Immigration Matter

United States Supreme Court declined to hear appeals regarding anti-immigrant laws finding that the issues of immigration are a matter for federal agencies, not local governments, to regulate. Hazleton, Pennsylvania and Farmers Ranch, Texas attempted to enact housing and employment rules directly aimed at people in the country illegally. Such rules included fining landlords who rented to people living in the county illegally, denying businesses permits who gave jobs to persons in the country illegally and requiring prospective tenants to register with City Hall for a rental permit.

Employee Online Privacy Act of 2014

"In a meeting this morning, the group was discussing the use of Social Media,
including LinkedIn and Facebook, when researching potential customers"

To read the rest of this post learn more about the Employee Online Privacy Act of 2014, click here.

Dominion v. Dataium

This recent case from the Tennessee Court of Appeals addresses a situation where employees and an investor from one company break away to form a competitor.  The original company files suit alleging several claims, including breach of fiduciary duty, breach of duty of loyalty and good faith, intentional interference with contractual relationships, unfair competition, breach of duty not to solicit employees and breach of covenants not to compete.

To read the full details of the case, click here 

The Defense of Marriage Act Breaking News

Today, the United States issued a ruling in the case of United States v. Windsor that could have similar historical significance as cases like Roe v. Wade and Brown v. Board of Education.  The Supreme Court held that The Defense of Marriage Act’s (DOMA) definition of “marriage”  which is defined as “only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife” to be unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.  This is an obvious victory for the Gay and Lesbian Community; however, it is also a huge win for supporters of the Tenth Amendment.  The Supreme Court, in a dramatic deviation from recent precedent, found same sex marriage to be a state issue, rather than a federal one.  The Windsor case, in essence, has upheld the individual States’ right to define marriage as it and its residents see fit, without the overbearing eye of the federal government to intervene.  The Supreme Court’s opinion provides a detailed history of the State’s authority over domestic relations and how the DOMA violates the due process rights of same sex couples.  Regardless of what side you are on, this case will have lasting historical significance for future generations.  The full opinion can be found here, http://www.kingplc.com/United%20States%20v.%20Windsor.pdf