9th Circuit Court

9th Circuit says Calif. must ensure help for disabled parolees redirected to county jails

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last Friday affirmed a trial court’s decision that California cannot wash its hands of responsibility when, as part of the state’s effort to ease prison overcrowding, disabled parolees returned to custody are placed in county facilities, the Los Angeles Times reports.…

Oct 7, 2013 5:55 PM CDT

First openly gay federal appeals judge confirmed; Obama names 3 nominees for district, circuit bench

September has been a noteworthy month as far as the federal judiciary is concerned. The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Tuesday, in a 98-0 vote, former Department of Justice lawyer Todd Hughes for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He is the highest-ranking openly gay…

Sep 24, 2013 9:55 PM CDT

Customers sue LinkedIn, say company ‘hacked’ their external email for marketing contacts

Customers have sued LinkedIn Corp. in federal court in San Jose, Calif., contending that the professional networking company hacked into their external email accounts in order to obtain email addresses of contacts to which to market its services. The suit seeks class action status and asks for a court order…

Sep 20, 2013 5:38 PM CDT

Officers can’t answer your phone and impersonate you, 9th Circuit says regarding cell phone search

Even if you give an officer consent to search your cell phone, the officer doesn’t have the right to answer your calls and pretend to be you, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found. Andres Lopez-Cruz, the defendant, was stopped by a U.S. Border Patrol agent near the San…

Sep 13, 2013 5:31 PM CDT

Privacy class action regarding Google Street View can go forward, 9th Circuit says

A privacy class-action lawsuit, which argues that Google Street View violated the Wiretap Act because it collected data from unencrypted Wi-Fi networks, can go forward, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. The opinion affirms a U.S. district court ruling denying a motion to dismiss the…

Sep 10, 2013 9:21 PM CDT

Three years later, Goodwin Liu not the left-wing extremist he once seemed, California lawyers say

While Republican U.S. senators feared that 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Goodwin Liu would be a left-wing extremist, court watchers say the law professor, now a California Supreme Court justice, is actually a moderate liberal. The only Democrat on the state supreme court, according to the Sacramento Bee,…

Sep 10, 2013 8:50 PM CDT

Hungry lawyers, health-conscious clients make Bay Area ground zero in Big Food fight

The same lawyers who once took on the tobacco industry are now waging legal war against so-called Big Food makers in half a dozen states. But the San Francisco Bay Area, known for its health-conscious foodie residents, is ground zero for such litigation, which hungry lawyers have pursued in dozens…

Sep 10, 2013 10:24 AM CDT

Wife breaks down in court as lawyer gets over 7 years in $30M mortgage fraud case

A Las Vegas lawyer was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison Thursday in a courtroom filled with his supporters as a judge gave him the time recommended by the prosecution. Gerry Zobrist, 43, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud,…

Sep 6, 2013 5:05 PM CDT

Detective’s false testimony, relied on in prosecutor’s closing, calls for retrial, 9th Circuit says

Reversing a federal district court judge who had denied habeas corpus relief, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday held that a man convicted in a California gas station armed robbery must be retried or released. Felix Sablad, a worker at the station, said defendant La…

Sep 6, 2013 3:55 PM CDT

Foie gras ban remains intact in California; 9th Circuit says challenge unlikely to succeed

A federal appeals court has refused to block a California law that bars the force-feeding of ducks or geese to make foie gras. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said challengers to the law were unlikely to succeed on the merits of their constitutional arguments. How Appealing…

Sep 3, 2013 1:26 PM CDT

9th Circuit upholds California ban on ‘conversion therapy’ for gay youths

A federal appeals court has upheld a California law that bars therapists from providing “conversion therapy”—which seeks to change sexual orientation from gay to heterosexual—for patients under age 18. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the ban does not violate the free speech or associational rights…

Aug 30, 2013 5:26 PM CDT

Hospital cannot ban all service animals from psych ward, federal judge rules

A California hospital can’t unilaterally ban all service animals from certain areas, such as a psychiatric ward, a federal judge has ruled. Siding with a disabled woman who said she had to choose between getting the treatment she needs for her bipolar disorder and getting the help she needs from…

Aug 8, 2013 8:20 PM CDT

Law firm files racketeering suit over legal consultant’s claimed ‘bogus Internet marketing program’

Updated: A Michigan law firm has filed a federal civil racketeering lawsuit against a legal consultant that allegedly sold a “bogus Internet marketing program” to multiple small practitioners, sparking Web comment and criticism of all parties involved in the case. The plaintiff firm, Seikaly & Stewart, says that The Rainmaker…

Aug 6, 2013 5:55 PM CDT

Refusal to pay San Diego mayor’s sex-harass case legal bills ‘not a rational decision,’ lawyer says

A unanimous decision by the San Diego City Council not to pay for the defense of the city’s mayor in a sexual harassment case is “a political, not a rational decision,” his lawyer contends. Refusing to cover Mayor Bob Filner’s defense costs could hurt the city, which is a co-defendant…

Aug 1, 2013 5:10 PM CDT

First Amendment doesn’t protect video game maker for using athlete avatar, 9th Circuit says

A federal appeals court is allowing a former college athlete to pursue a right-of-publicity lawsuit against a video game maker that used an avatar with his jersey number and looks. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the company, Electronic Arts Inc., was not protected by…

Aug 1, 2013 1:17 PM CDT