Prominent in the news this week was the report of a Washington D.C. man who accidentally crashed a drone on the White House lawn, after losing control of the device outside his apartment window. (See a recent news article on the crash here from the New York Times.)
And just last week, a drone loaded with methamphetamine crashed in a supermarket parking lot in Tijuana, Mexico (news coverage from the Washington Post available here). The U.S. use of drone strikes overseas in Yemen has also been a recent news item (article here from Reuters).
These stories highlight the many legal issues regarding the use of unmanned drone craft, both in the civilian and military context. From FAA regulation to privacy issues, to use by law enforcement and potential use by private companies (such as Amazon), the drone legal "airspace" has numerous obstacles to navigate.
For law students or faculty looking for a brief introduction to the legal issues surrounding drone use, CALI recently released a lesson, Drones: Unmanned Aircraft Systems, authored by Wendy Davis of the University of Massachusetts School of Law at Dartmouth. The lesson, which is estimated to take 45-60 minutes to complete, explores the legal aspects of drones in both military and civilian settings. (Consider it a "crash" course in drone law!)
If you haven't yet signed up for a CALI account, please contact one of the law librarians to receive the CALI authentication code for the USD School of Law.
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