Questions tagged [united-states]
For questions specific to the United States as a whole, or that span multiple state jurisdictions. If your question is related to a specific state then you should use that state's tag instead (or as well).
908
questions
8
votes
3
answers
8k
views
How must undercover police officers identify themselves?
This question (and this one written in parallel) comes out of discussion on a more specific question with details about a particular situation, which was apparently too specific for this site.
When ...
- 656
6
votes
2
answers
5k
views
If a retailer sends you something you didn't order, can you keep it?
This Consumerist article discussing a Wal-Mart shipping mishap involving a customer receiving extra iPods argues that the FTC ruling regarding unsolicited goods means that you can keep good as a ...
user702
6
votes
3
answers
21k
views
Have wives ever been legally a man's property in the US?
I'm studying A Level English literature at the moment and we are reading The Great Gatsby. I have a teacher who alluded that during the time the text was written, 1925, wives were considered to be a ...
- 237
6
votes
2
answers
17k
views
Under what circumstances can the police detain you?
after watching the video about the recent fiasco in Mckinney Texas I was curious about whether any of the teens that the officer pulled over had the legal right to just walk away.
Under what ...
6
votes
2
answers
9k
views
Is it legal to "shoot down" a drone on your property in the US?
18 U.S.C 32 states
... to include destruction of any aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States or any civil aircraft used, operated or employed in interstate, overseas, or ...
- 173
6
votes
1
answer
865
views
Why do municipalities keep laws on the books that are invalid?
Why do some municipalities keep laws on the books that are not valid?
For example, what if municipal law violates state law (for example, due to the state law having preemption) -- is it up to the ...
- 5,018
6
votes
1
answer
209
views
Is it legal to republish lyrics?
Can a lyrics web site be legal, assuming there are no special agreements with the artists?
Is publishing song lyrics considered "fair use?"
- 61
5
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is it legal for a stock broker to restrict trading on a specific stock?
Brokers like Robinhood are restricting purchases of GameStop stock driving the price down. Is this market manipulation and against the law? Or does the SEC permit this? You can find an article talking ...
- 1,917
5
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Is there a recourse against UPS for not delivering packages on time?
I have a "new" address and ZIP code that appears to confuse UPS and consistently causes them to delay delivery of packages to me.
I've tried filing complaints with UPS itself, but to no avail: I ...
- 5,018
5
votes
5
answers
568
views
Can the US Senate disqualify a former President?
In summary, the answer to "Can a US President, after impeachment and removal, be re-elected or re-appointed?" was "Yes, unless the Senate votes by simple majority to add the penalty of ...
- 4,798
4
votes
1
answer
394
views
Can Clinton be pardoned without being charged or convicted?
Is it possible for someone to be pardoned if they haven't been convicted or even charged with a crime?
- 143
4
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How do I "prove" I am not a Massachusetts resident for state tax purposes?
I am in the process of moving out of Massachusetts. According to my reading of the Massachusetts's DOR's "guidance," I have to "prove" I am not domiciled in Massachusetts if I want to not be taxed by ...
- 6,828
4
votes
1
answer
263
views
FOIA request takes too long
I submitted a FOIA request to State Dept. of the United States. The FOIA request was immediately acknowledged, assigned a number and I was notified that it is being processed. This was some 180 days ...
4
votes
2
answers
166
views
Is there a line that excludes preaching religious murders from first amendment protection?
In general, religious beliefs can be as free under the first amendment as they come. You can believe in any god or pantheon, or nothing at all in pretty much any fashion. Very free indeed. But is it ...
- 33.4k
4
votes
4
answers
788
views
Does there really exist such thing as "no contract" when doing business with other party?
Sales persons are sometimes advertising their service as "contract free", so that they would get a better chance to convince you to sign up for their service. I guess the reason why this works is ...
- 668
3
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What is the definition of a "Public Space" for photography?
I have been researching street photography rights in the US, specifically Portland Oregon, and from what I have learned, it seems to be that if it's not a place where people have a reasonable ...
- 143
3
votes
1
answer
357
views
How to report an infraction of the HIPAA requirements?
In the United States, in accordance with HIPAA requirements, the lab who performed a blood test on a patient are required to send the results to the patient no later than 30 days from the date of ...
