Recent Updates
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Lawyers await hearing on combining Toyota lawsuits
Lawyer Blogs 03/26/2010As lawsuits over Toyota acceleration problems multiply nationwide, more than 150 attorneys gathered Wednesday to sharpen their legal skills on the eve of a major federal court hearing on whether dozens of cases will be consolidated before a single ju...
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Calif. voters could legalize pot in Nov. election
Lawyer Blogs 03/25/2010When California voters head to the polls in November, they will decide whether the state will make history again — this time by legalizing the recreational use of marijuana for adults.The state was the first to legalize medicinal marijuana use, with ...
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Galleon founder wins stay of wiretaps in civil case
Lawyer Blogs 03/24/2010Galleon hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam, accused of insider trading along with several associates, won a suspension of a court order to hand over wiretap evidence to U.S. market regulators, pending appeal.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circu...
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Philly Newspaper Creditors Can't Bid With Credit
Lawyer Blogs 03/22/2010A federal appeals court says Philadelphia's two major daily newspapers can deny creditors the right to use about $300 million owed them to bid at an upcoming bankruptcy auction.Monday's split 2-1 decision upholds a lower court ruling in a bitter disp...
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Idaho high court: No new trials for 6 on death row
Lawyer Blogs 03/18/2010The Idaho Supreme Court has denied requests from six death row inmates who said they were entitled to new trials because a U.S. Supreme Court ruling made after their convictions called on juries, not judges, to impose the death penalty.All the men ar...
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Fed. appeals court upholds 'under God' in pledge
Lawyer Blogs 03/12/2010An appellate court has upheld references to God on U.S. currency and in the Pledge of Allegiance, rejecting arguments they violate the constitutional separation of church and state. "The Pledge of Allegiance serves to unite our vast nation through th...
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Ginsburg endorses end to local judicial elections
Lawyer Blogs 03/12/2010Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is endorsing an end to the election of judges at the state and local levels.Ginsburg was speaking Thursday at a conference of female judges, many who are elected. She approves of the campaign by her former co...
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Mass. court upholds state gun-lock requirement
Lawyer Blogs 03/11/2010The highest court in Massachusetts on Wednesday upheld the constitutionality of a state law that requires gun owners to lock weapons in their homes in a ruling applauded by gun-control advocates.The case had been closely watched by both gun-control a...
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Supreme Court will hear case about vaccine side effects
Lawyer Blogs 03/08/2010The Supreme Court will decide whether drug makers can be sued by parents who claim their children suffered serious health problems from vaccines.The justices on Monday agreed to hear an appeal from parents in Pittsburgh who want to sue Wyeth over the...
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Federal judge allows Rumsfeld torture suit to proceed
Lawyer Blogs 03/08/2010A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on Friday denied a motion to dismiss a torture suit brought against former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld by two American citizens captured while working in Iraq. Judge Wayne ...
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Court Blocks Separate Claims Against UBS on Madoff
Lawyer Blogs 03/04/2010A Luxembourg court ruled on Thursday that investors who lost money to Bernard L. Madoff through a fund set up by UBS cannot seek compensation directly from the Swiss bank, Reuters reported.In November, private and institutional investors who lost mon...
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Angry Mich. judge punishes tardy prospective juror
Lawyer Blogs 03/03/2010A Michigan judge has ordered a stay-at-home mom to attend a murder trial and serve 24 hours in jail because she arrived late for jury selection.Carmela Khury was released Monday after a day and a half as a spectator in Oakland County Circuit court.Th...