Recent Updates
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Williams prosecutor questioned on slur by employee
Lawyer Blogs 09/30/2009A former investigator involved in the Jayson Williams manslaughter case on Tuesday described how he used a racial slur to describe the former NBA star, while his boss explained why he chose not to disclose the incident before Williams' 2004 trial.The...
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Wyoming wants to block YNP snowmobile plan
Lawyer Blogs 09/28/2009The state of Wyoming has asked a federal appeals court to give a judge authority to block a proposal reducing the number of snowmobiles allowed in Yellowstone National Park.The National Park Service has said it intends to release a plan that could li...
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Woman charged in Smart case expects life in prison
Lawyer Blogs 09/28/2009In letters written to her mother, the woman charged in the 2002 kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart has sought forgiveness for any pain she has caused and says she expects to spend the rest of her life in prison.Wanda Eileen Barzee, 63, however, makes just...
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Ill. high court OKs 'Jews only' inheritance
Lawyer Blogs 09/28/2009Proud of his religion and worried about its future, Chicago dentist Max Feinberg wrote a will with an unusual catch: His grandchildren wouldn't inherit a penny if they married someone who wasn't Jewish.His decision led to family feuds, lawsuits, coun...
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Court nixes $5M verdict against funeral protesters
Lawyer Blogs 09/25/2009A federal appeals court on Thursday tossed out a $5 million verdict against protesters who carried signs with inflammatory messages like "Thank God for dead soldiers" outside the Maryland funeral of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq.A three-judge panel of...
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Conn. land taken from homeowners still undeveloped
Lawyer Blogs 09/25/2009The plot of prized waterfront Connecticut land that was the crown jewel in the nation's famed Supreme Court fight over eminent domain sits largely undeveloped today, littered with weeds, glass and bricks.Property rights advocates who fought to keep t...
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Government: Half of Madoff accounts show no loss
Lawyer Blogs 09/23/2009Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that a review of most accounts held by financier Bernard Madoff's customers when he was arrested shows that about half of the customers had not lost money because they withdrew more money than they originally invested...
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US court rules against Monsanto's GMO sugarbeets
Lawyer Blogs 09/23/2009A federal U.S. court has ruled in favor of critics of Monsanto Co's genetically engineered sugar beets, saying the U.S. government failed to adequately evaluate environmental and economic risks associated with the crop.The U.S. District Court for the...
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Ohio court rules voter OK needed for video lottery
Lawyer Blogs 09/21/2009The Ohio Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the state's plan to allow up to 17,500 video lottery terminals at horse racing tracks is subject to a statewide voter referendum.The 6-1 ruling by the high court puts a potential dent in Ohio's plan to rais...
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Indiana court strikes down tough voter ID law
Lawyer Blogs 09/18/2009The state Court of Appeals on Thursday struck down an Indiana law requiring government-issued photo identification for voters, overturning on state constitutional grounds a strict law previously upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.Considered one of the ...
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Burglar pleads guilty in NYC cop-shoots-cop case
Lawyer Blogs 09/18/2009A man has pleaded guilty to breaking into the car of an off-duty New York City police officer who was then killed in a friendly fire shooting.Miguel Goitia pleaded guilty Wednesday to criminal mischief. He will serve 1 1/2 to 3 years in prison.Office...
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No retrial for condemned man after judge-DA affair
Lawyer Blogs 09/17/2009A Texas death row inmate won't be able to argue for a new trial, despite admissions of an affair between his trial judge and the prosecutor, a court announced Wednesday. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled 6-3 that convicted murderer Charles De...