Legal
Legal matters are a core focus for local and state government agencies, encompassing the creation, interpretation, and enforcement of laws and regulations that govern public affairs. Legal frameworks ensure that government actions are consistent with the rule of law and protect citizens’ rights. Though by no means a perfect system – enforcement inequities continue to make the headlines – local leaders strive to create laws that work fairly for all.
The department will also examine jail conditions in several states to ensure there are no violations of the rights of people with mental illnesses
Scott Martin, an Air Force veteran who worked at the Buffalo Fire Department for 12 years, said he uses cannabis to treat PTSD and pain
The lawsuit says the city violated its collective bargaining agreement with the union by withdrawing representation for the firefighter after initially providing it
MSRB is hosting a webinar July 7, 2016 at 3 p.m. EST about compliance obligations under the new municipal securities pay-to-play rule.
Criminal justice reform has become a hot topic around the nation amid a conversation about easing three-strikes sentencing laws, scaling back mandatory sentencing laws and focusing on rehabilitation. That’s not the case in New Mexico, where lawmakers assembled for a new legislative session
When the California Legislature passed the state’s first comprehensive medical marijuana regulations in September, pot advocates hoped the move heralded a new era of trust in their often-tumultuous relationship with wary local officials and police
A federal appeals court wrestled with whether local government leaders in North Carolina are violating the Constitution by holding exclusively Christian prayers at their meetings - the first time a court at that level has addressed the issue since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a town government’s favor in a similar case in 2014
Colorado regulators approved new rules intended to ease the conflicts that arise when oil and gas rigs show up near homes and schools, but they came under immediate fire from both the industry and its critics
South Dakota counties won approval from a Senate committee to receive a share of alcohol tax funds, but House lawmakers shot down a more substantial plan to allow counties to impose sales taxes
A federal appeals court will consider whether county commissioners in North Carolina violated the Constitution by delivering Christian prayers at their meetings and inviting audience members to join
A bill that open government advocates say would severely restrict access to government records got a unanimous favorable vote in its first committee hearing in the state House
As policies that limit when employers may ask applicants about their criminal histories gain popularity nationwide, advocates are pushing similar measures in Alabama, which has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country
A complaint has been filed against the Henderson County Board of Education alleging the school system’s “nickel tax” is fraudulent and was applied retroactively
A Utah senator plans to introduce a bill in the upcoming legislative session that would outlaw smoking lounges in the Salt Lake City airport
At a recent roundtable discussion, 10 police chiefs, sheriffs, general counsel, deputies and captains came together to discuss a variety of topics including the evolution of intelligent policing and the future of use of force guidelines
New York City’s pedicab drivers are angry over a proposal to ban the bike taxis from much of Central Park as part of a broader scheme to overhaul the park’s popular carriage horse rides
A deal to reduce the number of horse-drawn carriages in New York City and permanently move stables to Central Park will now go to the City Council for approval in a compromise between the drivers and Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had pledged to end the popular rides
A New Jersey police officer’s claim that he was a victim of political retribution drew plenty of sympathy at the Supreme Court on Tuesday, but it wasn’t clear whether the justices would find that Jeffrey Heffernan has a case under the First Amendment
The House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee approved separate but identical bills to repeal a 2015 law on the court system’s budget enacted by Republicans. The law tied all funding for the courts through June 2017 to a failed effort to curb the Kansas Supreme Court’s administrative power
