Very often, to the layperson, it seems that the law splits hairs so fine they can’t be seen without a microscope. Sometimes, this is an intellectual exercise that appears to defy logic and reason and, […]
There has been much talk recently about respect for the flag of the United States of America. People have different ideas about what respect for the flag means, and what is and isn’t disrespectful. Luckily, […]
If you’ve lived in the United States in the past 12 months, and you’ve been paying the least bit of attention, it is difficult to imagine you haven’t heard the phrase “executive order.” So what […]
It is sadly true what they say – the only things inevitable in this life are death and taxes. When death occurs, it is generally our custom to have a funeral, and along with a […]
He was a local judge, but he made national headlines last week. Judge Jim Hinkle was a Gwinnett County Magistrate Court. He was suspended (and then resigned) from the bench based on what he said […]
It is the beginning of the school year, and so the age old argument about school clothes is repeating itself in many households across the nation, including my own. What is and isn’t appropriate? What […]
Georgia Laws are put together in a series of books called the “Official Code of Georgia Annotated,” or O.C.G.A. for short. Turns out that within the O.C.G.A. there are a number of other designations for […]
There are a lot of criminal offenses that require mens rea. Mens rea is a Latin term that literally means, “guilty mind.” It is used in law to describe a state of mind in which you knew what you were doing. […]
Georgia is not alone in that it has a statute which prohibits people from using “fighting words.” But what are fighting words, exactly? It is defined in O.C.G.A. §16-11-39(3) under ‘disorderly conduct’ this way: “A […]
“Citizen’s Arrest!” We’ve all heard that term on TV and in the movies – but is it really a thing? In Georgia it is. O.C.G.A. §17-4-60 says that a “private person may arrest an offender […]
A stop sign is so familiar looking that even a child who is too young to read can recognize the red octagon for what it is. However, my experience as a Municipal Court Judge tells […]
Jaywalking is another of those legal terms that people bandy about without knowing the technical definition. It goes hand in hand with the phrase “pedestrians have the right of way.” So when do pedestrians really […]
Habeas Corpus is one of those legal terms that most people seem to have heard of at some point, but can’t quite define. They know it has something to do with someone being arrested, and […]
Last week I wrote about how spouting off on Facebook could be a potential felony. This week, I’d like to get into another odd subject dealing with social media and emails – emojis. It’s hard […]
I spend a lot of time warning my children about the dangers of posting things that can be misunderstood on social media. Every time I hear of someone getting arrested or otherwise in trouble for […]
“Separation of Powers.” It’s a phrase that you may or may not remember from your 7th grade social studies class when you (hopefully) learned basic civics. But what does it really mean, and how does […]
No one wants a traffic ticket. In addition to the heart stopping process that is being pulled over with blue lights and sirens behind you, there is the cost of paying the ticket, and the […]
Living in the state of Georgia, where a comprehensive public transportation isn’t generally found (or desired), losing one’s driver’s license can be devastating. If you don’t have a driver’s license, you may very well have […]
How many times have you seen it on TV? Where someone is missing, but then there’s that ‘rule’ that you can’t call the police until they have been missing for 24, or maybe 48 hours. […]
Often, when you have to sign a document, you will be requested to do so in front of a notary. What does that mean exactly? Well, in the first place, it means that the notary […]
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