Just Blogging

Warren Redlich asked:




Traffic court in Virginia is generally held in the General District Court. Some of the more serious offenses, like a felony DUI, might be handled in a Circuit Court, but most cases are in the district courts. In most of the state, each county and city have their own district court and circuit court, though there are some exceptions.

Speeding tickets in Virginia can carry hefty penalties. Going 81 miles per hour in most states means a fine of between $100 and $400 or so. Not here. If the speed is 20 or more over the limit, or over 80 anywhere, the fine is up to $2500, and it’s considered reckless driving in Virginia Traffic Court. That makes it a crime, not just a violation. It carries 6 points and stays on your record for a long, long time. On top of that, in 2007 the VA legislature added a new surcharge throwing another $1000 onto the costs - and that’s mandatory. This was repealed in 2008 but when the next budget crunch comes, it could return.

And that’s not all. In theory at least you can get jail time. It’s not likely, but the maximum sentence is a year. And your right to drive can be suspended too. Then there’s the impact on your insurance rates. And even for lower speeds, the maximum fine is $500.

Traffic courts in VA also handle DUI cases. The fines can be high, up to $2500 for a first offense, though it is typically well below $1000. Jail time is also possible, but still rare for minor first-time offenders. And the guilty drunk driver loses driving privileges for a year, though it is possible to get a restricted license to drive to and from work. In more serious cases such as a high blood-alcohol content, an accident, or a repeat offender, jail time becomes more likely, the fines go up, and other consequences are more severe as well.

With such serious consequences, it’s not a bad idea to consult with a lawyer before going to traffic court in Virginia.

Joe Hunley asked:




I, for one, was really happy about the Supreme Court’s decision regarding “Heller vs DC”. For once—the Anti-Gun crowd has taken a hit, in their claim that the 2nd Amendment wording “Right of The People”, does not in fact mean “The People–Citizens–Just Me and You”. The Supreme Court has determined otherwise. Not only was this a “Blackeye” for the Anti-Gun crowd, but also a reason of celebration for the Pro-Gun crowd, and indeed, a lot of us did celebrate! However–Let’s look at this “Victory” very carefully!

The Justices determined that the wording, did indeed refer to the people, giving the people the “Right to keep and bear arms”. A more in depth reading of the decision, clarifies the true judgment of the Justices.

1. “…violate the Second Amendment Right of individuals…”
THE COURT RULED TODAY THAT THE SECOND AMENDMENT IS AN INDIVIDUAL RIGHT, AND THE BAN VIOLATED IT.

2. “…who are not affiliated with any state-regulated militia…”
THE COURT RULED TODAY THAT MILITIA STATUS IS IMMATERIAL.

3. “…handguns and other firearms…”
THE COURT RULED TODAY THAT HANDGUNS ARE INCLUDED, THOUGH SOME ROOM WAS LEFT FOR VERY NARROW TYPES OF GUN BANS

4. “…for private use in their homes.”
THE RULING TODAY WAS LIMITED TO “IN THE HOME” AS THAT WAS ALL THAT WAS IN FRONT OF THE COURT

This is definitely a victory in our quest for the True wording of the Second Amendment—But the True Battle has just started. San Francisco and Chicago are the first targets of the NRA and Pro-Gun groups. The decision of the Supreme Court will be the focal point of these lawsuits, and you can be certain, that the lawyers for these cities will have one thing on their mind—The Supreme Court ruling Did Not eliminate the power of the States to pass “Reasonable” laws to protect their citizens. What is “Reasonable”? That makes a good question for a Second “Supreme Court Decision”.

The fact is–There will be numerous “Reasonable” laws passed, ( Or shall we say Reasonable Infringements ), by numerous Cities and States, using the LOOPHOLE, that the Supreme Court Ruling has provided ( See Numbers–3 and 4 ). This is the upcoming battle, Not a challenge of the Justices decision—-a Challenge of what the Justices Did Not Decide.

Lisbeth McCarty asked:




I had appeared in court for several years as an attorney before I was ever actually one of the parties in a lawsuit. I always “dressed for success,” wearing the de riguer dark skirted suit with a beige blouse or some variation thereof, with my hair slicked back in a bun. All I had to do was look around to see that this was what was expeted of a woman attorney, as far as attire goes.

I never gave the slightest thought to the clothes being worn by the people I represented. This was mainly for a good reason — I was concentrating on the legal issues of the case at hand. Sometimes, though, I would be so involved in the law that I forgot about the actual people I was representing.

