Administrative Law

C-SPAN Denied Quick Access to Tape of ‘Fleeting Expletives’ Argument

U.S. Supreme Court buffs won’t be able to hear the Supreme Court’s oral arguments in the so-called fleeting expletives case next Tuesday. Without explanation, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. denied a request by C-SPAN for an immediate release of the tapes, SCOTUSblog reports. That means the audiotapes won’t be…

Oct 31, 2008 6:23 PM CDT

‘Bonnie and Clyde’ of Mortgage Fraud Stole $8.7M, Feds Say

A high school dropout and former house cleaner who became a Las Vegas real estate agent is now accused, with her husband, of being the Bonnie and Clyde of real estate fraud. Eve Mazzarella, 31, and her husband, Steven Grimm, 45, were arrested by federal agents at their home in…

Oct 30, 2008 5:11 PM CDT

Lessons Learned From Enron: Zip, Zero, Nada, Wall Street Journal Says

What a difference more than six months of financial crisis can create. After the fall of the once-fabled Enron energy company and the federal conviction of 22 of its former employees, officials crowed a few years ago that its failure had helped strengthen regulatory protections. Maybe so, as evidenced by…

Oct 29, 2008 7:58 PM CDT

After Major ICE Raid, Iowa Hits Kosher Meat Plant With $10M in Labor Fines

A kosher meatpacking plant in Iowa has been hit with not quite $10 million in fines by the state labor commission for alleged violation of wage laws after a May raid on the plant by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in which about 390 people were arrested. At…

Oct 29, 2008 6:58 PM CDT

C-SPAN Seeks to Broadcast ‘Fleeting Expletives’ Oral Arguments

U.S. Supreme Court litigator Carter Phillips doesn’t plan to use a euphemism for the F-word when he argues the so-called fleeting expletives case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Now C-SPAN wants to broadcast audiotapes of the argument, raising the issue whether it will violate the Federal Communications Commission rule that…

Oct 29, 2008 11:52 AM CDT

Calif. Judge Admonished for Saying Prosecutor Had ‘Rocks for Brains’

A longtime California judge who retired early this year has been admonished for comments he made to attorneys while still on the bench. Former San Bernardino County Superior Judge Paul Bryant Jr. shouldn’t have said to a prosecutor that she had “rocks for brains,” or something very similar, according to…

Oct 28, 2008 3:48 PM CDT

Recover Executive Perks, or Else, NY’s AG Tells Insurance Giant AIG

In an effort that could serve as a blueprint to others seeking to hold executives of failed corporations financially responsible, the attorney general of New York has sent a letter to insurance giant AIG. In it, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo says the company must recover millions of dollars in “unreasonable”…

Oct 15, 2008 7:22 PM CDT

Lawyers Hope Bailout Bill ‘a Full Employment Act’ for Law Firms

Law firms gearing up to offer advice on the $700 billion bailout bill hope to help clients—as well as their own bottom lines. Law firm marketing consultant Peter Zeughauser told the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) why lawyers are so eager to counsel clients about the bill, known as the…

Oct 15, 2008 1:27 PM CDT

J&J Paid $68M to Settle Lawsuits Over Birth-Control Patch, News Agency Says

It has cost the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company an estimated $68.7 million to settle hundreds of lawsuits alleging that users were injured or, in 20 cases, even died as a result of using the company’s Ortho Evra birth-control patch. Complaints filed in state and federal court on behalf of…

Oct 10, 2008 5:59 PM CDT

Top Alaska Court Allows Sarah Palin Probe to Proceed; Report Expected Tomorrow

The Alaska Supreme Court refused today to call a halt to the “Troopergate” ethics investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president. That sets the stage for the state legislature to release tomorrow, as planned, its investigative report about whether Palin abused her power as governor by…

Oct 10, 2008 12:40 AM CDT

Newly Unemployed: Thousands of Texas Fish Used in Banned Pedicure Practice

Worried about the potential risks of fish nibbling at customers’ tootsies, the state of Texas banned the pedicure practice yesterday. “Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation spokeswoman Susan Stanford said the agency was concerned about salons using the same fish to clean the skin of multiple customers, leaving them open…

Oct 9, 2008 7:09 PM CDT

Despite S&L Debacle Decades Ago, Most Hard-Hit States Didn’t Amp Up Regulation

Despite the savings and loan meltdown that hit the country some 20 years ago, many states at the center of that maelstrom apparently didn’t learn the obvious lesson: Regulation is needed to keep dubious mortgage lending practices in check. Now, many of the same states that suffered the most from…

Oct 8, 2008 5:44 PM CDT

U.S. Lawmaker Suggests Special Counsel Probe of Wall Street Operations

At least one congressional lawmaker is calling for the appointment of a special counsel to probe Wall Street’s operations, as a global financial crisis apparently sparked by the U.S. mortgage meltdown continued today. As stock prices plummeted again worldwide today and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee began hearings…

Oct 6, 2008 7:25 PM CDT

SEC Extends Temporary Short-Selling Ban Until Oct. 17

The Securities and Exchange Commission has extended until Oct. 17 a temporary ban on short-selling the stock of some 800 financial companies. However, the ban could terminate sooner if Congress enacts planned bailout legislation at an estimated cost to taxpayers of $700 billion or more in the meantime. If so,…

Oct 2, 2008 5:23 PM CDT

Bringing Lawyers, Guns and Money

In Chicago and elsewhere, the decision in Heller promises more litigation

Oct 1, 2008 6:50 PM CDT