It is Legal to be Intoxicated on the Front Steps of a Private Residence in Iowa

So ruled the Iowa Supreme Court last week, holding that Iowa Code section 123.46(2) , which prohibits a person from being "intoxicated ...

Supreme Court Narrowly Decides Online Threats Case, Elonis v. U.S.

At long last, the Supreme Court has issued an opinion in Elonis v. United States . I blogged about the opinion back when the Court granted c...

New Florida Law Restricting Private Drone Use

Florida's governor recently signed S.B. 766, a bill that expands and clarifies restrictions on drone use listed in section 934.50, Flori...

Firearms in Student Housing: California Penal Code 626.9 and the Second Amendment

I visited UCLA last weekend. While I was there, I visited Weyburn Terrace, an apartment complex for UCLA graduate students. UCLA's websi...

Ninth Circuit to Grant En Banc Review in Concealed Carry Case

So reports the Los Angeles Times : A federal appeals court agreed Thursday to reconsider a decision that made it easier to receive a permit ...

Court Finds No Third Amendment Violation After Police Occupy Home

Over at the Volokh Conspiracy, Ilya Somin writes about a recent ruling by a federal district court that police officers did not violate the...

My New Paper on Prior Sexual Misconduct Evidence in State Courts

I just posted my most recent article on SSRN. The title is Prior Sexual Misconduct Evidence in State Courts: Constitutional and Common Law ...

Ban on Sexual Orientation Conversion Therapy for Minors Approved By Iowa Senate

So reports the Des Moines Register : Iowa mental health professionals would be banned from trying to change the sexual orientation of gay pa...

Iowa Bill Would Prohibit Sexual Orientation Conversion Therapy for Minors

So reports the Des Moines Register : A bill that would ban Iowa mental health professionals from trying to change the sexual orientation of ...

Is it Constitutional to Prosecute Those Who Mail Cow Manure?

My attempt at answering this age-old legal question is prompted by this story about a pair of feuding Iowa couples. Here is the report: A s...