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E-Verify for small businesses may soon be mandatory, if the immigration bill that passed the Senate last week becomes law. But instead of requiring all employers to use E-Verify within 18 months, as had been proposed, the amended version of the bill pushes back that timeframe by a few years, Inc. reports. Still, many states already require businesses, including many small mom-and-pop shops, to use the E-Verify system. For example, on July 1, North Carolina became the 22nd state to require E-Verify for small businesses....

Election years are always tense but this presidential race is so tight that some are already planning for election disputes to break out. The memory of the 2000 election has influenced both candidates to recruit lawyers who can help navigate any legal issues that come up during voting. Each campaign has tapped an expert in legal election issues to assist with potential voting problems, reports Reuters. While the candidates may be jumping the gun by presuming that something will go wrong in the election, it is true that a lot that could happen....

A recent NLRB decision may have employers scratching their heads as it seems to prohibit business owners from firing employees for telling customers that the food they prepare might make patrons sick. A Minnesota Jimmy John’s sandwich franchise has been ordered to rehire workers that had put up posters “suggesting sandwiches were made by sick workers, calling their protests protected speech.” According to Inside Counsel, these posters were part of a 2011 protest in response to refusal by management to give employees paid sick days....

Indicators of an economy still struggling: more of us in court, less of us with legal representation. Cases that logically seem linked to tough economic times, foreclosures, domestic relations issues, and debt actions have increased, but according to a new survey, judges think the number of people coming before them with legal representation has decreased. According to a survey of judges for the American Bar Association Coalition for Justice, the “View From The Bench” is not an encouraging one right now....

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has made a bold – and bald – move. For the first time ever, agency officials will permit a Native American tribe to kill bald eagles for a religious ceremony . Members of the Northern Arapaho Tribe plan to use the two birds as part of the Sun Dance, an annual summer ceremony. The move is unprecedented and is thought to be in response to a federal lawsuit....

Adopting your partner’s children is often a big step in your relationship with your new partner, and it can be a big legal step too. Stepdads can adopt in every state, but the laws for adoption in each state are slightly different. Here are the basics on how stepfathers can adopt stepchildren, with particular areas to focus on in your home state: Every state requires that the stepchild to be adopted has the consent of both biological parents....

NASCAR team owner Jack Rousch and friend, Brenda Strickland were injured during a crash landing Tuesday evening at Wittman Airfield in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Rousch, who was piloting his Hawker Beechcraft Jet, has been flying private airplanes for years and was in Wisconsin attending the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Annual AirVenture. Both Jack Rousch and Brenda Strickland, “exited the aircraft following the accident,” according to Fenway Racing President Geoff Smith. “Both were transported to local hospitals, with Roush in serious but stable condition and Strickland with non-life threatening injuries....

The Veterans Affairs Department [VA] provides health care for over 23 million American veterans. According to President Obama, the new measure will ensure more predictable and stable funding and “promotes accountability at the VA[,]ensures oversight by Congress [and is] fiscally responsible by not adding a dime to the deficit…” How will the new bill ensure timely funding? The bill will provide veterans health care funding one year in advance, taking it out of the purview of congressional budget debates....

One has to wonder just how bad the cursing was in the small Massachusetts town of Middleborough to prompt residents to pass an ordinance imposing a $20 swearing fine. The small town of about 20,000 residents is near Plymouth in pilgrim country. It’s perhaps best known for its cranberry bogs. Perhaps it was well known for its potty mouths too? Well, now we’ll never know. At a town meeting earlier this week, residents voted 183-50 to approve a proposal from the police chief to impose the $20 swearing fine, reports MSNBC....

In a far-reaching recommendation, the National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday called on all 50 states to enact across-the-board cell phone bans for drivers – even when going hands-free. The NTSB plan would prohibit all drivers nationwide from texting and making non-emergency cell phone calls from behind the wheel, The New York Times reports. The use of hands-free devices while driving should also be barred, the NTSB says. “No call, no text, no update is worth a human life,” NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman told The Times....

