Appellate Practice

‘Part-Time’ Partner Works 9 Hours a Day

Virginia Seitz is living proof that women lawyers can do it all, balancing a high-powered career with a family life. The Washington, D.C., appellate practitioner, 50, is a partner at Sidley Austin, yet leaves the office at 2:55 p.m. to pick up her two children from school, reports the New…

Jul 16, 2007 10:52 PM CDT

St. Louis Prosecutor: Right Man Executed

Friends of Larry Griffin and death penalty opponents have been eagerly awaiting a report by the chief St. Louis prosecutor on whether Griffin was innocent of the 1980 murder for which he was executed in 1995. But now Chief Prosecutor Jennifer Joyce says the state of Missouri imposed the ultimate…

Jul 13, 2007 5:28 PM CDT

Defendants: No Jail for Libby; Why Me?

Updated: A former top aide to the vice president of the United States didn’t have to serve time for lying to a federal grand jury. So why should I? That essentially is the argument being made by a Massachusetts woman, 41-year-old Joanne “Jody” Richardson. And she’s not the only one.…

Jul 11, 2007 9:13 PM CDT

A Roberts Grilling Is Bad Sign

Lawyers peppered with a lot of questions from the chief justice in Supreme Court oral arguments face more than a grilling: They also stand an increased chance of losing his vote, if it’s a close case. That’s the conclusion of a study of 25 oral arguments that produced 5-4 decisions,…

Jul 11, 2007 12:40 PM CDT

Case Over for NJ Man Jailed 22 Years

A New Jersey man jailed for 22 years after being convicted of murdering his former girlfriend’s two children has been freed and will not face new charges after a DNA test linked another man to the crimes. A state prosecutor announced today that Byron Halsey, 46, will not be recharged…

Jul 9, 2007 9:15 PM CDT

Justice Alito Biggest Business Champion

On a current U.S. Supreme Court known for its pro-business views, Justice Samuel Alito, in his first full year on its bench, stands out as the biggest champion of Big Business in recent memory. As the current Supreme Court term concludes this week, Alito, 57, gets star billing in what…

Jun 26, 2007 8:58 PM CDT

Did Missouri Execute an Innocent Man?

A dozen years after Larry Griffin was executed, despite his continuing proclaimations of innocence, by the state of Missouri, there are major unanswered questions about whether he was actually guilty of the 1980 drive-by shooting he was convicted of committing. After a University of Michigan law professor brought to light…

Jun 26, 2007 8:35 PM CDT

Plaintiff is Top Judge; Who Hears Appeal?

It’s a basic premise of constitutional law that litigants are entitled to a fair trial. Thus, when a judge is even peripherally involved in a lawsuit, he or she routinely steps aside and lets another jurist hear the case. But what happens when all the judges in the system are…

Jun 19, 2007 12:05 AM CDT

SG Steps onto Political Stage

U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, a self-described law geek, has been thrust into the political spotlight in the controversy over the firings of at least eight U.S. attorneys. As the highest ranking Justice Department official who was not involved in the hirings, Clement is charged with overseeing the DOJ’s own…

Jun 15, 2007 5:22 PM CDT

Amicus Proposal Riles Right, Left

Groups both liberal and conservative are objecting to a proposed Supreme Court rule on amicus briefs. The proposal would require the groups filing amicus briefs to reveal whether parties in the case or their lawyers are members, Tony Mauro of Legal Times reports. The rule would apply to lawyers in…

Jun 13, 2007 12:51 PM CDT

Prof’s Law Blog Led to 11th Circuit Case

Blogging can be a legal minefield for lawyers and parties to litigation, as a Boston doctor defending a malpractice case found out recently when he outed himself as “Flea” and abruptly settled. But this minefield can also produce gold, as an Ohio State University law professor has seen. After former…

Jun 7, 2007 1:42 AM CDT

Execution for Tex. Woman in Baby Case?

An unusual execution of a woman may be about to take place in Texas. If so, it would be only the 12th in the entire country since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1977. Well over 1,000 men have been executed during that time. Cathy Lynn Henderson,…

May 31, 2007 12:33 AM CDT

Judges Get Huffy When Motives Questioned

An effective lawyer challenges court opinions without impugning the character or motives of the judges who wrote them. But should lawyers who don’t follow this rule be penalized? More often, courts are answering the question in the affirmative, according to Adam Liptak in a New York Times (sub. req.) column.…

May 7, 2007 1:53 PM CDT

A Matter Over Mind

The Supreme Court Is Poised to Review the Insanity Defense, an Issue That Has Confounded Courts, Psychiatrists and Lawyers

Apr 22, 2006 8:39 AM CDT

Ink and IP

A Battle Over Selling Printer Ink Pushes Patent Rights Up Against Antitrust Law

Nov 29, 2005 9:27 AM CST