Background In 1986, Congress enacted the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, or CFAA. The Act, codified in 18 U.S.C. § 1030, criminalizes unauthorized access of “any protected computer.” A “protected computer" is a “computer used in or affecting interstate or foreign...
University of Kansas professor, Feng “Franklin” Tao, was recently indicted on one count of wire fraud and three counts of program fraud. Assistant Attorney General Demers for National Security explained, “Tao is alleged to have defrauded the U.S. government by...
A federal grand jury recently indicted Google's former wunderkind, Anthony Levandowski, on 33 counts of theft and attempted theft of trade secrets, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1832. The charges relate to self-driving car technology developed by Waymo, Google's sister...
In 2018, California ushered in a new era of criminal justice; both the cash bail system and the felony murder rule were abolished with the stroke of then-Governor Jerry Brown’s pen. Not to be outdone, state legislators have introduced 2,628 bills since December 2018....
Introduction The Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act of 2018, or FIRST STEP Act, is the first criminal justice reform bill signed into law under the current administration. Long in the making, the Act brings...
Have you heard the phrase "prosecutors will decide"? It's often used by news stations when discussing a crime and its sentence. As John Oliver pointed out on one episode of his late night show, most people have heard this phrase before, but they have heard it so much...
Criminal Law Update: Summer 2018 Introduction Last month, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a monumental, long-awaited decision on privacy rights, Fourth Amendment, and digital data. In United States v. Carpenter, the Court ruled that to access an...
Introduction The nation is abuzz with all things Donald and Hillary, and the anticipated outcome of the presidential election. However, there are other important issues at stake this November. State propositions that affect not only you, but also the criminal justice...
Monetary bonds are a disgrace in our criminal justice system. Here's a community taking action: http://chicagoreporter.com/a-community-solution-to-cash-bail/