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First Decision on DOMA's Constitutionality
On Aug. 17, a bankruptcy judge in Washington State became the first federal judge in the country to rule on the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), 1 U.S.C. ' 7. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Paul B. Snyder held in In re Kandu, No. 03-51312, 2004 Bankr. LEXIS 1233 (8/17/04) that DOMA was not unconstitutional. And, while it may seem that a law this contentious should have garnered at least a few case-law decisions in the 8 years following its enactment, the Kandu case has become the unlikely first because previous litigants lacked standing; they had not actually been married to a same-sex partner. However, debtors Lee Kandu and Ann C. Kandu, two American citizens, were legally married in British Columbia, Canada, on Aug. 11, 2003.
On Oct. 31, 2003, Lee Kandu filed pro se a voluntary bankruptcy petition for relief under Title 11, Chapter 7. Ann C. Kandu was listed on the petition as a joint debtor. On Dec. 5, 2003, the court filed an Order to Show Cause for Improper Joint Filing of unmarried individuals. (Although Ann C. Kandu died in early 2003, her death did not render the case's decision moot under the bankruptcy code.) The remaining debtor, Lee Kandu, filed a Memorandum in Support of Debtors' Joint Filing on April 20, 2004, challenging the constitutionality of DOMA.
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later
The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.
Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations
This article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.
How AI Has Affected PR
When we consider how the use of AI affects legal PR and communications, we have to look at it as an industrywide global phenomenon. A recent online conference provided an overview of the latest AI trends in public relations, and specifically, the impact of AI on communications. Here are some of the key points and takeaways from several of the speakers, who provided current best practices, tips, concerns and case studies.
The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programs
The parameters set forth in the DOJ's memorandum have implications not only for the government's evaluation of compliance programs in the context of criminal charging decisions, but also for how defense counsel structure their conference-room advocacy seeking declinations or lesser sanctions in both criminal and civil investigations.