Category: Case Law

Last week, we were inundated with news stories and commentaries about the execution of a convicted cop killer. In my post last week, I allowed you to read the course of the appeals and the…

On August 19, 1989, Savannah Police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail came to the aid of a homeless man. He did so for a reason. It was not a photo opportunity, nor was it an event…

On July 19, 2011, a federal jury returned a $10,000,000 verdict against TASER International, Inc. I’ve received several calls and emails from LEOs about this verdict. Readers of Bluelinelawyer know that I believe in the…

On Thursday , June 9, 2011, the United States Supreme Court released its opinion of  Sykes v. United States. The case settles a legal question that split federal circuits: Is the attempt to flee or…

On May 31, 2011, the Georgia Supreme Court issued an opinion in State v. Thackston. You can read the full opinion here. The opinion reverses over 30 years of precedent and answers a critical question…

More often than not, when a LEO is “under investigation,” the entire agency knows about it! Let’s face it, as a profession were are good at respecting the privacy rights of the public, but “scoop”…

If you’ve ever sat in one of my classes, you know that I always speak to LEOs about getting a will. I raise this issue no matter what class I am teaching because the topic…

The news, in every form, has been buzzing this past week about the United States Supreme Court’s opinion in Snyder v. Phelps. This is the case involving protests by a church at the funerals of…

In 1967, The United States Supreme Court issued an opinion entitled, Garrity v. State of NJ. The case is perhaps the most important ruling regarding the rights of LEOs. In that case, the USSC held…