- 5,427
3
votes
2
answers
15k
views
Can you be convicted of both first- and second-degree murder?
A TV show reported a case where a man killed two teenagers and was convicted of both two counts of first degree murder and two counts of second degree murder.
Is this possible? I know that you can ...
- 32.9k
2
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Am I liable if trespassers on my private property injure themselves?
If people trespass on my property (i.e. walk through my backyard without my permission) and they get injured (i.e. trip and break an arm or a tree branch falls on their head), am I liable under ...
- 123
2
votes
2
answers
479
views
In small claims court, can either party have a lawyer? Can decisions be appealed?
Many people assume that no lawyers are ever allowed in a small claims court, and that decisions in such courts are always unreviewable (final) because of their informal nature. Is this true in all US ...
- 113k
2
votes
1
answer
160
views
What is trademark tarnishment or dilution under US law?
What is a person not allowed to do with a trademark in the US, beyond using falsely to sell goods? In what ways can a trademark owner prevent tarnishment (disparagement) or dilution (blurring)?
- 113k
2
votes
1
answer
560
views
Is the term "race" defined by Public Law enacted by Congress of the United States
At United States Census Bureau - About Race the language appears
What is Race?
The data on race were derived from answers to the question on race
that was asked of individuals in the United ...
2
votes
1
answer
144
views
Can a minor make a contract?
Some Policy requires all individuals with System X™ access to be contractually obliged not to press the Big Red Button.
X Corp only grants System X™ authorisation to people who bound by The Contract; ...
- 206
1
vote
4
answers
342
views
I was offered a job, but the contract concerns me
I have been offered a job, but while looking over the contract I found a paragraph that concerns me. I don't want to lose the right to any software that I write or develop outside of the company that ...
- 111
1
vote
1
answer
213
views
Do I need permission to reimplement application programming interface calls/classes?
Suppose MS Excel has an API so that other programs can communicate with it. Suppose I'm the developer of OpenOffice Calc, and I want other programs to be able to communicate with my program in like ...
- 3,060
1
vote
1
answer
1k
views
Can I sue for being banned from the mall if I didn't do anything wrong?
If I'm at a birthday party at a party rental in the mall and uninvited guests show up. They began getting aggressive and shouting. They leave before mall security and police arrive. The police then ...
- 21
0
votes
2
answers
328
views
Judgement for Possession when Tenant Vacated the Premises?
Under what circumstances can a judge issue a judgement for possession when a tenant vacated the premises prior to trial, returned the keys to landlord and made it clear that he no longer lives at the ...
- 581
54
votes
4
answers
13k
views
Can an employer withhold pay for a fire drill?
Moved from WorkplaceSE.
Recently there was a routine fire drill in an office building. As with most fire drills, it took about half an hour for the fire drill to complete and for everyone to get ...
- 961
46
votes
5
answers
16k
views
Can UPS really trademark the color brown?
So, today as I received an email from UPS, I read the disclaimer at the end and it said:
© 2016 United Parcel Service of America, Inc. UPS, the UPS brandmark, and the color brown are trademarks of ...
- 613
39
votes
4
answers
15k
views
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 ...
- 2,461
32
votes
2
answers
11k
views
What are the rules on businesses that wish to only hire attractive females?
Many businesses feature beautiful female employees as part of their business plan and service offering. Examples include:
Hooter's waitresses
Sportclips stylists
A small chain of drive-thru smoothies ...
- 447
31
votes
6
answers
12k
views
Could there be consequences for Googling how to do something that is normally a crime?
In Oregon, it is legal to break into a car to get a child or domestic animal out in hot weather. Suppose I see a child left in a hot car. I don't know how to break in, so I Google "how to break ...
- 13.8k
31
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Held indefinitely for contempt of court?
Tommy Gregory Thompson is a former deep-sea treasure hunter and is about to mark his fifth year in jail for contempt of court for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of 500 missing coins made from ...
- 5,409
30
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Are jurors allowed to teach law to one another?
I vaguely recall in the case of Oracle v. Google in regards to Java v. Android that was happening in a district court physically located in San Jose, California, that one of the jurors was familiar ...
- 5,018
29
votes
6
answers
6k
views
What's the most crucial issue when deciding Senator Cruz's citizenship?
