2 min read

NY Appellate Court Affirms Denial of Area Variances Based on Neighborhood Character and Because the Requested Variances were Substantial

This post was authored by Amy Lavine, Esq. The petitioner had requested variances from several different zoning requirements, including the regulations for lot area, lot frontage, front yard setbacks, rear yard setbacks, and minimum and total side yard setbacks, which it needed so that it could build a single faming home. The board of zoning appeals (BZA) denied its request for area variances, however, and the Second Department confirmed the BZA’s denial on appeal. As the court explained, there was sufficient evidence to support the BZA’s determination that there would be an undesirable impact on the character of the neighborhood…
2 min read

MA Land Court Interprets Overlapping Zoning Definitions for Hot Tubs and Swimming Pools

This post was authored by Amy Lavine, Esq. A Massachusetts case decided in August considered the Town of Nantucket’s zoning definitions for “hot tub/spa” and “swimming pool.” Specifically, the zoning code defined a “hot tub/spa” as a structure with less than 150 square feet of surface area and more than two feet of depth, while a “swimming pool” was defined as a structure either with more than 150 square feet of surface area or containing more than 1,000 gallons of water. The definition created a dilemma because of the structure “could at the same time have less than 150 square…
2 min read

Laura Kempton death: Suspect identified in 1981 killing with help of genetic genealogy, attorney general says

CNN — A homicide case that went cold for more than 40 years has been solved with the help of forensic genetic genealogy technology, New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella said Thursday. Investigators shifted through hundreds of leads after 23-year-old Laura Kempton was found dead in her Portsmouth apartment in September 1981 by a police officer who was trying to serve her a court summons, a release from the attorney general says. An autopsy revealed she died from “massive trauma” to a side of her head. But it wasn’t until 2022 that investigators analyzed DNA samples taken from Kempton’s…
5 min read

Mississippi civil rights attorney alleges she was wrongfully arrested in possible retaliation for suing the city of Lexington over discriminatory practices against Black motorists

CNN — A Mississippi civil rights attorney alleges she was wrongfully arrested over the weekend and believes it may have been in retaliation for her advocacy work in the city of Lexington highlighting claims of discrimination by police against its Black residents. Civil rights attorney Jill Jefferson was arrested Saturday by the Lexington Police Department after filming a traffic stop of a Black motorist in the town’s square, she said. “My plan was to film footage of police falsely arresting Black people, and I just happened to get caught up in it,” Jefferson told CNN Tuesday. Recalling her Saturday arrest,…
3 min read

NYC woman indicated on hate crime charges after string of anti-Asian attacks, the district attorney’s office says

CNN — A New York City woman was indicted on seven felony hate crime charges in connection with a string of anti-Asian attacks on the city’s Upper West Side, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said Wednesday. Camila Rodriguez, 29, was charged in two New York State Supreme Court indictments with assault in the second degree as a hate crime, six counts of assault in the third degree as a hate crime, and six counts of aggravated harassment in the second degree, the district attorney’s office said. CNN reached out to Rodriguez’s attorney at The Legal Aid Society, a nonprofit that…
2 min read

I will protect abortion rights against ‘anti-science’ attacks

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. ‘Straight out of a dystopian novel’: Missouri Dem blasts state GOP for defunding libraries 03:59 Mon. Tina Smith: Abortion pill ban is another attack on women’s freedoms 05:00 TN Rep. Justin Jones: We must keep challenging this ‘rollback of democracy’ 10:04 Lawrence: ‘Clarence Thomas has absolutely violated federal law’ 11:29 Lawrence: Manhattan welcomes Trump back with ‘New York hates you!’ chants 07:15 Rep. Justin Jones: TN GOP’s abuse of power has backfired 09:25 Lawrence: Tennessee Three invoke MLK at the place where he was assassinated…
3 min read

Missouri AG’s Regulation Bans Trans Treatment for Adults With Depression

Missouri’s attorney general announced new requirements for adults seeking gender affirming care. Adults with depression are banned from seeking care until their mental health issues are resolved. Other requirements include three consecutive years of gender dysphoria and months of therapy. loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. download the app An emergency regulation announced by Missouri’s attorney general on Thursday could severely limit access to gender-affirming care in the state, setting several new requirements for trans adults seeking treatment. Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s sweeping regulation would…
3 min read

Trump attorney Drew Finding spins himself dizzy on live TV

Drew Findling, a Georgia-based criminal defense attorney representing former President Donald Trump, made a rare television appearance on MSNBC on Tuesday. In short, it didn’t go well for Findling. But it went just as expected (assuming you’ve been reading The ReidOut Blog). I’ll explain. Finding appeared on “The Beat with Ari Melber” on Tuesday to discuss the criminal probe into Trump’s pressure campaign to overturn Georgia’s results in the 2020 presidential election. Findings recently filed a motion arguing that any result of the impeached grand jury should be tossed out and that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be…