Fourth Circuit: No Private Injunctive Relief Under RICO
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently held in Hengle et al. v. Treppa et al., No. 20-1062, that the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act ("RICO") does…
Kicked Off the Land: The Heirs’ Property Problem
This article, featured in the July 2019 edition of the New Yorker magazine and co-published by ProPublica, addresses the “heirs’ property” problem in the Southern United States. “Kicked Off the Land” describes the…
Supreme Court Declares Federal Gun Law Unconstitutionally Vague, Preserving Blue 4th Circuit Victory
In a 5-4 decision in United States v. Davis, the Supreme Court held that 18 U.S.C. 924(c)(3)(B) is unconstitutionally vague. That statute imposes a consecutive, mandatory minimum sentence for a defendant…
Blue Partners Attend Duke Law Bolch Judicial Institute Distinguished Lawyers Conference
Blue LLP partners Dhamian Blue and Dan Blue III recently attended the Duke Law Bolch Judicial Institute’s invitation-only Distinguished Lawyers conference, held in Arlington, Virginia from June 20-21, 2019. About the…
Dual Prosecution by State and Federal Government Remains Permissible
In Gamble v. United States, No. 17-646, the Supreme Court upheld the separate sovereignty exception to the double-jeopardy rule, allowing both the federal and state governments to prosecute the exact same…
Disseminators of Fraudulent Statements Can Be Held Liable Under Rule 10b-5
Most people intuitively know what fraud is. The simplest legal definition is that it is the intentional misrepresentation of a material fact. The common law and several state and federal statutes and…
Prejudice is Presumed When Counsel Disregards Defendant’s Instruction to Appeal
Newly-sentenced defendants (and many attorneys for that matter) often wonder whether to appeal a conviction and sentence, despite having agreed to an appeal waiver during the plea bargaining process. Regardless…