Recent Updates
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Summary of Supreme Court actions Wednesday
Headline News 04/02/2009_ Ruled for employers who want to force unionized workers to pursue their age discrimination claims through arbitration instead of a federal lawsuit. The court, in a 5-4 decision, said an arbitration agreement negotiated between an employer and a uni...
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Coleman won't rule out appeal if loses Senate case
Headline News 03/26/2009Republican Norm Coleman, trying to regain his U.S. Senate seat, visited the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday and didn't rule out an appeal if a Minnesota court rules against him in his recount battle against Democrat Al Franken. One of Minnesota's two Senate ...
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Philadelphia law firm disbands, citing economy
Headline News 03/23/2009A major Philadelphia law firm founded in 1903 is disbanding, citing the economic crisis. WolfBlock LLP has more than 300 lawyers. The firm announced Monday that the partners have voted to shut down, but not immediately. They plan to keep operating fo...
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Supreme Court narrows minority district protections
Headline News 03/09/2009The Supreme Court ruled Monday that electoral districts must have a majority of African-Americans or other minorities to be protected by a provision of the Voting Rights Act.The 5-4 decision, with the court's conservatives in the majority, could make...
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Clark County District Court going paperless
Headline News 02/17/2009Clark County District Court plans to stop keeping paper documents in civil cases, instead scanning them and processing them electronically. The plan is expected to eventually extend to criminal cases as part of a plan to make the court more accessibl...
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2 Pa. judges sued in kickback scheme
Headline News 02/13/2009A lawsuit has been filed against two Pennsylvania judges accused of taking more than $2 million in kickbacks to send youth offenders to privately run detention centers. The suit names Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan and 14 o...
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Court weighs contempt motion in Calif. prison case
Headline News 02/13/2009A federal appeals court on Thursday began considering whether Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger can be held in contempt for refusing to release money to improve inmate health care, testing the limits of federal intrusion into states' control of their prison...
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Computer virus shuts down Houston's municipal courts
Headline News 02/11/2009A virus is playing havoc with the municipal court operations in Houston.The court system had to close down Friday afternoon after a computer virus affected access to data on court cases. Courtroom operations aren't expected to be back in business bef...
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Louisiana lawyer suspended, could be disbarred
Headline News 02/09/2009A veteran Baton Rouge lawyer has been suspended indefinitely by the Louisiana Supreme Court for alleged misconduct and now faces disbarment. Donald Ray Smith began practicing law in Louisiana in 1976. He's now accused of practicing law without a lice...
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Court to consider how long lawyer request lasts
Headline News 01/26/2009The Supreme Court has agreed to clarify how long a suspected criminal's request for a lawyer during police interrogation should be valid. The high court on Monday said it will consider allowing prosecutors in Maryland to use a confession from convict...
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Judge delays Internet streaming of court hearing
Headline News 01/22/2009A judge has postponed a hearing that would have been the first in federal court in Massachusetts to be streamed online. Judge Nancy Gertner postponed oral arguments set for Thursday in the copyright infringement lawsuit that pits a Boston University ...
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Federal judge indicted on additional sex charges
Headline News 01/07/2009U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent, the first federal jurist indicted on sex crimes, is now facing more serious charges.Kent was set to be arraigned Wednesday, a day after a federal grand jury in Houston added three new charges to the indictment it issu...