Recent Updates
-
US Supreme Court to rule on animal cruelty law
Lawyer Blogs 04/20/2009The U.S. Supreme Court said on Monday that it would decide whether a federal law that makes it a crime to sell videos of animals being tortured or killed violates constitutional free-speech rights. The high court agreed to hear a U.S. Justice Departm...
-
Texas executes man who killed woman during robbery
Lawyer Blogs 04/16/2009A Texas parole violator was executed Wednesday for beating and using kitchen tools to kill a 67-year-old woman in her Lubbock apartment. "I love you all. May the Lord be with you. Peace. I'm done," Michael Rosales said in his brief, final statement.T...
-
U.S. asked to stop 'false information' on medical pot
Lawyer Blogs 04/16/2009Reporting from San Francisco and Los Angeles -- Citing "overwhelming" evidence that marijuana eases pain and anxiety for the chronically ill, medicinal pot advocates told a federal appeals panel Tuesday that the federal government should be stopped f...
-
Gatlin finalizing out-of-court agreement with USOC
Lawyer Blogs 04/16/2009Former Olympic 100-meter champion Justin Gatlin is finalizing an out-of-court agreement with the U.S. Olympic Committee, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, USA Track & Field and the International Association of Athletics Federations. Gatlin had sued th...
-
Abortion debate moves to special license plates
Lawyer Blogs 04/15/2009The latest forum for the national debate over abortion is whizzing by at 65 mph. Anti-abortion groups have won approval in at least 18 states for specialized license plates with the tagline "Choose Life," even as officials in New Jersey and other sta...
-
Minn. court declares Franken leading vote-getter
Lawyer Blogs 04/14/2009A Minnesota court confirmed Monday that Democrat Al Franken won the most votes in his 2008 Senate race against Republican Norm Coleman, who immediately announced plans to appeal the decision. Coleman has 10 days to appeal to the state Supreme Court. ...
-
Iowa, Vermont gay marriages spark debate in Calif.
Lawyer Blogs 04/09/2009Both sides of the gay marriage ban approved by California voters are debating how Iowa and Vermont's recent moves to allow same-sex unions will affect their state's running legal battle. Gay marriage supporters are particularly interested in the Iowa...
-
3.5M award reviewed over crooked Pa. judges' role
Lawyer Blogs 04/08/2009Pennsylvania's highest court is revisiting a $3.5 million defamation verdict against The Citizens' Voice newspaper because of the role played in it by two former judges at the center of a juvenile justice scandal. The state Supreme Court on Tuesday a...
-
Court rules against Navajo Nation in coal case
Lawyer Blogs 04/06/2009The Supreme Court has ruled against the Navajo Nation for a second time in its battle with the federal government over whether the tribe should have gotten more money for coal on its land. The high court, in an unanimous opinion Monday, reversed a de...
-
Iowa court says gay marriage ban unconstitutional
Lawyer Blogs 04/03/2009The Iowa Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling Friday finding that the state's same-sex marriage ban violates the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples, making Iowa the third state where marriage is legal. In its decision, the court uphe...
-
Ex-Madoff customers seek swindler's personal assets
Lawyer Blogs 04/02/2009Some of jailed swindler Bernard Madoff's defrauded customers moved on Wednesday to try and get access to his personal assets and any other items that may have been transferred to his family or other people. Papers filed in U.S. District Court in Manh...
-
Court ends Philip Morris appeal of $79.5M award
Lawyer Blogs 03/31/2009The Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out a cigarette maker's appeal of a $79.5 million award to a smoker's widow, ending a 10-year legal fight to keep her from collecting. In a one-sentence order, the court left in place a ruling by the Oregon Supreme ...