markets Authority tell Facebook to sell Giphy?
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) tells Facebook owner to sell GIF library Giphy.
But since Facebook (now Meta) is an American company, what authority does the UK have to tell Facebook to sell Giphy?
sno
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17
votes
11 answers
Why can't the current legal system handle liability for harm caused by artificial intelligence?
I'm confused about why people claim that current legal system cannot handle any wrongdoings of algorithms that involve artificial intelligence. The claim is that it is impossible to find who is liable for the wrongdoing. This claim seems strange:…
Qwerty
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17
votes
2 answers
Law Firm with one lawyer and hundreds of legal experts who haven't passed the bar
In this hypothetical scenario lets say there was a law firm that has only one lawyer to file all paper work, make all court room appearances to represent the firm. All of his work, however preparing for cases and communicating with individuals is…
the1.9gpaProgrammer
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17
votes
2 answers
Would Georgie’s “Teddy Bear Casino” from Young Sheldon actually be legal?
On the TV series Young Sheldon, Connie secretly runs an illegal casino (slot machines and card games where you can earn cash), which is shut down by the police.
Connie’s grandson Georgie thinks she can reopen the casino by making all the games only…
SegNerd
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17
votes
5 answers
Is it legal to write a software license if I'm not a licensed attorney?
I was hoping to create my own open-source license since none of the existing ones seem to work for what I want. However, someone mentioned to me that in the USA it's illegal to practice law without a license, and that creating a contract is…
Ky -
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17
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8 answers
Does it constitute murder if the attempted murder fails but the victim dies anyway as a side effect of the attacker's actions?
For example, suppose an attacker is chasing a victim with a knife and the intention to kill. While running away, the victim falls, hitting their head, and dies.
Assuming there is clear evidence for the the attacker's intentions and how the victim…
T Hummus
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17
votes
6 answers
Can a legally sentenced but escaped offender be legally executed by a drone attack?
Imagine the fictional situation: someone (e.g. a U.S. citizen) commits a capital offense, he is arrested and legally sentenced to death.
Then he somehow escapes.
His hiding place is discovered, and the only way to kill him is by a drone attack.
Can…
Gray Sheep
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17
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2 answers
When an old Supreme Court ruling is overturned by a new one, how is this explained philosophically?
When a new SCOTUS ruling overturns an old one, what is the philosophical difference between the two rulings? It seems to me that there are two possible explanations; either the old ruling was a mistake and the new ruling should have been the answer…
Ryan_L
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17
votes
5 answers
"Innocent until proven guilty" doesn't apply to bail?
How does the law reconcile the "innocent until proven guilty" principle with the treatment of those awaiting trial on criminal charges?
At least in the U.S., it seems like there is a meta-criminal-justice system in which merely being accused of a…
feetwet
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17
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1 answer
"Lifetime Warranty" terms and conditions changed after purchase
Around four years ago I purchased a pair of William Painter sunglasses through a successful Kickstarter campaign.
The campaign advertised a 'Lifetime Warranty', which they clarified in an FAQ on Kickstarter as follows:
What are the details of the…
Hugh
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