After a few years of practice, however, my marriage disintegrated and I was one of the parties in a divorce. This event, of course, was extremely stressful, but being on the non-lawyer side of the bar also caused me to think about “going-to-court” clothes.

A suit seemed too drastic — too lawyerly. Jeans or a throw-on dress was definitely too casual. I finally settled on what I can define only as a “church” outfit, a simple skirt and blouse which would be jsut as appropriate for Sunday school as it was for court.

I noticed that my lawyer never mentioned clothing to me in any way. I realized that if the lawyer had, I’d have that stress out of the way. Instead, I had to figure it out all on my own.

I began to think about some of my clients, who were not well-educated and probably did not have a wide selection of clothing from which to choose. I learned that my client’s stress may be eased if we discuss proper court attire for a plaintiff/defendant.

Since that time, I have let my clients know that they should dress nicely for court, further describing the clothing as “church” wear. These clients have thanked me for informing them about how to appear in court.

If my clients do not have and cannot afford such attire, I even loan them some of my clothes or take them shopping. This has had a tremendous effect on my clients, and some of them had told me that this helps them tremendously, as they now no longer worry about “looking stupid” in court.

In conclusion, if you are about to attend a court hearing, even though you are not there as part of a fashion show or to be criticized in any way for your apparel, clothes really do make the man. Or the woman.

David M Siegel asked:




While is true that a change in the ability of a recipient of maintenance to support herself could constitute a substantial change in circumstances, the court record indicated that the husband failed to present evidence of a change in the wife’s ability to support herself and the court found that the husband failed to meet his burden of showing a substantial change in circumstances. Without a substantial change in circumstances, the order remains in full force and effect.

In another case, however, the court found differently. In that case, the woman had become employed. The court record supported the trial court’s determination that she remained unable to adequately support herself through her employment and that no substantial change of circumstances had occurred for her financially. Thus, she continued to receive the support from her ex-spouse.

The court will often look at the income and expenses of the parties to see if a change has occurred. If the change is minor, the court will not likely amend the support order. For example, in another case, neither husband nor wife demonstrated a material or substantial change in their relative positions. Thus, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to modify the original maintenance award.

When you are considering going back to court to change a support order, keep this in mind; there is a great expense in petitioning the court. Cases are not often resolved in one appearance. Thus, make sure that you truly have a change in circumstances prior to involving the post-decree courts.

Alison Yates asked:




The tarot consists of 78 cards of which 16 are court cards (similar to face cards in a normal playing card deck).

A tarot court card can disclose much in a tarot reading and has messages to be revealed for the recipient.

There are 4 Court Cards for each suit - King, Queen, Knight, and Page (sometimes the names differ in different tarot decks and can be known as King, Queen, Prince and Princess.)

The revealing of a court card in a tarot reading can be confusing at first. It can be quite difficult and challenging for the tarot reader to interpret the meanings of court cards, and it takes some skill to get to grips with the several different interpretations.

The challenge exists for tarot readers in interpreting the court cards because, in your tarot reading, the Kings, Queens, Knights, and Pages can represent:

* actual people in your life,

* events — past or predicted, or

* aspects of a your personality revealed to you.

Court Cards as representative of actual people you know

Court cards can often represent someone who is of significance in your life. Parents, spouses, bosses, lovers, potential partners, and friends, all can sometimes be recognised within the court cards.

Each of the court cards can indicate the age, sex, character and even eye and hair colouring of a real person.

The Page of Wands for example can represent a child of either *** or someone who perhaps behaves like a child. The colouring of the child would be brown hair with blue or hazel eyes. Another example is that of the Knight of Pentacles, which indicates a man less than 35 years of age. The physical characteristics of the man would be brown hair with brown or dark eyes.

Court Cards as representative of an event or situation

The court cards can often indicate an event in your life. For example, the Page of any suit represents an invitation, gift or opportunity related to their specific suit. So if the Page of Cups comes up it can mean a new love, engagement ring or even the birth of a baby as the suit of Cups relates to love.

Knights often show movement in your life. So if the Knight of Swords shows up it could mean a new course of study to undertake, as the suit of Swords relates to the mind.

When Queens show up in a tarot reading they signify a time of growth and development, a time when you are taking practical steps to get the results you want.

When Kings appear in a spread it can show the motivation or inspiration to begin something. Making plans, coming up with ideas and thinking about the future.

