All Questions
23,638
questions
226
votes
7
answers
50k
views
If a company agrees to pay travel cost for a job interview, is the promise binding and enforceable?
There is a question on workplace.SE about a company which offered to pay travel costs for a job interview, but canceled the return ticket after ending the interview - Potential Employer Cancels Return ...
- 6,408
188
votes
5
answers
51k
views
A student slipped a drug into my coffee — what are the legal ramifications of this situation?
I am a high school Chemistry teacher. This morning, while my back was turned to write on the board, one of my students (age 17) slipped a pill into my coffee mug. This is a thermos-style mug that has ...
- 1,471
149
votes
6
answers
23k
views
Can a public school in the USA force a 14yr old to create a Twitter account for a passing grade?
My youngest is a freshman & signed up for a program the school refers to as "co-lab". At my insistence.
2yrs ago, I attended a board meeting where the formation of the program was introduced. At ...
- 841
117
votes
5
answers
15k
views
Who is supposed to teach the law to the citizens?
As I understand, in general, not knowing the law does not excuse violating it.
That should apply to most if not all jurisdictions in most cases with very few exceptions.
From personal experience, ...
- 843
108
votes
2
answers
29k
views
I want to leave Islam, but they would execute and kill me. What do I do?
I live in an Islamic country, but I don't want to be a Muslim. I have no choice but to claim to be a Muslim: If I leave Islam, they will execute me according to Muslim law.
Where can I go to have a ...
anon
102
votes
5
answers
30k
views
Stealing my own property back?
I have a guitar that I let my friend Joe borrow on the consensus that he would return it in a couple of days. Joe is a mutual friend of my ex Bob.
Bob stole the guitar from Joe once he found out it ...
- 889
96
votes
3
answers
23k
views
If I don't want to patent something, what can I do to ensure the patent office doesn't unintentionally grant the patent to someone else?
Say that I have created a hypothetical new invention. I would like for it to be used by as many people as possible without restrictions, so I deliberately choose not to pursue a patent on it.
As ...
- 1,878
87
votes
2
answers
14k
views
On what basis might Trump's executive order on immigration be illegal?
On 27 January 2017, US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order entitled 'Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States'.
On 30 January 2017, the acting ...
- 4,136
84
votes
8
answers
37k
views
Why shouldn't a bank robbery without threats be legal?
So say a bank robber walks into a bank and hands the teller a note saying simply "please give me $1,000" (or maybe even just verbally saying "I need $1,000 please") and if the teller accepts, which ...
user21827
80
votes
4
answers
25k
views
How can you tell if you have to follow a police officer's instructions?
If a police officer gives me an order, how can I tell whether or not I'm legally obligated to follow that order? If I ask the officer, is he/she required by law to answer truthfully?
If the police ...
79
votes
6
answers
10k
views
How would the actions of Hänsel and Gretel in the Grimm tale be interpreted in modern law?
This came up as a layman’s law question. I thought of this when reading the classic Grimm tale Hänsel and Gretel to my children.
The situation is as follows: The witch imprisons Hänsel with the ...
- 1,116
76
votes
2
answers
30k
views
Daughter dies at party
My 19 year old step daughter attended a party in Illinois. One kid slipped a pill in her drink which caused her to have a heart attack and die.
After watching this play out, this boy didn't even ...
- 667
73
votes
6
answers
14k
views
Why is stealing from an employer a criminal act when stealing from an employee is a civil act?
Here is the full question with all the context and details:
In the majority of cases in the U.S. about theft at a workplace, why is the matter usually tried in a criminal court when the employer is ...
- 703
72
votes
7
answers
30k
views
At what point can you walk out of a restaurant if they make you wait to pay the bill?
The other day, I ate at a restaurant; the food was fine, and I got to paying the bill. Their payment system went down. They couldn't accept cards; only cash, and I didn't have the cash on me for the ...
- 855
67
votes
2
answers
11k
views
Is it legal for a company to offer free coding courses to women only?
A company is offering free coding courses to women and non-binary individuals only.
Is this kind of sex-based discrimination legal?
- 703
67
votes
2
answers
46k
views
Why are lawyers typically excluded from juries?
At least in the United States practicing lawyers are called to serve on juries. But my understanding is at least one side will always remove them before trial. Why would it always be the case that ...
