Federal Appeals Judges Should Stop Outsourcing Their Opinions, Op-Ed Says

The federal appeals judges who almost always write their own opinions are well-known names in the legal world. They include Judges Richard Posner, Frank Easterbrook and Diane Wood of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Judge Michael Boudin, the judge on the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court…

Jun 4, 2012 10:59 AM CDT

Judge Posner, Presiding at Patent Trial, Will Use Court-Appointed Experts to Explain Terms

Judge Richard Posner is experimenting with court-appointed experts in a patent dispute between Apple and Motorola. Though Posner is an appeals judge with the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, he likes to volunteer for trials, the Chicago Tribune reports. In a speech at the 7th Circuit Bar Association…

May 14, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Ex-Comptroller of Small Illinois Town Pleads Not Guilty in $53M Theft Case

Originally accused of embezzling $30 million from a small Illinois town over the past six years or so, former comptroller Rita Crundwell is now accused of stealing $53 million from Dixon over a period of more than 20 years. The 59-year-old pleaded not guilty in federal court in Rockford on…

May 7, 2012 6:09 PM CDT

Lawyer Faces Wire Fraud Case; Feds Say He Used Client Funds to Cover Law Firm and Personal Expenses

An Indianapolis lawyer is facing a federal wire fraud charge after allegedly misappropriating $2.5 million in client funds by operating his construction liability practice in a manner akin to a Ponzi scheme over an 11-year period. William F. Conour, 64, is accused of keeping a majority of the settlement money…

May 1, 2012 7:06 PM CDT

The Supreme Court Spurns Wikipedia, But Federal Appeals Courts Cited It Nearly 100 Times in 5 Years

Federal appeals courts are increasingly citing the reader-edited encyclopedia Wikipedia, though the trend has not spread to the U.S. Supreme Court. Federal appeals courts have cited Wikipedia about 95 times in the last five years, according to a search by the Wall Street Journal Law Blog. In the Chicago-based 7th…

Apr 24, 2012 1:18 PM CDT

Former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley Will Be Deposed re 1980s Police Torture Scandal

Former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, who served as Cook County’s top prosecutor before moving on to the city’s number-one job, will be questioned under oath about his knowledge, if any, of a police torture scandal from the 1980s. Lawyers for both Daley and one of the alleged victims of…

Apr 10, 2012 5:03 PM CDT

Inmates Will Get $153K, Lawyers Have Earned Nearly $1.6M as 9-Year-Old Chicago Jail Suit Settles

After nine years of legal battle, the Cook County Board has agreed to settle for $1 million a lawsuit over a since-amended weekend lockdown policy at its Chicago jail. The bulk of the money, $850,000, will go to the lawyer who represented four female inmates in the suit, which they…

Apr 4, 2012 5:56 PM CDT

Ex-Chief of Staff for Blago Says Sorry, Gets 10-Day Jail Term; Former Ill. Gov Is Serving 14 Years

A former chief of staff to Rod Blagojevich who served as a star witness at the political corruption trial of the impeached former Illinois governor was sentenced on Wednesday to 10 days in federal prison after apologizing to a federal judge in Chicago. Blagojevich is serving a 14-year sentence. Attorney…

Mar 28, 2012 9:29 PM CDT

Federal Judge: Motley Rice, 2 Other Law Firms Must Pay $395K in Legal Fees re ‘Frivolous’ Suit

A federal judge in Indianapolis has ordered Motley Rice and two other law firms to pay nearly $395,000 in legal fees for bringing what the judge called a frivolous whistle-blower suit “based on a completely false story.” ITT Educational Services said it spent millions defending the False Claims Act suit,…

Mar 28, 2012 6:12 PM CDT

For One Prisoner, Nutriloaf Diet May Violate Eighth Amendment, Posner Opinion Says

A federal appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit filed by a prisoner who claimed the nutriloaf he ate in the Milwaukee County Jail was cruel and unusual punishment. The opinion (PDF) by Judge Richard Posner of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals suggested appointment of counsel for the…

Mar 28, 2012 11:25 AM CDT

US Dist. Judge William J. Hibbler Dies at Age 65

U.S. District Judge William J. Hibbler died unexpectedly today. He was 65 years old. A member of the federal bench in Chicago for nearly 13 years, Hibbler not only a respected and beloved judge known for his fairness but “an outstanding jurist, a warm and personable human being, a true…

Mar 19, 2012 10:58 PM CDT

Posner Opinion Hits ‘Dreadful Muddle’ of Vague Judicial Terminology, Takes a Swipe at Cat’s Paw

A federal appeals court has reversed an employment verdict in an opinion that blames “vague judicial terminology” for adding confusion to workplace bias cases. The opinion (PDF) by Judge Richard Posner of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a verdict for an employer because of an “unsound”…

Mar 13, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Cops Can Obtain Number from Cellphone Without Warrant, Posner Opinion Says

A Chicago-based appeals court has ruled that police may search a cellphone for its number without obtaining a warrant. The number on the phone, seized during the defendant’s arrest at a drug bust, was used to subpoena the owner’s call history, revealing conversations with co-conspirators, according to the Wall Street…

Mar 1, 2012 3:48 PM CST

Good Cop, Bad Citizen? As Cellphone Recording Increases, Officers Are Uneasy

Mar 1, 2012 9:40 AM CST

7th Circuit Revives Suit Claiming Girls Basketball Denied ‘Prime-Time’ Scheduling

A three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals has revived a lawsuit that claims a girls basketball team in Indiana gets less desirable scheduling than the boys team in violation of Title IX. The Chicago-based panel held that the Franklin County, Ind., school system should face trial…

Feb 3, 2012 3:38 PM CST