Court Cards as representative of an aspect of your personality

Court cards in a tarot deck most often describe a certain type of person. The Queen of Wands is passionate, warm and outgoing while the Queen of Swords can be sharp, brittle and aggressive. The King of Cups is a sensitive, caring soul trusting his intuition, whereas the King of Swords is very analytical and logical, relying on hard evidence rather than gut feelings.

When a Court Card appears in a tarot reading you are doing for yourself, it may be indicating one of your personality traits or qualities that you need to be aware of. Similarly, if you are giving a tarot reading for a client, it can show some aspect of their personality they need to perhaps subdue or develop.

Bear in mind that there is no definitive right or wrong way to interpret the meanings of court cards in tarot readings. Remember the above possibilities, but listen to your intuition for guidance when doing a tarot reading.

Jeremy Kelsall asked:




Have you ever tried to access criminal court records? If you have I am sure that by the end of the process you were nothing short of ripping the hair out of your head. This is because there really is no clear cut way to complete the process and get a copy of someones criminal history.

The things that people usually try and fail at when trying to access criminal history records are things like searching through search engines or trying to find information on different information blogs and even public investigation forums.

While search engines are useful for many things, accessing public records is not one of them. Lets say that you go to Google to try to look up someones criminal past and you enter there name into the search box and away you go. Normally, over a million results are returned which would essentially mean that you will have to be planted to your chair for the next year to get an accurate criminal background check on someone. Those result of getting a complete and accurate records report is assuming that you read every word on every page. If you don’t it is very likely that you might miss a piece of important information.

When trying to get arrest records and the such via information blogs and investigation forums you are almost always approached by some helpful forum member who is more than willing to part you with about five hundred bucks to do an investigation report on someones criminal history for you. Basically, this boils down to you getting ripped off.

There are several sites online which can give you access to criminal court records in a matter of a minute and the only effort that it takes on your part is to enter the persons name into a search box and kick back and wait for the results. When trying to get something like a criminal background check I always recommend these types of sites because the results are not only fast but, I have found them to be accurate and complete.

Andrew Bicknell asked:




Doing a Texas court records search the old fashioned way can be an overwhelming task. In the past you would have had to request by filling out the required paper work and submitting it to those court jurisdictions where the person in question may have made a court appearance. Considering there are 254 counties in the state of Texas each with its own courthouse you can see why these types of record searches used to take a lot of time. And when you factor in all the state and federal courts it gets even harder.

Upon putting in a request for court records to be pulled an employee of the court known as a court retriever would begin the search. It normally takes them around 72 hours to find the pertinent records, if they exist. This can be quite frustrating and is not a good use of time or energy.

Many times those who wished to do a criminal records background check would hire a private investigator. They know the ins and outs of conducting records searches and can use the system to their advantage. Unfortunately there is a price to be paid for this type of service which can be more then the average person can afford.

With the advent of the internet and websites that specialize in background checks in the state of Texas this is no longer the case. You can now access and search court records state wide from federal, state, county, and city criminal databases right on your own computer at a fraction of the cost of hiring a private investigator. In fact many PI\’s are probably using these same resources.

This new found ability to run background checks quickly and easily is a great boon for just about everyone. Small businesses and individuals can look up and do criminal record checks on prospective new employees, check up on their child\’s daycare provider, see if that online dating prospect is who they really say they are, and do a check against just about anyone they are in daily contact with.

You also do not have to worry about leaving a traceable trail when using one of these online records services. You will remain completely anonymous when you do a search query on an individual. The only time you would need to reveal the outcome of your records search is when you need to reveal the truth you have found, if need be.

Jeffrey Broobin asked:




Divorce attorneys and their clients often use the same tall tales to ignoring court orders. One excuse is the other party also did it or the court’s order was based on inaccurate information. These excuses rarely work.

One of the most common excuses is He or she started it! It works as well as any silly nonsense does, it does not work at all. To say someone else is disobeying the law does not help you in your excuse for disobeying the court. We are all responsible for our own actions.

If you state the court order was wrong or unfair because of some mistake or a lie, is also worthless. If the court made a mistake there are avenues to address it, and the court can be asked to reconsider it. Only a court has the ability to change the court order. Until the court changes the order you are bound by the current order and it will be strictly observed. If the court order is violated as bad as things seemed to be will only get worse.

