Category: Legal
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Corpus Linguistics
Corpus linguistics is the study of a language as that language is expressed in its text corpus (plural corpora), its body of “real world” text. Corpus linguistics proposes that a reliable analysis of a language is more feasible with corpora collected in the field—the natural context (“realia”) of that language—with minimal experimental interference. The text-corpus…
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Federal Firearms Act — June 30, 1938
B.L.U.F. A look at an early 20th century firearm regulation. (700 words) I Am Not A Lawyer. I’ve never taken a prelaw course, I’ve never attended a Law School. My interactions with lawyers have been few and far between. What I am is a geek that enjoys understanding. I will often spend far too much…
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Rhode v. Becerra — Robert Spitzer’s Declaration
B.L.U.F.This case is before Judge Benitez. I believe he has a hearing scheduled for mid-September on the merits of the case. In response to the defendants (bad guys/state) whining that the case should be evaluated through the eyes of an expert or historian. Judge Benitez ordered the defendants to declare their experts and to allow…
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Brief of United States v. Rahimi, US Supreme Court – UPDATED
B.L.U.F. The United States filed a brief with the Supreme Court where they argue that the definition of “The People” is in the hands of the state. And other reasons why the state gets to decide when the Second Amendment applies. (3,800 words) The Question Whether 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(8), which prohibits the possession of firearms…
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United States v. Daniels, 22-60596 (5th Cir. 2023)
Hopefully, a short one. 4473 and the Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended All of us have had the pleasure of filling out a form 4473, waiting for some bureaucrat decides that we are good enough to exercise our right to keep and bear arms, and finally give us permission. Most of form 4473…
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Dayonta McClinton v. United States
B.L.U.F. A follow on to the Hoover case regarding sentencing. Yesterday, in Policies are not laws, we discussed how sentencing guidelines work. A short recap: The courts use a rubric to decide the range of sentences that should be imposed. One axis is the “level” of the crime, the other is the category of criminal.…
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Policies are not laws
You guys don’t make it easy. The rabbit hole nearly ate me alive. At issue is how people are sentenced after they are convicted of one or more crimes. This is about U.S. v. Matthew Raymond Hoover yet touches on a cert denial at the supreme court just a few weeks ago. We read about…
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Andrew Teter V Anne e. Lopez (9th Cir.)
B.L.U.F.Brick by Brick, Row by Row, we build our freedoms. The 9th Circuit court of Appeals got it right. What does it mean? What did the state attempt? How did the court opine? In April 2019, another legal battle began. A long shot case that the plaintiffs knew would drag out for years if they…
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You win some, You lose some
Today we heard a great opinion out of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. They found that knives are arms. As arms, they are presumptively protected by the plain text of the Second Amendment. Finally, they found that the government had not met their burden of finding a law from the founding that supported their…
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§922(g) needs to go away
It is getting bad inside my brain. A couple of articles went past my feeds talking about an arms seizure in MA and straw purchases. I started reading and immediately went to my court sources to get the actual court documents. Rather than trusting what the reporter had to say. Weapons seizure uncovered Holyoke family’s…