Ohio has put a new DNA law on the books aimed at protecting the innocent from wrongful convictions and putting the real criminals behind bars. Gov. Ted Strickland signed Senate Bill 77 into law, setting new statewide standards requiring DNA samples from to be taken from anyone arrested for a felony, the Columbus Dispatch reports. As previously discussed, James Bain spent more time in prison than any of the 245 inmates previously exonerated by DNA evidence nationwide....

Tuesday, Oprah offered coupons for free KFC grilled chicken meals on her show’s website. Chaos ensued. The website couldn’t handle all the downloads. KFC locations were mobbed. Some refused to honor the coupon. Some simply ran out of grilled chicken. Who was left to deal with irate and hungry customers? KFC franchisees struggling to honor a promotion instigated by KFC central. Criticism of Oprah’s KFC giveaway didn’t come from the seeming hypocrisy of criticizing factory animal farming and then partnering with KFC....

Jesse D. Williams, a long-time smoker, died of lung cancer in 1997. His widow, Mayola Williams, filed a lawsuit against the tobacco company and prevailed in 1999. The Philip Morris lawsuit resulted in an award of $79.5 million in punitive damages. Now, 12 years after a jury found Philip Morris culpable for Williams’ death, the legal battle over damages may finally be over. Philip Morris has long been appealing the damages decision....

A Southwest plane hit a light pole at Denver International Airport earlier this week. The minor Southwest accident did not result in any injuries. But it did lead many to wonder how it happened. The plane was taxiing to its intended gate when it hit the errant light pole. The wing was damaged, and the pole itself collapsed. There were 89 passengers and 5 crew members on board at the time....

We all make mistakes, and some of those mistakes are more permanent than others. If one of your mistakes involved a bad tattoo or a bad tattoo removal, you may be wondering if you have legal recourse against the tattoo artist, the shop, or the clinic that tried to remove the tattoo. So here are a few legal considerations if your ink has you irked: Tattoo lawsuits are nothing new. In fact, they are so prevalent that most tattoo shops have insurance....

Medical malpractice claims tend to be complex legal claims that not only require an attorney have specialized legal knowledge, but which will also likely require the assistance of qualified medical experts. Generally, medical malpractice claim is a type of negligence claim where a plaintiff claims that they suffered an injury as a result of a doctor, hospital, or other medical professional or facility, falling below the usual standard of care for medical treatment....

Singer Elton John’s request to adopt a 14-month old toddler from an orphanage for HIV-infected children in Ukraine has been denied by the country’s minister for family affairs. Ukraine’s Family, Youth, and Sports Minister Yuriy Pavlenko said that Sir Elton John is not eligible due to his age and his non-traditional marriage. Ukranian law requires parents to be no older than 45 years to adopt. And the country does not recognize same-sex unions as a form of marriage....

Although it has been legal since 1973, abortion remains a controversial topic. The states and federal government are constantly pushing boundaries, asking the Supreme Court just how much they can legislate the procedure. The newest of these pushes involves a proposed Ohio abortion law. Nicknamed the “Heartbeat Bill,” the law is set to be discussed in a scheduled committee hearing. During that hearing, Faith2Action, a group that seeks to curtail abortion rights, is presenting legislators with the testimony of two 9-week-old “witnesses....

The first Reno air race lawsuit has been filed from the air race crash that killed 11 people and injured more than 70 in September. A Texas widow has sued for $25 million for the wrongful death of her husband, Craig Salerno, 50. He was one of the hundreds of spectators on hand when a modified vintage plane crashed into the tarmac. Because the plane’s mechanic allegedly modified it in Collins County near Dallas....

Older job hunters – we all know it’s a tough market out there. Even for those who aren’t rookies or recent graduates, there are still certain mistakes that should be avoided, as Forbes points out. The truth is that despite having more experience than younger job seekers, some crucial aspects of job hunting still hold true for older candidates. Here are five specific types of mistakes that older job hunters in particular should avoid:...