A man was back in court because his wife said he had not paid is child support that he was ordered to pay. His attorney as well as himself stated he had not paid the child support because his ex wife had lied about her expenses and he felt he had a right to hold back payments because she had lied. He had not asked the court to review the case but made his own decision not based on the law but his anger that was unsupported by the court. By the time he came before the judge he was deeply in debt with back support.

As it turned out the man was wrong about the expenses but even if he was right he was wrong, and as a result he violated the court order and caused more hardship for himself.

He was forced to pay back support plus interest and to make things worse he had to pay his entire wife’s legal expenses, which included airfare to come to court and an extra 3,000.

There are only two legal excuses for not obeying a court order: Either the party didn’t know about it or it was not possible to obey. Not inconvenient, impossible, or difficult!

If you have any other reasons for disobeying the court, it will be a costly unpleasant mistake.

Alexander Sutton asked:




Choosing the best security cameras for your home should not have to be a difficult task. If you keep in mind the things that matter most to you, that will ensure you get the right security cameras for your needs the first time. Determining what part of the home you wish to view is the first step.

There are so many areas to your home, it can become expensive getting enough cameras needed to view them all. With a few carefully placed cameras with a wide lens to capture those key areas, you save on money and worry. You can also keep in mind that some security cameras might be mounted outside of your home and need to be weatherproof, especially in areas where the weather changes more often than not.

Some surveillance systems might require holes to not only mount to your home but transmit video to your recording device, but this is avoidable using wireless security cameras. If the things you are concerned about are indoor, then look into the various security cameras available to not only use inside but to also look like household items.

Wireless cameras can be made from a variety of items, including clocks, radios, lamps, packs of cigarettes and almost anything you can think of to keep your possessions safe. For those areas where there is barely any light in the room but you still want to capture any movement, there are cameras with night vision so you don’t miss a moment. Hopefully with these options in your knowledge, you can find the right products for you.

Martin Underwood asked:




Good home security need not cost you a fortune. These inexpensive home security tips will go a long way to help keep your home, and family, secure.

1) Lock up when you go out. Yes, it is simple, so simple that folks forget to do it. A staggering amount of burglaries are carried out by the thief simply walking in an unlocked door or climbing through an unlocked window.

Undoubtedly you lock up when you leave your home to commute to work, but how about when you make a quick trip to the store? You would be amazed how quickly a thief can be in and out of your home. Lock up each time you go out, that’s so inexpensive it cost nothing at all.

2) Join your local Neighborhood Watch. There is not a better way to improve your home security. Your neighbor looks out for you, you look out for your neighbor. It’s effective and very, very inexpensive.

3) Wooden double hung windows are often only fitted with a latch that keeps the two halves together. These latches are easily defeated by the burglar. Fitting window locks will make your windows far more secure, or for an inexpensive alternative use window pins.

4) If you have an older sliding glass door investigate the possibility of fitting an up to date secure patio door lock. However, older sliding glass doors can be made more secure by low cost methods.

Some older patio doors can be simply lifted off their track by a burglar. Fit two screws into the channel above the opening door with the heads protruding just enough to stop the door being lifted, but still allowing the door to slide.

5) Don’t be tempted to hide a spare key someplace outside. You may think that yours is a unique hiding place but burglars know all the places to look and they will find it. Instead give a spare key to a neighbor that you can trust.

6) Many thieves only steal items that are easy to carry away such as cash, small electrical goods, laptop computer, jewelry etc. Make sure that you don’t keep such items where they could easily be seen by a burglar looking in your window.

7) When you leave your home empty after dark, leave a light or two on and a radio playing. Light timers are inexpensive and can be set to a random pattern to give the impression of someone being at home.

Keep all bushes and shrubs around your home trimmed right down so as to prevent giving cover to an intruder. Also, it will pay you to keep up your home’s appearance well maintained, this need not cost much and could lessen the chance of your home being picked as a target by a burglar. A well cared for home looks like the owner will also have good home security.

9) Keep your garage door locked even when your car is not in the garage. If there is a door that leads through into your house from your garage, then this should be kept locked and be as secure as your front door.

10) Many external doors are fitted with glass panels and that presents a home security risk. Consider replacing the panes with laminated glass or use window security film to protect the glass.

And an extra inexpensive home security tip.

Don’t leave ladders unsecured in your garden, lock them away (and chain them up if possible) otherwise a burglar will make use of them to enter your home. The same goes for any other kind of tools. A spade, for example, could be used like a jimmy to force open a window or door. Don’t let a burglar use your own tools to break into your home, lock your tools away in a shed with good quality locks.