ABA Journal

Latest Features

Trump says he’d fire special counsel Jack Smith in 'two seconds' if elected again

Former President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would “fire” special counsel Jack Smith on his first day back in the White House if he is elected again, making clear that he would push to drop a pair of federal cases against him.



  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print

California Supreme Court approves state's Kaplan-created bar exam

Updated: The State Bar of California’s plan to create a new exam enabling the licensing test to be taken remotely, as well as at in-person test centers, has been green-lighted by the California Supreme Court, allowing the first administration of the Kaplan North America-developed test to move forward in February 2025.



  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print

Mike Davis trolls the left online. He could also help Trump pick MAGA judges

Mike Davis has also positioned himself to be a key adviser on legal issues and judicial selection in a potential second Trump term by combining modern-day media invective with old-school know-how.



  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print

Unbeknownst to corporate lawyer, scammers used her name to file thousands of trademark applications

Ana Belén Vinueza isn’t the only lawyer to have her identity stolen to file trademark applications. Scams involving stealing attorney identities and bar credentials specifically to file trademark applications are apparently becoming increasingly common.



  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print

This lawyer focused on publishing her technology law research

When her parents divorced, Star Kashman understood the impact that a good lawyer could have on a family. She initially wanted to be a psychologist, but Kashman, who eventually co-founded a law firm, realized that she could help clients even more if she went into law. It was at the Brooklyn Law School in New York that Kashman paved a path that would eventually propel her career.



  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print

Texas AG sues pediatrician over gender-affirming care for youths

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against a Dallas-based pediatrician, accusing her of providing transition-related hormones in violation of a state ban on gender-affirming care for people under age 18.



  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print

Appendix of source materials unsealed in Trump Jan. 6 prosecution

U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan on Friday unsealed a heavily redacted—and unrevelatory—version of the appendix of source materials underpinning special counsel Jack Smith’s case against Donald Trump for election interference.



  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print

Execution of Texas man in 'shaken baby' case temporarily halted by judge

A district judge in Texas has granted a temporary restraining order, blocking the Thursday execution of Robert Leslie Roberson III after a bipartisan coalition of state House members unanimously voted to subpoena him. Roberson’s scheduled execution would mark the first time a death sentence has been imposed for a case related to shaken baby syndrome, a once widely accepted diagnosis that bolstered criminal prosecutions but has come under increasing scrutiny with evolving science.



  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print

Joyce Hens Green, a pioneering woman on the federal bench, dies at 95

Joyce Hens Green, who helped blaze a trail for women in the law while serving as a Washington attorney and federal judge, presiding over high-profile cases involving the BCCI bank fraud scandal and the rights of detainees at Guantánamo Bay, has died. She was 95.



  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print

Supreme Court clears way for Biden's plan to cut power plant emissions

The Supreme Court cleared the way Wednesday for a Biden administration plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants burning fossil fuels, denying an emergency appeal by more than two dozen Republican-led states, utilities and others.



  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print

Read more ...