- 20k
65
votes
4
answers
14k
views
What happens if I negatively answer the court oath regarding the truth?
Bailiff: (to the witness) Please raise your right hand. Do you swear
to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Witness: No.
What would happen? Unfortunately, in the limited ...
- 651
65
votes
7
answers
16k
views
Is it illegal to ride a drunk horse?
Tedd owns a riding horse. One day, Tedd notices that his horse has somehow gotten itself drunk. Tedd has someplace where he needs to be, so he saddles up his drunken horse and rides to his ...
- 759
64
votes
9
answers
15k
views
Why is murder considered a more serious crime than attempted murder?
By its sentencing guidelines (the world over?), murder is considered a more serious crime than attempted murder.
If intent to kill has indeed been proven, does the latter crime reward incompetence ...
- 652
63
votes
13
answers
18k
views
Can a law protect itself?
Can a law protect itself? For example, could it be written in to a law that, under no circumstances, it should be amended or abolished (a) for a fixed duration or (b) indefinitely?
I am most ...
- 685
63
votes
6
answers
74k
views
What power do I have as a driver if my interstate route is blocked by a protest?
I recently read about protests blocking an interstate. I feel like ethically no one no (non-police) citizen has the right to obstruct my travel (on a public interstate for the sake of protest), ...
- 1,312
63
votes
2
answers
102k
views
Can you refuse to swear on the Bible?
Everyone has heard the procedure to get sworn in in an American court:
Put your hand on a Holy Bible and answer yes to "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so ...
- 960
63
votes
2
answers
11k
views
Is it legal for private citizens to "impound" e-scooters?
This recent article from The Verge claims that two men in San Diego have create a repo company that impounds e-scooters from companies like Lime, Bird, Lyft, Uber and Razor.
However as far as I can ...
62
votes
3
answers
12k
views
How do I anonymously report the Establishment Clause being broken?
My daughter's public school principal has put up Christian symbols and quotes and also invited a public speaker to present during an assembly who told students that God and prayer was the answer to ...
- 417
62
votes
3
answers
62k
views
Is it truly illegal for the US Armed Forces to hire someone whose IQ is less than 83?
In this video, Jordan Peterson says that
[...] anybody into the Armed Forces if they have an IQ of less than 83
Is this true? What law is this supposed restriction based on?
- 727
62
votes
5
answers
48k
views
Is it illegal to run away from a police officer in a way that provokes them, in the US?
So I know this is very silly and obviously hypothetical, but I've wondered about it for a while.
Let's say you aren't doing anything (else) illegal, you don't have anything illegal on you, and you ...
- 621
60
votes
1
answer
20k
views
Is Elon Musk's child name valid in California?
Elon Musk and his partner want to name their child X Æ A-12.
Is that name allowed in California, US?
- 727
59
votes
1
answer
24k
views
Why can't advertisers say 'Super Bowl'?
Around this time every year there are lots of ads talking about 'The Big Game' or the 'Suberb'-something. Essentially whatever it takes to say their thing is for the Super Bowl, without actually using ...
- 1,032
59
votes
2
answers
5k
views
How does SE's arbitration clause hold up under the GDPR?
Today the new Terms of Service of Stack Exchange have been released, sparking a lot of unrest about its arbitration clause; see the comments and answers on the linked meta above, and also this ...
- 675
58
votes
9
answers
11k
views
Can I get a DUI in my wheelchair?
I use an electric wheelchair. Upon leaving a bar, I notice I am pretty inebriated. Obviously I shouldn't drive an automobile, and I don't. But what about my wheelchair? I know some jurisdictions ...
- 3,460
58
votes
3
answers
18k
views
Can I legally make a website about boycotting a certain company?
Located in the US. Can I make a website which is specifically aimed at boycotting a certain company?
There is no lawsuit between myself and the company.
There would be no defamation on the website ...
- 621
58
votes
4
answers
20k
views
Does GDPR include UK customers, or not anymore?
Now that Brexit happened, does GDPR include UK customers, or not anymore?
- 993
57
votes
4
answers
28k
views
How do people publicly admit to criminal activity and not typically get arrested?
I've noticed that people on YouTube and even on TV would sometimes say things like "I used to take lots of coke a few years ago" or "I used to smoke weed daily until this and that" or "Yea, I smoke ...
