Recent Updates
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Supreme Court turns down Conrad Black bail request
Lawyer Blogs 06/12/2009The Supreme Court on Thursday turned down former media executive Conrad Black's request to be released from a Florida prison while he appeals his fraud conviction. Black has served nearly 15 months of a 6 1/2-year prison term following his conviction...
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Judge finds violation in Calif. forest planning
Lawyer Blogs 06/12/2009Federal agencies violated the Endangered Species Act by developing plans for four national forests in California without adequately addressing the impact on endangered animals, a judge ruled. The judge's order will require estimates of how forest pro...
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2 Alaska lawmakers could be freed, review ordered
Lawyer Blogs 06/11/2009Two former Alaska state lawmakers could be released from prison soon after a federal appeals court Wednesday ordered their corruption convictions reviewed. The orders were expected after the U.S. Justice Department last week concluded prosecutors imp...
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Ill. horse racing tracks hope for riverboat money
Lawyer Blogs 06/10/2009Four Illinois riverboat casinos failed to get the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their challenge to a law requiring them to share their profits with the state's ailing horse racing tracks. The court's Monday decision means Illinois tracks expect to share...
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Ex-US Rep. Jefferson faces federal bribery charges
Lawyer Blogs 06/09/2009Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson faces several obstacles to being acquitted of bribery, racketeering and other federal charges — and topping the list is explaining the $90,000 cash stashed in his freezer. Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat who represe...
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Burned retirees sue Madoff trustee over claims
Lawyer Blogs 06/09/2009Some elderly investors have sued the trustee overseeing the liquidation of Bernard Madoff's assets, saying the system being used to pay claims against the disgraced financier is unfair. The lawsuit filed in bankruptcy court Friday in Manhattan said s...
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Appeals court to hear argument vs. Chrysler sale
Lawyer Blogs 06/05/2009The decision on whether Chrysler can sell the bulk of its assets to a group led by Italy's Fiat as part of its plan to emerge from bankruptcy protection heads to a federal appeals court Friday. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is to hear argumen...
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Federal judge tosses warrantless wiretap cases
Lawyer Blogs 06/04/2009A federal judge on Wednesday tossed out more than three dozen lawsuits filed against the nation's telecommunications companies for allegedly taking part in the government's e-mail and telephone eavesdropping program that was done without court approv...
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Appeals court to hear appeal of Chrysler sale
Lawyer Blogs 06/03/2009A federal appeals court late Tuesday halted Chrysler's sale of the bulk of its assets to Italy's Fiat pending an appeal by a trio of Indiana state pension and construction funds. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit will hear arguments in...
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Reid praises Sotomayor as 'the whole package'
Lawyer Blogs 06/02/2009The Senate's top Democrat praised federal judge Sonia Sotomayor Tuesday as an extraordinarily well-qualified Supreme Court nominee whose background as an "underdog" appeals to Americans. "We have the whole package here," said Sen. Harry Reid, seated ...
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Gay marriage debate complicates SF mayor's future
Lawyer Blogs 06/01/2009San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has been linked to gay marriage ever since he directed city clerks to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004. Now he's running for governor and trying to broaden his appeal, but fate appears to be working...
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US Supreme Court Rules For CSX In Worker Injury Case
Lawyer Blogs 06/01/2009The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday threw out a $5 million jury verdict awarded to a former CSX Transportation Inc. (CSX) railroad worker who alleged that he had been negligently exposed to toxic chemicals and asbestos on the job, which caused him to de...