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Maryland Moving at a Misguided PACE
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March 14, 2025
Maryland Moving at a Misguided PACE
By: James Trusty
Maryland legislature is considering passing a law ineptly called the Protecting the Admissibility of Creative Expression (“PACE Act”) which would limit the use of rap lyrics, among other forms of expression, in criminal and juvenile proceedings. While prosecution use of rap lyrics in criminal trials is a bit uncommon, the state house move here is in reaction to a 2020 murder case in which a defendant’s post-arrest rap about killing “snitches” with a “.40” may have weighed heavily in the jury’s conviction. In Montague v. State, 471 Md. 657 Md. 2020) the Maryland Supreme Court affirmed the trial court’s ruling that Montague’s ruminations about murder and using a .40 caliber weapon—made from a jail phone after his arrest—was not an…
My Brother’s Keeper
February 20, 2025
My Brother’s Keeper
By: Abbey Block
Am I my brother’s keeper? Or more specifically, can lawyers be sued for their clients’ bad behavior? A newly proposed bill out of Washington state says yes. The bill, HB 1891, provides the following legal framework, under which an attorney can be sued for injuries caused by his or her client who is released from detention pending trial: Any person injured by an individual who…
DOJ Memo Sneaks In Seismic Changes
January 31, 2025
DOJ Memo Sneaks In Seismic Changes
By: James Trusty
Amidst the tidal wave of Executive Orders, presidential appointments, and policy announcements, it is easy to treat last week’s Interim Policy Memo from the Acting Deputy Attorney General[1] as just another ripple of nominal change that occurs when democrats replace republicans or republicans replace democrats. And, indeed, although there are portions of it that reflect the recurring philosophical tug-of-war over the tough on crime approach…
How to Raise Capital Through Registration Exempt ICOs
May 15, 2018
How to Raise Capital Through Registration Exempt ICOs
By: Jeff Ifrah
The SEC has strongly indicated that initial coin offerings (ICOs) will be treated as securities, and thus must comply with various registration and disclosure requirements before being used to raise capital. Companies do have, however, several options for possible exemptions from the regulatory requirements that apply to registered public offerings. This chart outlines potential exemptions to the regulatory requirements for ICOs and the criteria for…
Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein to Make First Supreme Court Appearance in Sentencing Case, Even as Rumors Continue to Swirl of Potential Firing
April 23, 2018
Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein to Make First Supreme Court Appearance in Sentencing Case, Even as Rumors Continue to Swirl of Potential Firing
By: Ifrah Law
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will be arguing before the Supreme Court today for the first time in his nearly thirty-year government career even as rumors abound that Donald Trump is talking about firing him to cut off investigations into his administration’s Russia ties. Although the United States is usually represented before the Supreme Court by the Solicitor General, it is not uncommon for…
Congress Passes the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017
March 26, 2018
Congress Passes the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017
By: Jeffrey Hamlin
As of March 21, 2018, both chambers of Congress have approved H.R. 1865—the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 (FOSTA). In a rare show of bipartisanship, both Houses approved the bill with veto-proof majorities—the House by a vote of 388 to 25 and the Senate by a vote of 97 to 2. But some free-speech advocates, internet-law experts, and…
SEC’s Updated Cybersecurity Disclosure Guidelines Leave Questions Unanswered
March 2, 2018
SEC’s Updated Cybersecurity Disclosure Guidelines Leave Questions Unanswered
By: Ifrah Law
As previewed in our previous post, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) unanimously approved new cybersecurity interpretive guidance—a format used to clarify the SEC’s views on security laws and regulations—on Wednesday of last week. The guidelines make no mention of how they affect and interplay with other regulators’ data privacy requirements, so whether compliance with these guidelines absolves companies of liabilities is a…
If ICOs are Securities: What Cryptocurrency Issuers, Exchanges and Gatekeepers Need to Know.
March 1, 2018
If ICOs are Securities: What Cryptocurrency Issuers, Exchanges and Gatekeepers Need to Know.
By: Jeff Ifrah
As predicted, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has taken additional steps to clamp down on the exploding ICO market: yesterday the Wall Street Journal reported the agency had issued “dozens of subpoenas and information requests to technology companies and advisors.” After repeated warnings from regulators like SEC Chairman Jay Clayton, the SEC is now sending its message loud and clear: every ICO involves the sale…