- 745
56
votes
6
answers
20k
views
Can a university legally enforce a policy preventing students from creating their own wireless networks?
I attend a university in the United States where the school policy states that "Students are not permitted to setup or use their own wireless networks." This includes personal hotspots that ...
- 688
56
votes
3
answers
19k
views
Landlord wants to switch my lease to a "Land contract" to "get back at the city"
I've been living at this place for about two months and my lease looks pretty typical. Nothing unusual. I've had no problems so far.
Today my landlord called me and explained something about the city ...
- 663
54
votes
7
answers
16k
views
Suing a Police Officer Instead of the Police Department
My car was towed in Seattle for an alleged parking violation.
I paid $350 to get it back and then went to court and had the
violation dismissed. The police officer who wrote the ticket
and called for ...
- 889
54
votes
3
answers
10k
views
HOA Prohibits "Large Families"
My wife and I have found a vacant lot (this is in Utah, BTW) where we would like to build a house. However, the HOA that the lot belongs to does not allow more than four occupants, regardless of the ...
- 575
54
votes
3
answers
7k
views
How does the mandate to report income from illegal activities in the US jibe with the Fifth Amendment?
Al Capone was famously taken down for tax evasion for not reporting income from his illegal activities. If someone were to report the income from illegal activities like a marijuana dispensary or a ...
- 2,266
54
votes
3
answers
12k
views
Can I sign legal documents with a smiley face?
The signature on my driver's license is a unique and identifiable smiley face :-)
I use this signature to sign all legally binding documents. A lot of the time, people reject it, and request an &...
- 1,017
54
votes
3
answers
37k
views
Would open source programs that use encryption be illegal under this draft of the "Compliance with Court Orders Act of 2016"
The U.S. congress has a draft for a bill that would require companies to fetch information from a device when requested by a court. A consequence of this is that many types of security technology ...
- 1,680
53
votes
3
answers
9k
views
Landlord penalty for law enforcement calls
The town where we own a rental property had a meeting for landlords (by which I mean owners of rental property) recently.
Those who attended reported learning that there are some new laws regarding ...
- 551
51
votes
4
answers
18k
views
A man killed my son and married one of the witnesses. Can the witness's statements still be used in court against him?
In Florida a career felon, who is a complete stranger to my son, killed my son. He is being prosecuted for this crime in a state court in Florida. There are two witnesses. One of them is the the ...
- 411
50
votes
5
answers
15k
views
How come the nude protesters were not arrested?
I read today about the Anti-Censorship Activists in New York (Warning! NSFW pictures inside link) who protested against Facebook while being totally nude out in the street.
I'm also pretty sure ...
50
votes
4
answers
11k
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 ...
- 911
50
votes
5
answers
8k
views
Why is the structure of the US Code so poor? (And would it even be legal to reorganize it?)
In the process of researching the legality of coil guns in Massachusetts (University engineering project), I stumbled across Cornell's Legal Information Institute, which offers what appears to be a ...
- 603
50
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Is requesting waiving the right to deletion of contributions against GDPR?
I just got one of those GDPR mails from gitlab.com, which pointed me to a Web page where I had to accept some terms and conditions. The same as everywhere, except this passage:
(For GitLab ...
- 533
50
votes
3
answers
16k
views
What is the meaning of “and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” in the 14th amendment?
In the fourteenth amendment, what does the phrase “and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” contribute? What people born in the United States would not have been subject to the jurisdiction of the ...
- 939
48
votes
9
answers
38k
views
Can I terminate an employee for qualifying for a job through a "degree mill?"
We have recently put together an HR unit, which reviewed all our employees and found that one has an unsatisfactory qualification (BA in Public Relations from an unaccredited college). HR suggested ...
- 521
48
votes
9
answers
30k
views
How is it possible for millions to use pirated software at home and never get arrested?
It's not like talking about using weeds that you tell your friends about but you don't go in public shouting about it. Instead people go to online forums sometimes posting with their real names- ...
- 1,329
48
votes
4
answers
12k
views
Course of action in a criminal case when there is no conceivable defense
I am not a lawyer or a law student; my work is in mathematics, but I like to learn about criminal law as a hobby. I have spent some time googling and searching to find an answer to my question but ...
- 622