Justin Bieber can’t seem to stop getting into legal trouble whether in the U.S. or abroad. Bieber now has to show his face in an Argentinean court to provide answers to some assault allegation, or face arrest. Now Interpol has gotten involved, and it seems like Bieber is caught in an interesting Catch-22.

The case started on November 9, 2013, when Bieber was partying in a nightclub in Buenos Aires called “Ink.” A paparazzo named Diego Pesoa was there and attempted to take pictures of the singer. Bieber’s bodyguards were not having that, and apparently chased and beat Pesoa, who is now claiming that his injuries were bad enough to require hospital attention. Bieber is being accused of sending the body guards to go beat Pesoa up.

Bieber has obviously since left Argentina, but the Argentinean courts are demanding that he provide information about what happened. Now, an investigative judge, Magistrate Facundo Cubas, has demanded that Bieber provide a statement about what happened, although no charges have been filed yet.

Bieber now has 60 days to return to Argentina and give his testimony. Interpol, the Argentinean branch of the international police force, is tasked with locating Bieber and notifying him of Cubas’s request.

This creates a weird choice for the singer though–if he does choose to go back and give his testimony, and it results in charges being filed against him,  and he is found guilty, he could spend up to a year in prison. If he doesn’t show up, an international arrest warrant will be issued.

This is by no means the first brush with the law for Bieber, nor is my money on it being the last. Consider the time that he was deposed as a result of a battery suit brought against him by a photographer. Said deposition led to one of the most spectacularly asshole-like performances of all time, chronicled in this excellent mashup video created by TMZ:

I have to say, my favorite part is right at the beginning when he pretends to not know what Australia is, but he also calls the lawyer deposing him “Katie Couric,” which is pretty good. He also appears to mix up the words “instrumental” and “detrimental.”

There was also a case earlier this year when a neighbor in Calabasas, California accused Bieber of egging their house. The neighbor claimed that the incident led to damage to the house to the tune of thousands of dollars. Bieber ending up pleading no contest to the charge of misdemeanor vandalism, and was put on probation, ordered to pay restitution, do community service, and go to an anger management course. He has also been caught drinking while driving, and plead guilty to a DUI.

Overall, Bieber is pretty much the living embodiment of what can happen when a young person gets way too rich way too young and never really has to deal with any consequences of their actions. Hopefully this Argentinean suit, as unlikely as it may be, will provide some real consequences for the singer.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Where in the World is Justin Bieber? His Legal Troubles Continue appeared first on Law Street.

As you may very well know, citizens of the United Sates can form and sign petitions on the White House Website. If a petition reaches 100,000 signatures in 30 days, the White House has to respond, though they sometimes respond to petitions with fewer signatures. For example, earlier this summer, a new petition went up asking the White House to change the name of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to the Tim Howard National Airport, in honor of Howard’s great performance as goalie for the United States Men’s Soccer team. This got me thinking, what are the wackiest, craziest, coolest, and dumbest White House petitions ever received? Well, here are my ten “favorites” (besides the Tim Howard one). This list includes a couple classics that you may of heard of before and some newer ones that you most likely have not. Enjoy!

[wooslider autoslide=”false” slide_page=”we-the-people-top-10-weirdest-white-house-petitions” slider_type=”slides” limit=”10″ thumbnails=”default” order=”DESC” order_by=”date”]

Matt DeWilde

Matt DeWilde is a member of the American University class of 2016 majoring in politics and considering going to law school. He loves writing about politics, reading, watching Netflix, and long walks on the beach. Contact Matt at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post We the People: Top 10 Weirdest White House Petitions appeared first on Law Street.

This week I’m beginning to lose faith in my fellow Americans. Between New York mother Janelle Ambrosia verbally harassing a black man and the release of not one but two videos of Justin Bieber making n***** jokes, I literally can’t even.

Why are these instances related? Because both Ambrosia and Bieber are setting examples for young, moldable minds. Even worse, when given the opportunity to apologize, Ambrosia refused and tried to use bipolar disorder as a scapegoat. On the other hand, Bieber said he had to take responsibility for his actions, and seemed to show remorse for his four- and five-year old mistakes.

* [This video contains vulgar language, definitely NSFW]

Though Buzzfeed recently classified Justin Bieber as my “arch nemesis,” I must say I was glad to see a remorseful reaction out of the celeb. Bieber and his manager, Scooter Braun, both posted images to Instagram conveying messages of forgiveness for grave mistakes. In an interview with The Hollywood Report, Bieber made an important point:

“I just hope that the next kid that age who doesn’t understand the power of these words does not make the same mistake I once made years ago.”

By no means are Bieber’s words forgivable or justifiable. But he makes a point that Ambrosia could stand to learn from. While the mother of two relentlessly screamed at the man, self-identified as Narvel, she set the example for her children that calling a black person the n-word is acceptable. Ambrosia received a wide array of backlash on Twitter:

@JaneAmby You say you’re apologizing now, but we all know you’re going to do it again. Great way to set an example for your kids. -_-

— Bradley James (@bradleysgfx) June 4, 2014

The mother of the year award goes to..*drum roll* @JaneAmby

— Matt (@akaMattikins) June 6, 2014

No room for hate

This is the 21st century people! How is it possible that someone can so blatantly charge at someone, hurling insults and threats, solely based on the color of his skin? Here at Law Street, we do not let this behavior slide; we called out One Direction’s media gaffe as well. But I digress. In my opinion, Ambrosia committed three terrible blunders:

1. Using filthy, racist language in front of her children.
2. Refusing to apologize for her unwarranted verbal attack.
3. Blaming the situation on mental health.

I could go on about racism, but the bottom line is that in this day and age, racism is simply unacceptable. I will never acknowledge stereotypes as accurate or valid descriptions of certain people. Each person is individually characterized by his or her upbringing and personal experiences, nothing else. The worst part of Ambrosia’s and Bieber’s public displays of racism are the children who look up to them, who will think n***** is an acceptable word to use, and who may keep racism alive.

I could not stop thinking about Ambrosia’s attack on Narvel after watching the video for the first time. Needless to say, I watched the video at least ten more times and each time my blood boiled. Then she had the nerve to blame this entire situation on bipolar disorder. With mental health being such a hot topic right now, I think Ambrosia just dug herself a deeper hole. Mental illness is not to be taken lightly, nor does it make her any less guilty.

I hope Ambrosia takes a page out of Bieber’s book. Whether he was sincere or not, we will never know. As for Ambrosia’s children, when they are older and can understand the backlash their mother received, let it be a lesson: racism is not to be taken lightly. There is a difference between self-protection and blatant hatefulness. And honestly, it takes more energy to hate someone than it does to keep walking.

So let us be reminded:

“If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

—

Natasha Paulmeno (@natashapaulmeno)

Image courtesy of [Daniel Ogren via Flickr]

Natasha Paulmeno

Natasha Paulmeno is an aspiring PR professional studying at the University of Maryland. She is learning to speak Spanish fluently through travel, music, and school. In her spare time she enjoys Bachata music, playing with her dog, and exploring social media trends. Contact Natasha at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Racism Is Still Alive, Folks appeared first on Law Street.