Employers Asking for Facebook Login Info…? You’ve finally landed that “big interview” for your dream job. You’ve worked hard and gone to school, pressed your suit, researched the company, polished your resume, and you’re on the way. Everything is going … Continue reading
Category Archives: Constitutional Law
Your Right to Not Be Searched is Sacred — Protect Your Fourth Amendment Right
From the creation of our Democracy, it was one of the most fundamental and important concepts that the government cannot search your person or effects only in the most limited circumstances. Citizens have the right to refuse the government to … Continue reading
New Indiana Public Intoxication Law Goes into Effect July 1, 2012
As of May 25, 2012, Governor Mitch Daniels has signed the new Public Intoxication law into effect. The new law will go into effect July 1, 2012. The intent of the new law, among other things, is to discourage potential … Continue reading
Etzler & Associates Attorney Jacob G. Blackstone Argues Case for Rights of Gun Owners
Gordon A. Etzler & Associates, LLP may have won another victory for individual rights yesterday in a case involving the state’s right to seize lawfully owned firearms. A Northwest Indiana Times article discussed the case today. The case involved several … Continue reading
Indiana General Assembly Passes Law Designed to Renew Right of Self-Defense
In the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting, the issue of “self-defense” is now capturing nationwide attention. However, it was already a fairly hot topic in the Indiana legal community following the 2011 case of Barnes v. State. In that … Continue reading
The Trayvon Martin Shooting and the Uncertain Future of ‘Stand Your Ground’ Laws
It is well known (and quite frankly flooding the media lately) about the tragic shooting of Trayvon Martin. People most often discuss the racial tensions surrounding the shooting of Trayvon Martin by the [white] self-appointed neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman. What … Continue reading
Indiana Postpones Reform of Sentencing Guidelines
After a great deal of chatter, the Indiana General Assembly has decided it will not include in its agenda for 2012 a measure to reform Indiana’s dated sentencing guidelines. (See Post-Tribune Article, “Sentencing Guidelines Overhaul to Take Another Year” 14 … Continue reading
Indiana Court of Appeals Protects Fourth Amendment Right Against Unreasonable Search and Seizure
In a recent ruling, the Indiana Court of Appeals has stood firm on the standard of reasonable suspicion. In Michael Woodson v. State of Indiana, 49A05-1106-CR-306, the Court established a clear standard for determining if, and when, reasonable suspicion is … Continue reading
Indiana Supreme Court Affirms, “No Right to Resist Unlawful Entry by Police”
It is no surprise that in a moot exercise in futility, the Indiana Supreme Court affirmed its own controversial determination in Barnes v. State from earlier this summer. (See Indiana Supreme Court Errs Heavily in Favor of Law Enforcement this … Continue reading
New Indiana Immigration Policy-Targets Immigrants, or the Fourth Amendment?
Just like in Barnes v. State, the law seems to favor “public safety” over intrusion into privacy, something our Forefathers warned heavily against. This time, it isn’t the courts blazing the new trail, it’s the Indiana General Assembly: Northwest Indiana … Continue reading
