Recent Updates
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High court rules for prison victim of sex assault
Lawyer Blogs 01/24/2011The Supreme Court has reinstated a $625,000 judgment against Ohio prison officials who did nothing to prevent a guard's sexual assault of an inmate and then punished the victim.The justices unanimously agreed Monday that a federal appeals court was w...
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Wal-Mart vs. Civil War site: battle heads to court
Lawyer Blogs 01/23/2011Nearly 150 years after Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant fought in northern Virginia, a conflict over the battlefield is taking shape in a courtroom.The dispute involves whether a Walmart should be built near the Civil War site, and the case pits pr...
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Pa. school district sued over truancy fines
Lawyer Blogs 01/21/2011A federal lawsuit accuses a Pennsylvania school district of imposing excessive and illegal fines on truant children or their families, including one parent ordered to pay $27,000 and a 17-year-old student fined more than $12,000.The suit against the ...
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Court rejects appeal over DC gay marriage law
Lawyer Blogs 01/18/2011The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from opponents of same-sex marriage who want to overturn the District of Columbia's gay marriage law.The court did not comment Tuesday in turning away a challenge from a Maryland pastor and others who are tryi...
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Court to issue ruling on Berlusconi's immunity law
Lawyer Blogs 01/17/2011Judges of a top Italian court began deliberating Thursday on whether to uphold a law shielding Premier Silvio Berlusconi from two trials in Milan.The Constitutional Court must decide if the legislation complies with the constitution, including the pr...
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NJ Supreme Court Justice limits protest
Lawyer Blogs 01/13/2011A New Jersey Supreme Court justice who refused to participate in all decisions while a temporary judge is assigned to the bench has tempered his protest.Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto said in an opinion published Wednesday that he will issue decisions i...
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Court denies bail for imprisoned ex-Ill. Gov. Ryan
Lawyer Blogs 01/10/2011A federal appeals court in Chicago has denied imprisoned former Illinois Gov. George Ryan's request to be freed on bail so he can spend more time with his terminally ill wife. The court on Monday rejected the emergency motion filed by Ryan's attorney...
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Court upholds dismissal of wrongful-arrest lawsuit
Lawyer Blogs 01/10/2011A U.S. appeals court has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed against the city of Waverly and a Waverly police officer. According to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, two sisters, Maxine Veatch and Chris Price, say the Bartels Lutheran Retirement ...
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Appeals Court judge lobbies for high court spot
Lawyer Blogs 01/09/2011Appeals Court Judge Jane Markey of Grand Rapids says Gov. Rick Snyder should name her to the Michigan Supreme Court because she'd bring a west Michigan perspective. Snyder could name a replacement as early as Monday for Justice Maura Corrigan, who st...
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Jailed ex-Ill. gov. asks to visit gravely ill wife
Lawyer Blogs 01/06/2011Family members of imprisoned former Illinois Gov. George Ryan have gathered at the hospital bedside of his gravely ill wife while waiting for a federal appeals court to decide whether he should be allowed to join them.Ryan's attorneys filed an emerge...
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Court upholds searches of text messages in drug arrests
Lawyer Blogs 01/05/2011The California Supreme Court ruled in San Francisco on Monday that police are entitled to search text messages on the cell phones of arrestees without obtaining a warrant.The court, ruling in a Ventura County case, said by a 5-2 vote that warrantless...
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Court blocks EPA plan to take over permits
Lawyer Blogs 01/05/2011A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked the Environmental Protection Agency from taking over greenhouse gas permits in Texas.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued the stay Thursday, pending further action by the court....