Appellate Practice

John Grisham Sued for Libel

The best-selling author of numerous legal thrillers has been sued for libel over his first nonfiction work, The Innocent Man. In an unusual federal libel conspiracy case, John Grisham, along with other authors and publishers, has been sued by a prosecutor and law enforcement officer over three nonfiction books published…

Oct 1, 2007 10:49 PM CDT

Stranger Posted Bell’s Bond in Jena 6 Case

Although he had never met Mychal Bell, a doctor living elsewhere in the state posted the bond the 17-year-old needed to get out of jail and return home to the tiny town of Jena, La. Meanwhile, others also offered to do so, too, according to Bell’s lawyer. As a result,…

Sep 28, 2007 11:17 PM CDT

‘Legal Wonk’: What Larry Craig Wants, Court Can’t Give

If Sen. Larry Craig is lucky, a Minnesota judge, as expected, will refuse to let him revoke his guilty plea to a disorderly conduct charge. That’s because a trial over the charge will only serve to further embarrass the embattled Republican from Idaho, without giving him what he wants—public proof…

Sep 28, 2007 5:11 PM CDT

Fed’l Judges: Court Cameras Harm Trials

Legislation that would give federal appellate and criminal judges more discretion to decide whether to permit cameras in their courtroom was debated in a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill yesterday. Even one of its sponsors admits that the Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2007 isn’t clearly on…

Sep 28, 2007 1:12 PM CDT

Life for 48 Murders, So Why Me?

The notorious Washington state killer who murdered 48 women didn’t get the death penalty. And Robert Yates Jr. didn’t, either, when he confessed in a Spokane County plea deal to murdering 13. But two of the killings about which he gave information wound up being prosecuted in a separate case…

Sep 27, 2007 6:25 PM CDT

State Backs Down in Jena 6 Case

The prosecution in a controversial case against one of the so-called Jena Six defendants has accepted a Louisiana appellate court ruling that he should be tried as a juvenile. Mychal Bell, who was 16 at the time that he and five other black high school students allegedly attacked a white…

Sep 27, 2007 12:50 AM CDT

Court: Lawyer Lied in Firm Fight ... But Which One?

A recent ruling by the Ontario Court of Appeal offers a startling view of the hard-hitting office politics at a venerable Toronto law firm. When attorney Benjamin Moss trudged back to Pinkofskys from a criminal trial on May 14, 2004 and reported to his colleagues that the firm’s client had…

Sep 26, 2007 9:35 PM CDT

5th Circuit OKs Super-Long Enron Brief

Ordinarily, the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals looks with “great disfavor,” according to its own rules, on long-winded briefs. But the appellate court should make an exception in the unusually complex case of former Enron Corp. CEO Jeffrey Skilling’s appeal of his conviction in a securities fraud…

Sep 26, 2007 7:29 PM CDT

Nice Job: World’s Richest Representation

Ten years ago, Steven Selsberg left the Houston office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges because he didn’t make partner. Today, his professional future is looking a lot brighter. Although has racked up a number of professional accomplishments in the meantime, including partnerships at two major law firms, one in particular…

Sep 25, 2007 8:51 PM CDT

ABA Prez Seeks Ohio Death Penalty Halt

After a 30-month study, a group of legal experts associated with the American Bar Association called today for a temporary moratorium on enforcement of the death penalty in Ohio until a “flawed” criminal justice system can be corrected. Inadequate legal representation, among other problems, means that the interests of many…

Sep 24, 2007 10:46 PM CDT

1000s Protest in Jena (and Elsewhere)

In a protest largely launched by bloggers that some are calling the dawn of a new 21st century civil rights movement, more than 15,000 people from around the country reportedly marched on a tiny town in Louisiana today. Their goal: to protest what many see as an unfair justice system…

Sep 21, 2007 3:58 AM CDT

Court to Parents: No Tough Love, No Cars

A lack of tough love has cost two Washington state parents their cars. Because they didn’t act quickly enough to snatch back their car keys from a son who apparently was using their vehicles to deal drugs, according to authorities, they were properly seized by the government under drug-forfeiture laws…

Sep 19, 2007 11:48 PM CDT

Reprieve for Star Florida Student in Deportation Case

A special bill is being pursued in the U.S. Senate to help a star Miami area student facing deportation with his family as illegal immigrants. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) filed a bill Monday to help Juan Gomez, a popular high school football player and star student who is now attending…

Sep 19, 2007 3:46 PM CDT

Religion Statute May Allow Gitmo Claims

Four former Guantanamo Bay military prison detainees who claim American officials abused them there haven’t had any luck trying to sue the U.S. government over alleged constitutional rights violations. But redress may be possible under a 1993 statute that says the government must have a compelling reason for infringing on…

Sep 17, 2007 3:48 PM CDT

AL Prosecutor Rebuked By State AG

An Alabama prosecutor who testified in support of a convicted murderer in his successful appeal of his death sentence has been rebuked by the state attorney general. Robert E. Owens, the Shelby County district attorney and the prosecutor in the case in which LaSamuel Gamble was convicted, testified that it…

Sep 15, 2007 2:40 AM CDT