Recent Updates
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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...
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Nevada lawmakers reject veto of partnership bill
Lawyer Blogs 06/01/2009Nevada's Assembly voted Sunday to override Gov. Jim Gibbons' veto and to change state law so that domestic partners, whether gay or straight, have many of the rights and benefits that Nevada offers to married couples. The Assembly's 28-14 vote — the ...
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Delaware Supreme Court gives OK to sports betting
Lawyer Blogs 05/29/2009The Delaware Supreme Court says a proposed sports betting lottery does not conflict with the state constitution. The opinion was requested by Gov. Jack Markell, who has signed a bill that would make Delaware the only state east of the Rocky Mountains...
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Mass. judge: Man can be called 2 names at trial
Lawyer Blogs 05/26/2009A judge has ruled that the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller can use that name in his kidnapping trial, but prosecutors can call him by his real name. Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter (GAYR'-hahrtz-ry-tur) is accused of kidnapping his 7-year-old d...
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Court: Phone drug buys shouldn't bring extra time
Lawyer Blogs 05/26/2009The Supreme Court says that people who buy drugs over the telephone shouldn't get more prison time than people who buy face-to-face from dealers. The court Tuesday unanimously overturned a decision by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond...
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Calif. wants US Supreme Court OK of video game ban
Lawyer Blogs 05/21/2009California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to reinstate a state law banning the sale or rental of violent video games to minors. In February, the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals str...
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Liberals hope to win after string of court losses
Lawyer Blogs 05/19/2009The men and women who gather around a table at the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights on Friday mornings have ample experience fighting Supreme Court confirmation battles. Now they're hoping to win one. Already, they're combing through the records...
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Court will review Black's fraud conviction
Lawyer Blogs 05/18/2009The Supreme Court agreed Monday to consider media executive Conrad Black's appeal of his fraud conviction. Black is serving a 6 1/2 year prison term. The justices will hear arguments later this year over the convictions of Black, the former chairman ...
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Court allows suit over deadly railroad derailment
Lawyer Blogs 05/18/2009The Supreme Court says it won't block a lawsuit against a railroad involved in a deadly derailment in North Dakota. The justices declined Monday to get involved in a dispute between the Canadian Pacific Railway and residents of Minot, ND. The Minot r...
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Michigan man pleads not guilty to sports bribery
Lawyer Blogs 05/14/2009One of two Detroit-area gamblers charged with conspiring to fix horse races and University of Toledo games is also accused of committing bank fraud in a land deal. Mitchell "Ed" Karam of Troy, a 76-year-old developer, appeared in federal court in Det...
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NY court: Police need warrants for GPS trackers
Lawyer Blogs 05/13/2009New York's top court ruled Tuesday that police cannot place GPS trackers on suspects' vehicles without first getting a court warrant showing probable cause that the drivers are up to no good. The Court of Appeals split 4-3 on the issue, with the majo...