Legal Discussion

The Stolen Valor Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2006. The law is designed to discourage persons from claiming and wearing unauthorized U.S. Military honors and decorations. It encompasses and broadens the provisions of existing Federal law regarding the unauthorized wearing of the Congressional Medal of Honor by prohibiting the unauthorized manufacture, sale or claim of right to all U.S. Military medals and decorations. It is now a federal misdemeanor to make false claims of valor, … Continued

A client recently remarked to me that he thought it was “illegal” to use the term negro, especially in reference to the President. I explained to him that it might be politically incorrect but it is certainly not illegal. That exchange led me to wonder why being called an African-American has become a racial description. Polish-Americans, Italian-Americans and Irish-Americans are not racial identities but rather geographical descriptions. So why now is it that some Americans feel that blacks must be … Continued

My youngest son graduated from the University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba, Australia where he met his future wife. Before they were married she came to the United States but was required to have a paid, return airfare passage and could only stay six months before being required to leave the country according to U.S. Immigration law. And before she could enter the United States permanently she had to jump through a multitude of bureaucratic hoops. It took more than two years to obtain permanent residence … Continued