What is obstruction of business?
Interfering with another persons business. You may of heard the term obstruction of justice, it is the same idea, which is keeping the police from completing an investigation, such as hiding a witness or threatening them not to testify or otherwise making it harder for the police to do their job. The same concept is true in business. If you have a competitor and go out of your way to make it more difficult for them to transact business, such as disrupt their supply chain, interfere with their contracts or business negotiations you may be obstructing that business making it harder for them to transact their daily business. What is obstructing? it is anything that makes it harder for them to do business only because of what you allegedly did. This can take on any number of forms and is almost limitless. You should get the general idea though, I hope this helps. Black's Law Dictionary will define the actual legal meaning of the word should you require a more precise definition.
Is this Obstruction of Official Duty???
If the situation took place in the manner you related it, no. You didn't make contact with them on the scene, you didn't prevent them from conducting their official duties, or interfere in their progress. You never exited your vehicle. I would obtain a copy of your states Penal Code and do some quick research on what constitutes Obstruction in your state. Then I would go to court and cite the P.C. I would also inform the court if you personally know either of these two officers or have had negative contact with them in any way. Inform the court the time you made the notification. Obtain (if possible) a copy of the blotter, noting incoming reports from citizens. What I think happened, for what it's worth.... they may have felt you were checking up on them, not believing they repsonded in a timely manner. The judge may view it as being out of protocal. If I were you I'd claim they acted under color of authority, harassing you without cause. And then have the case dismissed. You may also want to consider filing a civil complaint against the officer issuing the citation after, and IF the citation is dismissed.
Is refusing to answer a police officer’s questions obstruction of justice?
I used to be confused when I watched television shows and the police and/or lawyers informed the people that they were questioning that if they refused to answer, they would be charged with obstruction of justice. They simply had pulled these poor people down to the police station, with no subpoena or anything, and now they were threatening to charge them with a crime which had no relevance to the situation at all.Then I said to myself, self, you are a moron. You are expecting television to be like reality. Thus ended my confusion. However, I do consider this repeated concept harmful. People believe all sorts of things because of television, and that includes that they are required to cooperate with the police.If you decide to answer questions and you lie, that can be obstruction of justice. If you are subpoenaed and you refuse to answer questions, you can be held in contempt (barring a legitimate basis to refuse to answer).Simply refusing to talk to the police, however, is not, in and of itself, obstruction of justice. In fact, it is your right under our Constitution. There are some exceptions. For example, in some states, you are are required to identify yourself when asked. But that is only in some states, and you are not required to cooperate in an investigation generally speaking, once you provide the required information.Don’t misunderstand. I think if you are a witness to a crime, you should cooperate with the police. But barring some specialized requirement to speak with them, refusing to do so is not a crime.
Is it illegal to lie to a cop during a traffic stop?
NO. It is not illegal to lie to a police officer. If the officer finds out that you have lied to him/her, then, depending on circumstances, they can charge you with the mystical, magical, obstruction of justice charge. BTW, the police CAN lie to you if they want. They are allowed to use trickery against you. Say nothing and you will be happy for it.In my humble opinion, obstruction of justice is a BS charge that is difficult to “disprove”. Even in America where you are “innocent” until proven guilty, it is a tough march off the cliff.That’s why it is far better off to say nothing to the officer. When you are pulled over, provide whatever requisite paperwork you need to and then remain quiet.Most officers will tell you why they pulled you over. Be polite. If you don’t agree, take the issue to court. Don’t try and settle it on the street because you will lose.Let me recap: Be polite, don’t say anything at all. Don’t give the police a reason to be nervous.Good Luck!Update: Street (not federal) definition of obstruction of justice: a broad crime that encompasses many types of behavior law enforcement finds disagreeable, including: Resisting arrest. Disobeying any orders from a police officer. Interfering with, or hindering, police investigation or duties.
How does the Trump administration justify Ivanka Trump's use of a private email server given that his campaign ran on stark criticism of Hillary Clinton for the same thing?
Simple answer: There is nothing wrong with Ivanka using Private Emails#1 Ivanka is not a member of Trump’s Cabinet or a Government Employee#2 Ivanka has not stored classified materials on her private emailsThe problem with Crooked Hillary was that:-She stored and communicated Secret, Top Secret and Special Access Program documents on her private and unsecured server (Gross Negligence)She lied to the FBI claiming that she did not do the above and that she used only one device for emails when she used 13 (Perjury)She deleted and bleached tens of thousands of emails subpoenaed as evidence after receiving the subpoena (Obstruction of Justice and Contempt)She destroyed smart phones and storage cards subpoenaed after receiving the subpoena (Obstruction of Justice and Contempt)There is no equivalency here.
As a Trump loyalist, in what way does Ivanka Trump’s use of an unsecured email concern you?
Lock her up!Put her in the same cell as Hillary, and let them play canasta all day. Then maybe some of the incessant, ridiculous complaining about both will abate and we can find more important things to discuss.Think about it. We’ve had massive hacks of the State Department, the Office of Personnel Management, the Pentagon, eBay, JP Morgan Chase, Equifax (all of our credit records), Yahoo, Amazon, you name it. A few years back, I was informed that my University of Texas student records from the early ‘70’s had been illegally accessed. So, let’s face it — ain’t nothing we say guaranteed to stay confidential in the Age of the Internet. It is highly unlikely that anything that might have been taken from Hillary or Ivanka is likely to do us any measurable additional harm.