Coronavirus and Real Estate: How this crisis is affecting you

In the 8th episode of Season 2 of the podcast, Attorney Rosensweig walks you through the arguments that are being raised regarding the constitutionality of moving forward with an impeachment trial of a former president.  She explains the articles of the Constitution that speak to this issue and she talks about the two instances in which former senators were impeached after no longer being in office.  Attorney Rosensweig also touches upon the likelihood of Donald Trump's conviction and the potential point in moving forward with impeachment where the option of removing a president is no longer viable.  This episode is a crash course on impeachment that even kids can enjoy.  

In this episode, Attorney Rosensweig talks about the leaked phone call between Donald Trump and the Georgia Secretary of State.  Was it permissible to leak the call? What was the call about?  What is the status of the lawsuits currently pending in Georgia in which Trump is alleging the Georgia election results are wrong?  Attorney Rosensweig shares her (arguably controversial) thoughts on the matter in this episode.

In this week's episode, Jill speaks with Eric Lorenzo, an immigration attorney based out of New York, about all things immigration law.  They discuss additional hurdles that are currently in place in terms of securing a visa during the pandemic, increased fees that were proposed by the Trump administration, thus making it harder for foreigners to secure employment in the U.S., issues relating to DACA and more.   Jill also asks Attorney Lorenzo what he expects will change with respect to immigration under a Biden administration.  If you are interested in immigration law, this episode is for you. 

In this week's episode, Attorney Rosensweig is discussing a decision that was issued by a federal appeals court, blocking two ordinances on First Amendment grounds in Florida that ban licensed therapists from providing “conversion therapy” to minors.  This was a 2-1 decision with the 2 judges who ruled to allow conversion therapy being appointees of Donald Trump.  Conversion therapy seeks to change sexual orientation for gay people and the majority opinion was not persuaded by the research showing that this type of therapy can lead to depression and suicide in children.  Is Conversion Therapy free speech or is it professional conduct (as was argued by the defendants) and thus not protected by the 1st amendment? Also, how much did the judges' personal views affect their decision in this case?  What will happen if this case is appealed to the Supreme Court?  Will the current makeup of the Court result in laws banning conversion therapy being deemed unconstitutional? All of this and more is discussed in this episode. 

In this week's episode, Attorney Rosensweig talks about the fake ballot boxes that have been discovered in various parts of California and how the Republican Party has admitted that they are responsible for placing them around the State.  Are they legal or is this a form of voter fraud?  Attorney Rosensweig explains what ballot harvesting is, what the law is in California regarding ballot harvesting, and whether or not fake ballot boxes fall within the confines of the law. 

Please check out this episode and also Jill's Covid-19 children's book, Bailey Bloom and the Battle of the Bug. 

In episode 3, Season 2 of the podcast, Attorney Rosensweig is breaking down each aspect of the Breonna Taylor case so that her listeners can really understand what questions they might ask when assessing whether the officers should have been put on trial for her death.  Attorney Rosensweig goes over the following: 1) Were there sufficient grounds for a search warrant to have been issued?  2) Should the search warrant have been a knock and announce as opposed to a no-knock warrant? 3) Did the castle doctrine provide Breonna Taylor's boyfriend a legitimate defense in shooting an officer when law enforcement barged into their apartment in the middle of the night in plain clothes? 4) How dangerous are no-knock warrants, especially in states where there is the castle doctrine?  5) Did the police use excessive force when firing 32 bullets in response to 1? 6) What exactly happened with the grand jury and who is to blame for these officers walking free?  This is a complex episode but one worth listening to, especially if you want to understand the systemic challenges that exist within the criminal justice system.

Also, please check out the most recent episode of Be Here for a While on which Attorney Rosensweig was a guest this week; and, please check out her Covid-19 children's book, Bailey Bloom and the Battle of the Bug.

On episode 2 of Season 2 of the podcast, Attorney Rosensweig speaks with New York personal injury attorney, Matthew Haicken, about his quest to change the law in New York so that convicted felons who have completed their sentences can be called for jury duty.  Matthew explains why banning those with felony convictions from serving on juries not only keeps those individuals from feeling fully reintegrated into society, it also hurts criminal defendants who have the right to a jury of their peers as well as plaintiffs in personal injury cases who benefit from having a jury comprised of people with similar life experiences.  Matthew explains how race and systemic racism plays a factor in excluding convicted felons from jury pools and how he was able to convince conservative Republicans to get on board with his proposed change in the law.  More broadly, if you have ever thought about how you might go about changing a law when you are neither a politician nor a political activist, this episode is without a doubt for you.  Get ready to be inspired!  

In today's episode, Attorney Rosensweig is discussing the Portland protests and whether or not the US government had the right to enter the city based upon an executive order that Donald Trump signed in late June.  The executive order stated that the US government had the right to protect the federal courthouse in Portland and, just days later, various federal agencies entered Portland and started using pepper spray, batons and other non-lethal forms of ammunition to "quell" the protests.  Just last week, a group of women (aka the Wall of Moms) filed a lawsuit, asking the court to declare that the US government was acting unlawfully and days later, the US government packed up and left the area.  Does that executive order give the US government the right to enter cities and use force against people protesting?  Attorney Rosensweig explores the law as it relates to whether the federal government has the authority to police the protests and the viability of this court case. 

On June 20, 2020, Donald Trump is holding a political rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma in an enclosed arena in which he is anticipating approximately 19,000 attendees.  The date of the rally was originally June 19th but he moved it one day amid outcry over its clash with the Juneteenth holiday marking the end of US slavery.  In order to purchase tickets for the event, one must click on an agreement, waiving the right to sue if the purchaser or their guests contract Covid-19.  Is this waiver enforceable? Who exactly is bound by it?  Can attendees sue if they are assuming the risk of contracting Covid-19 at this event? Attorney Rosensweig discusses the various flaws with this waiver, she discusses the challenges a plaintiff might face in asserting a negligence claim against Donald Trump and the event organizers, and she also discusses waivers generally since waivers will be something businesses will be contemplating preparing at this time and consumers will be confronted with having to sign.   

In this week's episode, Attorney Rosensweig talks about qualified immunity and how this legal doctrine shields police officers from being held civilly liable even when a court determines that the officer used excessive force.  Attorney Rosensweig uses a recent Supreme Court decision to explain what qualified immunity is and how a court determines whether or not a police officer can be shielded by it.  Attorney Rosensweig also explains how this legal doctrine came to be, how it has evolved over the years and where things currently stand in terms of how easy it is for a police officer to escape civil liability even when it is glaringly obvious that he/she violated a person's 4th amendment rights.  Ms. Rosensweig also explains how this legal doctrine might impact a potential civil suit relating to the recent murder of George Floyd and she generally explains how qualified immunity is a contributing factor in the rise of excessive force.  If you are trying to better understand how excessive force seems to persist in the United States without repercussions, this episode hopefully sheds some light on just one factor that contributes to this problem.