An atheist and agnostic group that litigates church-state issues is getting some press as a result of its recent victory in a challenge to the National Day of Prayer.The Freedom From Religion Foundation has already chalked up some wins, the New York Times reports. It successfully sued a Tennessee school district for teaching the Bible and a Colorado public school for requiring students to volunteer in churches. It also won a ruling overturning a law in Madison, Wis., that required businesses to close on Good Friday.The group is headquartered in a former Episcopal rectory in Madison, Wis. Its co-presidents are a former evangelical minister, Dan Barker, and his wife, Annie Laurie Gaylor. Barker told the Times he gave up the ministry when he realized he didn’t believe the Bible. “I just had to fess up and say, ‘This is nonsense,’ ” he said.In the group’s latest win, a federal judge struck down a 1952 law requiring the president to sign an annual … [Read more...] about Atheist Group in the News with Win in National Prayer Case
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Eleventh Circuit Holds Not All “Internet” Distribution Is Worldwide Publication, Giving Rise to a United States Work
In a suit involving allegations that Nelly Furtado’s song Do It illegally copied the musical work Acidjazzed Evening, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for defendants based on plaintiff’s failure to register the copyright or prove it was exempt from that requirement as a foreign work. Kernel Records Oy v. Mosley, Case No. 11-12769 (11th Cir., Sept. 14, 2012) (Black, J.).Prior to filing a lawsuit for copyright infringement of a United States work, the work must be registered with the Copyright Office. Owners of foreign works, however, may bring suit without first registering. A United States work includes works that are published either first in the United States or simultaneously in the United States and other countries. “Publication” is a term of art. A determination of where a work was first published requires both an examination of the method, extent and purpose of … [Read more...] about Eleventh Circuit Holds Not All “Internet” Distribution Is Worldwide Publication, Giving Rise to a United States Work
When is someone too stoned to drive? The question is trickier than you’d think for courts to answer
Late one February night in 2013, Massachusetts state Trooper Eric French pulled over a blue SUV with its rear lights out. When he approached the car, he saw smoke and smelled pot. The driver, Thomas Gerhardt, could count backward from 75 to 62 and recite the alphabet from D to Q. But he couldn’t stand on one leg or walk nine steps and turn—standard measures on a field sobriety test. The trooper determined that Gerhardt was impaired, and he was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of marijuana.Was Gerhardt even high? And if he was, was he too high to drive safely?His lawyer argued in January before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that French proved neither that night.Massachusetts is one of eight states, plus the District of Columbia, where recreational marijuana use is now legal. Twenty more states have legalized medical marijuana. But science and the law have not kept pace with this rapid political change.We take for granted that not being able to … [Read more...] about When is someone too stoned to drive? The question is trickier than you’d think for courts to answer
Polls point to tight race in Danish election
The polls still narrowly point to Lars Løkke Rasmussen returning to power. Photo: Mathias Løvgreen Bojesen/Scanpix With Denmark's general election now underway, there seems to be an opinion poll everywhere one looks. And although they still point to a likely victory for the opposition parties, the gap appears to be closing. ‘Red bloc' closing in Although her coalition of left-of-centre parties has consistently trailed the opposition in the polls, PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt is gambling that she can make up the gap over an intense three-week campaign. A poll conducted on the election's first day shows that she may be right. According to a Gallup poll for Berlingske, the opposition blue bloc parties are at 51.8 percent support to the red bloc's 48.8 percent. Translated into parliamentary mandates, that would give the opposition 89 seats to Thorning-Schmidt and company's 86. When factoring in the mandates from Greenland and the Faroe Islands, the tally … [Read more...] about Polls point to tight race in Danish election
PROFILE: Thorning fights for second term as PM
Her chances of a second term were once written off, but now Helle Thorning-Schmidt is in a race that's too close to call. Photo: Asger Ladefoged/Scanpix Known internationally as Denmark's 'selfie' prime minister and often derided at home for her 'Gucci' taste, PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt is on the verge of pulling off an incredible political comeback. Like the protagonist of Denmark's hit TV show 'Borgen', Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt is a pragmatic centrist who learned her political lines the hard way. Since calling elections last month, the Social Democratic leader has succeeded in clawing back lost support for her centre-left coalition ahead of Thursday's parliamentary election, which pundits describe as too tough to call. Best known abroad for taking a "selfie" with British Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama at Nelson Mandela's memorial service in December 2013, the tall, elegant 48-year-old blonde became Denmark's first female prime … [Read more...] about PROFILE: Thorning fights for second term as PM