9th Circuit Court

Twice in a Week, Federal Appeals Court Axes Sentence, Remands to New Judge

It’s unusual for a federal appeals court not only to reject a judge’s sentence but remand the case to another jurist for re-sentencing. But it’s now happened at least twice within one week: After the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ skewering on Friday of a federal judge in…

Feb 2, 2010 10:11 PM CST

DOJ Report Won’t Trigger Ethics Referral for Authors of Terrorism Memos

Former Justice Department lawyers Jay Bybee and John Yoo are likely to be relieved by a forthcoming report that concludes they exercised “poor judgment” in legal memos authorizing harsh interrogation techniques. The report by the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility has been rewritten to eliminate a finding that Bybee…

Feb 1, 2010 12:59 PM CST

We Can Work It Out

As traditional media dwindles, fewer journalists than ever are covering the courts. But that doesn’t mean the courts aren’t being covered. Thanks to social media, blogs and Twitter, user-generated content is surging.

Feb 1, 2010 9:50 AM CST

Judge Sides With Blind UCLA Law Grad, OKs Software to Read Bar Exam

Stephanie Enyart isn’t yet admitted in California, but the University of California-Los Angeles School of Law grad has already won what presumably is her first case. A federal judge in San Francisco ruled today that Enyart, who is blind, has a right to use the screen-reader computer software she wants…

Jan 30, 2010 12:00 AM CST

Ariz. Judges Defending Controversial Civil RICO Case Seemingly Win a Round

The Valley Fever Blog of the Phoenix New Times has made no secret of its negative opinion of the federal racketeering lawsuit (PDF provided by Valley Fever) filed last month by the Maricopa County, Ariz., attorney against a number of county officials, judges and their private legal counsel, on behalf…

Jan 25, 2010 6:22 PM CST

9th Cir. Lawyer Sues Obama Admin Over Withheld Benefits for Same-Sex Spouse

A federal government lawyer who works for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has sued the Obama administration over its decision to withhold health benefits from her same-sex partner. The decision concerning benefits for the wife of attorney Karen Golinski, who works for the court in San Francisco, was…

Jan 21, 2010 1:05 AM CST

‘Brokeback Mountain’ Cited in Gay Marriage Trial

A lawyer seeking to uphold California’s ban on gay marriage asserted Wednesday that gays are gaining acceptance, pointing to the movie Brokeback Mountain as evidence of a new societal attitude. Lawyer David Thompson referred to the movie and the television show Will & Grace in his cross-examination of Yale history…

Jan 14, 2010 2:57 PM CST

China Cyber-Attack May Have Targeted Law Firm & Other Companies, Too

A Los Angeles law firm representing a software maker in a federal-court piracy case against the Chinese government may have been targeted in an apparent China-based cyber-attack that led Google Inc. to threaten this week to suspend Internet service in the Asian country. Gipson Hoffman & Pancione says in a…

Jan 14, 2010 1:43 AM CST

Federal Judge in Gay Marriage Case Described as Unpredictable

The San Francisco federal judge presiding in a suit that challenges California’s ban on gay marriage has a libertarian streak that has dismayed some conservatives. The Wall Street Journal describes U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker as “quirky” and offers the evidence. In 1994, Walker came out in favor of decriminalizing…

Jan 13, 2010 4:33 PM CST

Kozinski Letter Defends Court Cameras, Notes the Current Century

Updated: The U.S. Judicial Conference had a request for Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals: Please “consider” conference policy barring broadcast of federal trials. Apparently Kozinski thought the Judicial Conference should consider the century, the Legal Pad blog reports. The San Francisco-based judge wrote…

Jan 12, 2010 1:03 PM CST

Surgeon Indicted for Alleged Liver-Transplant Lie

A surgeon has been indicted by a federal grand jury in California for allegedly lying about the identity of a patient into whom a liver was transplanted in 2003 and directing his staff to submit falsified records. While in charge of the former liver-transplant program at St. Vincent Medical Center,…

Jan 7, 2010 9:04 PM CST

Coming Soon to YouTube: Federal Gay Marriage Trial

Those interested in the trial challenging California’s ban on gay marriage beginning Monday can catch a delayed broadcast of the proceedings on YouTube. U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker allowed the broadcast under an experimental program adopted by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, according to stories in…

Jan 7, 2010 12:46 PM CST

Judge Seeks Contrition, Not Money, from Settling Lawyers

Potential jurors who arrived in San Francisco federal court on Tuesday found there was no longer a case involving a trademark dispute over the DWG extension given to design files. The parties had settled shortly after midnight, spurring U.S. District Judge William Alsup to express sympathy for the jurors. Morrison…

Jan 6, 2010 5:22 PM CST

Suspect in Courthouse Shootout Angry Over Social Security Suit, Officials Say

Although an investigation of today’s fatal shootout at a federal courthouse in downtown Las Vegas is still ongoing, unidentified law enforcement officials say the suspect’s anger over losing a lawsuit about his Social Security benefits may have motivated the crime. The officials say Johnny Lee Wicks was killed in a…

Jan 4, 2010 11:48 PM CST

Advertising with Impunity on Craigslist, Foreclosed-Home Strippers Avoid Sanctions

When a potential buyer walks into a foreclosed home, it isn’t unusual to see gaping, often jagged holes where items of value including appliances, cabinets, countertops, sinks, toilets and doors, among other items of value, used to be. And it isn’t just ordinary thieves who are doing the stripping. Soon-to-be-former…

Dec 23, 2009 6:11 PM CST