7th Circuit Court

Suspended lawyer can’t shield home in bankruptcy from malpractice judgment, 7th Circuit says

A suspended Illinois lawyer who had owned his home as a tenant by the entirety before his wife’s death won’t be able to shield the property in bankruptcy from a former client who won a default malpractice judgment.

Aug 6, 2019 10:13 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: First Step Act frees crack cocaine offender; judge vacates port-of-entry asylum rule

• A San Antonio man sentenced to life in prison for dealing crack cocaine has been freed under the First Step Act, the criminal justice reform measure that reduces the sentencing disparity for crack and powder cocaine offenses. Alta Lee Kemper, 62, had served 27 years in prison. (My San…

Aug 5, 2019 4:00 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: DUI lawyer arrested for alleged bizarre attack; judge warned for law license lapses

• A prominent DUI lawyer from Petersburg, Virginia, has been charged with his wife in an alleged attack on their driver that began during a limo ride and ended at the home of the alleged victim. Prosecutors charged lawyer Charles Vanevera Hardenbergh and his wife, Mari, with assault, abduction, trespassing,…

Jul 30, 2019 5:05 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Teen vandal gets paint-with-a-toothbrush sentence; Equifax settles data breach claims

• Equifax has agreed to pay up to $700 million to settle state and federal claims related to a 2017 data breach that exposed the information of 147 million consumers. Up to $425 million of the settlement will pay consumers for time and money they spent to address identity theft…

Jul 22, 2019 4:15 PM CDT

7th Circuit won’t overrule precedent barring female inmate’s challenge of strip searches as training exercise

Female prisoners in Illinois can't sue under the Fourth Amendment for being forced to show their genitals in a training exercise, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Jul 19, 2019 1:15 PM CDT

Impounded vehicles can’t be held after drivers file for bankruptcy, court says

Thousands of Chicago motorists may be able to get their cars and trucks out of city impound lots immediately after filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy following a federal appeals court ruling that the city could no longer hold onto the vehicles.

Jul 10, 2019 9:28 AM CDT

Lawyer awarded $229K in pregnancy bias suit after judge slams defendant law firm for slow discovery

A Chicago immigration lawyer has been awarded $229,498 in her suit claiming that she was fired from her job at a law firm after disclosing her pregnancy. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer awarded the money to Jessica Hernandez last week after entering a default judgment against the Katz Law Office…

Jul 9, 2019 11:45 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: A look back at the Supreme Court’s October 2018 term

There was much that was unusual about the U.S. Supreme Court’s October 2018 term, writes Erwin Chemerinsky, law dean at the University of California at Berkeley. What should be gleaned?

Jul 2, 2019 2:18 PM CDT

Bud Light ads can’t mention rival beers and corn syrup without these qualifying words

A federal judge in Madison, Wisconsin, is barring Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Bud Light, from running advertisements that fail to give context to its ad claims about rival MillerCoors’ Miller Lite and Coors Light using corn syrup in brewing its beers. U.S. District Judge William Conley partly granted a preliminary…

May 29, 2019 3:08 PM CDT

Supreme Court upholds Indiana law on handling of fetal remains, stresses undue burden not at issue

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Indiana law that bars abortion providers from incinerating fetal remains with infectious waste. The Indiana law allowed abortion providers to cremate or bury the remains.

May 28, 2019 10:48 AM CDT

In first major appearance since confirmation, Kavanaugh stresses civility and independence

When U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh is drafting opinions and asking oral argument questions, he often asks himself, “What would Justice Kennedy do?” Kavanaugh appeared with retired Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on Monday in the new justice’s first major appearance since a confirmation battle marked by accusations of sexual assault—allegations strongly denied by Kavanaugh.

May 8, 2019 12:22 PM CDT

8th and 10th Circuits split over female topless ban

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at St. Louis has upheld a Springfield, Missouri, ordinance that bans women but not men from exposing their nipples in public. The appeals court affirmed a federal judge’s decision to toss an equal-protection challenge to the ordinance, the Springfield News-Leader reports. How Appealing…

May 8, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

ABA publication wins defamation appeal in 7th Circuit

An article in an ABA publication for judges didn’t defame a nonprofit group that certifies forensic document examiners, a federal appeals court has ruled. In a May 1 opinion, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Chicago affirmed dismissal of a defamation suit filed against the Judges’ Journal, a…

May 3, 2019 2:21 PM CDT

SCOTUS denies cert in case on pro se treatment filed by David Boies and Richard Posner

A former pro se litigant had some high-powered help when he asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider what kind of explanation courts must provide to unrepresented people. Among those representing litigant William Bond were former Circuit Judge Richard Posner and Boies Schiller Flexner chair David Boies. The U.S. Supreme…

Apr 30, 2019 4:05 PM CDT

Fired BigLaw paralegal must pay $35K sanction in dropped suit against law firm, 7th Circuit says

On Friday, a federal appeals court upheld a sanction requiring a paralegal who filed a $200 million bias suit against Baker McKenzie to pay the law firm’s attorney fees. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Chicago upheld an order requiring the paralegal, Elena Stephens, to pay about $35,000.…

Apr 29, 2019 9:16 AM CDT