Thursday, June 11, 2026

Omaha Daily Record

Legal News

Appeals Court Sides With Winnebago Tribe Of Nebraska In Repatriation Fight With US Army

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 05/22/2026 - 12:00am

The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska moved a step closer to reclaiming the remains of two boys buried on property owned by the U.S. Army after a federal appellate court overturned an earlier ruling dismissing the tribe's request.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth District ruled last Thursday that protections under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) apply to the tribe's ongoing lawsuit against the Army over the remains of Samuel Gilbert and Edward Hensley, who died at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School more than 125 years ago.

Read more about Appeals Court Sides With Winnebago Tribe Of Nebraska In Repatriation Fight With US Army

Nebraska Passes Version Of ‘Raylee’s Law’ Inspired By WV, Where It Still Divides Lawmakers

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 05/22/2026 - 12:00am

Because of the West Virginia House of Delegate’s rule that lawmakers can’t use props in the chamber, Del. Shawn Fluharty placed a large poster of Raylee Browning — the namesake of Raylee’s Law — outside of the House chamber while lawmakers debated the bill on the final night of the legislative session on Saturday, March 14, 2026.
(Photo by Perry Bennett / West Virginia Legislative Photography)

A high-profile bill known as Raylee’s Law, which West Virginia lawmakers have struggled with for years, has inspired legislation passed by the Nebraska Legislature.

Nebraska has a conservative supermajority, similar to West Virginia’s GOP supermajority. Their Legislature recently passed a bill that will pause a parent’s request to homeschool their child for 14 days if the parent or guardian is under investigation for child abuse and neglect.

Read more about Nebraska Passes Version Of ‘Raylee’s Law’ Inspired By WV, Where It Still Divides Lawmakers

‘Barber Shop’ Bar Changes Name To ‘Censored Shop’ To Avoid State Backlash, But Legal Battle Ensues

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 05/15/2026 - 12:00am

Mike DiGiacomo and Jaclyn Oltmans are two of the siblings, along with brother Dominic DiGiacomo, who own the Barber Shop Blackstone, which is changing its name temporarily. The siblings are shown here in the foyer of the bar decorated as a vintage barber shop.
(Courtesy of Institute for Justice)

OMAHA — A legal setback and potentially “ruinous” state fines have forced a trio of Omaha siblings to at least temporarily rename the family’s “Barber Shop Blackstone,” a speakeasy bar they christened in honor of their longtime hair stylist dad.

Here’s the long and short of it: A state board that oversees the professional barber trade demanded a change, arguing that state law allows only licensed barbers to use the title and display the familiar red, white and blue barber pole.

Read more about ‘Barber Shop’ Bar Changes Name To ‘Censored Shop’ To Avoid State Backlash, But Legal Battle Ensues

Utah Woman Who Published A Book On Grief After Husband’s Death To Be Sentenced For His Murder

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 05/15/2026 - 12:00am

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — A Utah mother who published a children’s book about grief after the death of her husband and was later found guilty of killing him finds out Wednesday how long she will spend in prison.

Kouri Richins was convicted in March of aggravated murder for lacing her husband's cocktail with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl at their home near Park City in 2022.

Read more about Utah Woman Who Published A Book On Grief After Husband’s Death To Be Sentenced For His Murder

Red States Press Social Service Workers Into Immigration Enforcement

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 05/15/2026 - 12:00am

Tennessee Republican leaders unveil their “Immigration 2026” agenda at a news conference in January. Tennessee and other conservative states are mandating that state and local social service providers verify and report the immigration status of the people they serve — in some cases threatening stiff penalties for public employees who fail to comply.
(John Partipilo / Tennessee Lookout)

An increasing number of conservative states are mandating that state and local social service providers verify and report the immigration status of the people they serve — in some cases threatening stiff penalties for public employees who fail to comply.

Under federal law, immigrants who are in the United States illegally are generally barred from receiving public benefits such as nonemergency health care, food aid and housing help, though a handful of left-leaning states use their own money to provide such benefits.

Read more about Red States Press Social Service Workers Into Immigration Enforcement

How AI Can Lead To False Arrests And Wrongful Convictions

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 05/15/2026 - 12:00am

In Baltimore County, Maryland on Oct. 20, 2025, a 17-year-old student named Taki Allen was sitting outside his high school after football practice when an artificial intelligence-enhanced surveillance camera falsely identified the Doritos bag in his pocket as a gun. Within moments police cars arrived, officers drew their weapons and Allen was forced to his knees and handcuffed while they searched him. All they found was a crumpled bag of chips. The AI’s misidentification and the human decisions that followed turned a normal evening into a traumatic confrontation.

Read more about How AI Can Lead To False Arrests And Wrongful Convictions

Prosecutors To Retry Alex Murdaugh In Deaths Of Wife And Son After High Court Overturned Convictions

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 05/15/2026 - 12:00am

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The murder convictions and life sentence of Alex Murdaugh were overturned Wednesday by the South Carolina Supreme Court because the court clerk at his trial suggested he was guilty, but the disgraced lawyer won’t be leaving prison any time soon.

Prosecutors say they plan to retry Murdaugh, which likely means there will be another lengthy trial for the case that because of the combination of money, power, Southern accents and treachery has become a true crime sensation with several streaming miniseries, best selling books and dozens of true crime podcasts.

Read more about Prosecutors To Retry Alex Murdaugh In Deaths Of Wife And Son After High Court Overturned Convictions

DHHS Head Pledges To Be ‘Thoughtful And Careful’ After Lawmakers Balk At Plan To Move In-Custody Teens

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 05/08/2026 - 12:00am

Steve Corsi, CEO of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, speaks to reporters at an open cabinet meeting hosted by Gov. Jim Pillen on April 20.
(Lily Smith / Flatwater Free Press)

When he talks with the boys at Nebraska’s only youth prison, Mike Jackson feels like he’s giving advice to his younger self. And in a way, he is.

Jackson, 56, has been serving a life sentence since the late ’90s. Over a decade ago, he caught Corrections leaders’ attention as a natural mentor to his peers at the state prison in Tecumseh.

Read more about DHHS Head Pledges To Be ‘Thoughtful And Careful’ After Lawmakers Balk At Plan To Move In-Custody Teens

Zach Pluhacek Appointed As New Inspector General Of Nebraska Corrections

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 05/08/2026 - 12:00am

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s new Division of Legislative Oversight announced the appointment of Zach Pluhacek as the new Inspector General of the state’s prison system.

Pluhacek previously worked as a reporter for the Lincoln Journal Star and briefly served as a legislative aide before he joined the Office of Inspector General of the Nebraska Correctional System in late 2020.

Regarding his appointment, Pluhacek emphasized the importance of legislative oversight in maintaining effective and accountable government operations.

Read more about Zach Pluhacek Appointed As New Inspector General Of Nebraska Corrections

How A Legal Challenge Over Gender Dysphoria Became A Fight For Disability Right

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 05/08/2026 - 12:00am

Charlotte Cravins’ son Landry turned 2 in January. He’s a smiley little boy who loves singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and recently got his first pair of glasses.

Landry was born with Down syndrome and has impaired vision. He receives publicly funded therapies that have helped him learn to crawl, to pull himself up to stand, and to use American Sign Language.

Read more about How A Legal Challenge Over Gender Dysphoria Became A Fight For Disability Right

Omaha Daily Record

The Daily Record
222 South 72nd Street, Suite 302
Omaha, Nebraska
68114
United States

Tele (402) 345-1303
Fax (402) 345-2351