Donald Trump is threatening to sue Senator Cruz for his citizenship issue. I understand Senator Cruz was born to an American mother and Cuban father in Canada .
I understand it would not be an issue ...
- 395
28
votes
3
answers
5k
views
If applied in the United States, what is the most obvious legally functional difference between the British and American "mirandizing" phrase?
In the United States, police must read your rights regarding police questioning as shown below1:
“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of ...
- 1,579
25
votes
5
answers
3k
views
I don't like the payment methods offered by my landlord. Do I still have to pay rent?
Recently, a friend of mine signed a two year rental agreement with a small mom and pop rental place. At the time of signing, they offered credit cards as a way of paying, but a credit card is not ...
- 369
23
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Is it against the constitution to require restaurants to only serve people with a vaccine certificate in the United States?
I heard that New York is implementing a vaccine certificate for people who want to do certain indoors activities such as going to the cinema, eating and training, so I was wondering if that was ...
- 5,170
22
votes
4
answers
16k
views
If I've been prosecuted for a crime by another country can the US prosecute me for the same crime afterwards?
Lets say that I commit a crime in which the USA and another country both have jurisdiction. As an example I, a US citizen, kill Bob, a citizen of country X, while we're located in Antartica.
...
- 8,206
21
votes
6
answers
5k
views
Is there some kind of disclosure immunity if you violate your non-disclosure agreement to reveal fraud?
Is there some kind of disclosure immunity if you violate your non-disclosure agreement to reveal fraud? In the United States, is there some kind of law that protects people when they violate their NDA ...
- 5,170
21
votes
3
answers
8k
views
If you escaped from prison for a crime you did not commit, would you still serve the increased sentence once exonerated?
For example: you were convicted of murder and escaped and were then sentenced to years on top of your original sentence, but you were later exonerated of the crime of murder; would you still have to ...
- 319
20
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What constitutes giving legal advice?
On sites such as this one, people are often concerned about non-lawyers "giving legal advice" or "practicing law without a license". What, exactly, constitutes such actions? I'm particularly ...
- 6,081
20
votes
3
answers
9k
views
When will Pfizer et. al. be liable for injuries caused by the COVID-19 vaccine?
According to the PREP act, the companies developing and administering the COVID-19 vaccines cannot be sued for unintentional injuries resulting from the vaccine. I have seen enough commercials ...
- 3,527
19
votes
5
answers
19k
views
If a company notifies you that calls may be recorded, can you record the call?
Assuming a two-party consent state.
If a company notifies you that all calls are (or may be) being recorded, can you then record your conversation with the customer service representative without ...
- 418
17
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Why hasn't civil asset forfeiture been ruled unconstitutional?
If news articles like this and this are accurate, then U.S. law enforcement can confiscate private property, including cash, without convicting someone of a crime – or even charging them – under a ...
- 291
16
votes
2
answers
33k
views
In the United States, do pedestrians always have right of way?
There appear to be three types of pedestrian crossings in the United States:
Marked: an "official" crosswalk with some sort of markings or indication that it exists.
Unmarked: According to wikipedia, ...
- 183
16
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Can someone get protection under Double Jeopardy for a crime by arranging to be put on trial with fake evidence that is then disproven?
Lets say I just killed Bob (I'm doing a lot of that today). The police suspect me but currently have little evidence that I killed Bob. However, I haven't hidden the murder weapon and body well and ...
- 8,206
14
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Is it illegal to discriminate against refugees or immigrants based on their religion?
If you live in the U.S, or you keep up with U.S politics, you've probably heard how state governors aren't allowing Syrian refugees into their states, and some politicians only want to allow Christan ...
- 195
14
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Police encounter: "Why do you think I stopped you?" Is there any legal downside in answering "I don't know"?
Many police encounters in the United States start with the police officer asking "Why do you think I stopped you?"
Is there any legal downside in answering "I don't know"?
If state-specific, I am ...
- 5,427
13
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Hospital billed me for services that I explicitly refused. Are there any legal ramifications for hospital?
(well, my wife). Background - we lost a pregnancy early this year. Got pregnant again. Wife had some spotting during first trimester, became panicky, and rushed off to a hospital. The main thing ...
- 541