9th Circuit Court

Hynes Criticized in NY City Bar Prez Race Over Milberg Connection

A renowned trial lawyer running unopposed to serve as the president of the New York City Bar Association is being targeted for criticism because of her reluctance to discuss her longtime prior job at a law firm that is now under indictment. Patricia Hynes, a former federal prosecutor who is…

Jan 11, 2008 8:43 PM CST

Marion Jones Gets 6 Months; Disgraced Olympian Lied About Steroids Use

Former Olympic champion Marion Jones was sentenced today in federal court in New York to six months in jail for lying in two separate grand jury investigations about her use of the performance-enhancing steroids she now admits she took and her participation in a check-cashing scam run by a fellow…

Jan 11, 2008 5:51 PM CST

Feds in Calif. Probe Mo. Teen’s Suicide Over Web Harassment

Authorities in Missouri found no basis on which to pursue criminal charges in the controversial case of a 13-year-old who reportedly hanged herself in 2006 in a town near St. Louis as a result of Internet bullying. But authorities in Los Angeles have now convened a federal grand jury to…

Jan 9, 2008 7:03 PM CST

9th Circuit Considers Border Computer Search

A federal appeals court appears poised to rule that a computer has no special protection from searches at the border. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to rule in the case of Michael T. Arnold, who is seeking to throw out evidence of child pornography…

Jan 7, 2008 8:13 PM CST

Calif. Sues EPA Over Greenhouse Gas Emissions

California sued the EPA today after the federal agency rejected the country’s first law imposing greenhouse gas limits on automobiles. The suit in the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit was expected after the EPA on Dec. 19 denied California’s bid for a Clean Air Act waiver. The Associated Press reports that…

Jan 2, 2008 10:39 PM CST

Congress Passes Court Security Law that Moves Seat to 9th Circuit

Congress has passed a court security law that moves one federal appellate seat from the D.C. Circuit to the 9th Circuit. The extra 9th Circuit seat will be added on Jan. 21, 2009, the day after President Bush leaves office, the Recorder reports. The bill authorizes appropriation of $200 million…

Dec 19, 2007 4:02 PM CST

Billionaire Pleads, Pays $52M Tax Bill

Igor Olenicoff didn’t do as well in his latest court battle with the IRS as he did the last time around. In one of the biggest-bucks tax cases ever, concerning an individual in southern California, the 65-year-old real estate entrepreneur pleaded guilty to one count of lying on his tax…

Dec 13, 2007 12:50 AM CST

Best Place to Face Feds: Seattle

For those who face federal prosecution in Seattle, there’s one bit of good news. Even if they lose the case, there may not be a better place in the country to face sentencing. Federal judges in the Western District of Washington hand out more lenient sentences than called for by…

Dec 12, 2007 5:26 PM CST

Trustee Says Pillsbury Should Return $4M Fee

A bankruptcy trustee is recommending that Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman be forced to return about $4 million in fees to a former client because of an undisclosed conflict of interest. Trustee Dennis Connolly also suggested that the San Jose bankruptcy court delay setting an amount so it could consider interest…

Dec 12, 2007 12:16 PM CST

9th Circuit Backs Judge Despite Work Given to Friends

Backing a federal judge accused by a newspaper of awarding more than $4.8 million in judgments and fees to individuals with whom he had political and business ties without fully disclosing the personal relationships, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided today to dismiss a complaint against…

Dec 12, 2007 12:12 AM CST

Reyes Should Get No More than 21 Months for Backdating, Judge Says

A federal judge has recommended a sentence of 15 to 21 months in prison for former Brocade Communications CEO Gregory Reyes, convicted of fraud for stock options backdating. The recommendation was in an opinion by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer that was unsealed last week, Financial Times reports. Federal prosecutors…

Dec 11, 2007 2:00 PM CST

Barry Bonds Pleads Not Guilty

Barry Bonds, major league baseball’s home run king, pleaded not guilty in federal court in San Francisco today to perjury and obstruction of justice charges. The court event was a media frenzy, as fans and at least one business outside the courthouse rallied in seeming support of the 43-year-old slugger,…

Dec 7, 2007 6:12 PM CST

Lawyers Probed in ‘Pretext’ ID Theft

Updated: Lawyers throughout the country reportedly may be investigated as part of a Washington state-based probe of an alleged scheme in which a local firm, BNT Investigations, was hired by private detectives all over the U.S. to obtain confidential personal information by pretext. A federal grand jury in Seattle has…

Dec 7, 2007 12:06 AM CST

Atheist Back With Pledge, Currency Challenges

Atheist Michael Newdow asked a federal appeals court in oral arguments yesterday to remove the words ”under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance and ”In God We Trust” from U.S. currency. Newdow won a favorable ruling from the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2002 when he…

Dec 5, 2007 1:10 PM CST

Judge Denies Milberg Fee Request, Raises Skadden Questions

A federal judge has refused to approve the $30 million settlement of a securities class action in a case brought by indicted law firm Milberg Weiss, saying attorney fees of 25 percent were too high. Chief District Judge Vaughn Walker of San Francisco said that when the hours spent in…

Dec 5, 2007 11:46 AM CST