5th Circuit Chief Judge Tells Sparks His Caustic Orders Are Ill-Advised and Not Very Funny

A Texas federal judge in the news lately for his sarcastic orders chastising lawyers is now himself facing criticism from the chief judge of the New Orleans-based court that hears appeals from his state. Last month U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks of Austin invited two squabbling lawyers to a “kindergarten…

Sep 13, 2011 12:00 PM CDT

After Fierce Federal Judge’s Invitation to ‘Kindergarten Party,’ 2 Lawyers Settle Case

Updated: A federal judge known for not mincing words swiftly achieved the desired effect by inviting two apparently squabbling attorneys to a “kindergarten party” in his Austin, Texas, courtroom. Following the much-publicized invitation by U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks, the two lawyers, Jonathan Woods and Travis Barton, not only settled…

Sep 1, 2011 9:42 PM CDT

Judge Blocks Part of Texas Abortion Law; Lawyer Responds to Earlier Benchslap

A federal judge has blocked key parts of a Texas law that required women seeking abortions to view sonograms of the fetus and listen to the heartbeat. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks granted a preliminary injunction on Tuesday, finding the law violates the First Amendment rights of doctors and patients,…

Aug 31, 2011 12:07 PM CDT

Love Hurts: Mich. Law Prof Explores Love and Heartache in Japanese Culture

Aug 1, 2011 7:40 AM CDT

Friendlier State Legislatures Lead to a Rise in Anti-Abortion Legislation

Aug 1, 2011 7:20 AM CDT

10th Circuit Nominee Is Derailed; Opposing Senator Cites Position on Health Care Law

The nomination of a former Kansas attorney general to a federal appeals court has been scuttled amid controversy over his stance on Obama’s health care law and an abortion clinic investigation. Neither home-state senator initially opposed the nomination of Steve Six for the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals,…

Jul 29, 2011 3:54 PM CDT

Lawyer Known as Patron Saint of Hopeless Cases Is Representing Whitey Bulger

Corrected: Alleged mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger is being represented at public expense by a well-known Boston lawyer known for taking on difficult cases. He is J.W. Carney Jr., once dubbed the patron saint of hopeless cases, the Boston Globe reports. He has represented people charged with killing their children,…

Jul 1, 2011 4:28 PM CDT

Second Lives: For These Former Justices, Retirement Is No Day at the Beach

Jul 1, 2011 7:49 AM CDT

Whodunit? Kentucky Cops Probe Source of Leaked Abortion Opinion

Kentucky police are investigating a mystery involving a leaked Kentucky appeals opinion on minors’ abortion rights. The once-secret opinion allows minor girls from other states to ask Kentucky judges for permission to have abortions without their parents’ consent, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports. The newspaper published a story about the decision…

Jun 29, 2011 11:35 AM CDT

Six States Ban Abortions After 20th Week, Raising Constitutional Issues

Six states have passed laws banning abortions after the 20th week of gestation in an apparent conflict with Roe v. Wade, but no one has challenged the legislation in court. The laws—passed in Nebraska, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma and Alabama—are based on the theory that a fetus can feel pain…

Jun 27, 2011 12:14 PM CDT

Judge Grants Protective Order, Tells NM Man to Take Down Billboard Saying Girlfriend Had an Abortion

Apparently rejecting a New Mexico man’s arguments that he has a free-speech right to put up a billboard in Alamogordo’s main thoroughfare concerning his views on abortion, a state-court judge has issued a protective order telling him to remove it immediately. However, Greg Fultz, 35, feels strongly about his constitutional…

Jun 24, 2011 2:05 PM CDT

Free Speech, Privacy Rights Clash in Dispute over Billboard Claiming Woman Had an Abortion

A jilted boyfriend’s free speech rights are pitted against his one-time girlfriend’s privacy rights in a court battle over a billboard with an anti-abortion message. Greg Fultz of Alamogordo, N.M., paid for a billboard on his town’s main street that shows him holding the outline of an infant, report the…

Jun 7, 2011 1:07 PM CDT

White House Counsel Bob Bauer Resigns; Top Deputy Will Replace Him

White House counsel Bob Bauer is resigning, but he will still be advising President Obama. Bauer will return to private practice in June at Perkins Coie, where he will serve as general counsel for Obama’s re-election campaign and as the president’s personal lawyer, report the Associated Press and CNN. Bauer…

Jun 2, 2011 3:48 PM CDT

Mom Sues After Stock Photo of Her Daughter Is Used on Anti-Abortion Billboard

A New Jersey mother says in a lawsuit that she had to explain the facts of life to her 6-year-old daughter after a stock photo of the girl appeared on an anti-abortion billboard aimed at African-Americans. The suit filed by mother Tricia Fraser says the group Life Always and its…

Apr 27, 2011 4:43 PM CDT

Judge Dubious About Warrantless Search of Prison Cell in High Profile Abortion Doc Murder Case

Defense counsel for the wife of an abortion doctor in a high-profile murder case are raising questions about a Philadelphia jail cell search practice that a prosecutor says has been commonplace. Instead of obtaining a search warrant, prosecutors there routinely simply subpoena prison officials seeking records, according to the Associated…

Apr 14, 2011 12:07 PM CDT