Recent Updates
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Budget woes squeeze federal courts in NYC
Legal News Feed 12/27/2011An annual holiday show at the federal courthouse in Manhattan drew laughs, but no one is laughing now over the possibility of unfilled jobs and draconian budget cuts that court administrators say threatens the public's safety. "Their secret plan is t...
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Gingrich assails judges as he courts conservatives
Legal News Feed 12/20/2011As he works to rev up his conservative base in Iowa with just two weeks to go until the state's caucuses, Newt Gingrich is launching a full-throated assault on a reliable GOP target: judges. There is little love for the judicial branch among the Repu...
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High court halts new Texas electoral maps
Legal News Feed 12/11/2011Texas' March primary will likely be delayed after the Supreme Court on Friday blocked the use of state legislative and congressional district maps that were drawn by federal judges. The court issued a brief order late Friday that applies to electoral...
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CA same-sex marriage ban gets another day in court
Legal News Feed 12/09/2011The sponsors of California's gay marriage ban renewed their effort Thursday to disqualify a federal judge because of his same-sex relationship, but they met a skeptical audience in an appeals court panel. It's the first time an American jurist's sexu...
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Political aide to former Md. governor found guilty
Legal News Feed 12/07/2011A political aide to former Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich was convicted Tuesday of conspiring to use election-day robocalls in an effort to suppress black voter turnout during the 2010 gubernatorial election. Paul Schurick was found guilty of all four ...
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Senators pushing for televised court arguments
Legal News Feed 12/06/2011Senators are once again pushing the Supreme Court to televise its courtroom proceedings, especially since justices will have an election-year argument over the constitutionality of President Barack Obama's signature health care overhaul. A Senate Jud...
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Federal court issues new political maps for Texas
Legal News Feed 11/18/2011A federal court on Thursday issued temporary political maps for the 2012 election in Texas that some say will give Democrats a greater chance of winning seats in the Legislature. The maps, which still must be given final court approval, will remain i...
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Court says nothing about health care appeal
Legal News Feed 11/11/2011The Supreme Court is not immediately saying whether it will make an election-year determination on the constitutionality of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Justices met in private conference Thursday to consider new cases to hear next ...
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Pensions the latest political risk for RI governor
Legal News Feed 10/30/2011In 10 months in office, Gov. Lincoln Chafee has managed to anger an impressive assortment of constituencies: business leaders and organized labor, medical marijuana advocates and critics of illegal immigration. It's been a bumpy ride for the nation's...
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GOP candidates would cut federal judges' power
Legal News Feed 10/24/2011Most of the Republican presidential candidates want to wipe away lifetime tenure for federal judges, cut the budgets of courts that displease them or allow Congress to override Supreme Court rulings on constitutional issues. Any one of those proposal...
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Senate rejects GOP effort on terrorist trials
Legal News Feed 10/21/2011The Senate voted early Friday to reject a Republican effort to prohibit the United States from prosecuting foreign terrorist suspects in civilian courts, handing a victory to President Barack Obama. By 52-47, senators turned aside a proposal by Sen. ...
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Obama sells jobs plan in Silicon Valley
Legal News Feed 09/26/2011President Barack Obama is on the road selling his jobs plan — and his re-election hopes — to plugged-in networkers in Silicon Valley and around the country. He was to appear Monday at a town hall-style event hosted by the career-focused social networ...