California

Afternoon Briefs: 7 federal death penalty requests withdrawn; ex-lawyer sentenced for advice on supplements

DOJ withdraws death penalty requests The U.S. Department of Justice has withdrawn requests for the death penalty in seven cases, reversing the stance taken by the department during the Trump administration. The DOJ is still seeking the death penalty in appeals of two other cases—that of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar…

Jul 23, 2021 2:32 PM CDT

Lawyer finds two words that doom billion-dollar case

A lawyer with a BigLaw firm was able to thwart a billion-dollar qui tam case against the Lennar Corp. when she found a California real estate developer’s name on a change-of-counsel form.

Jul 20, 2021 12:28 PM CDT

How one law firm plans to embrace remote work—even after reopening its offices

Even with the firm having announced an official reopening date of Sept. 9 for its five offices across California and Washington, Klinedinst’s leaders do not expect to see a flood of colleagues returning to the workplace.

Jul 8, 2021 12:02 PM CDT

Los Angeles superior court fined over $25K for COVID-19 safety violations after courthouse worker deaths

The superior court of Los Angeles County has been fined more than $25,000 for COVID-19 workplace safety violations following the deaths of at least four courthouse workers.

Jul 8, 2021 11:38 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Judge requires COVID-19 vaccine for some probationers; are Breyer hirings a sign?

Judge requires vaccine as condition of probation Judge Richard Frye of Franklin County, Ohio, is requiring some criminal defendants to get the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of probation. None of the defendants raised philosophical, medical or religious objections, Frye told the Ohio Capital Journal and WSYX. Gary Daniels, a…

Jul 6, 2021 4:25 PM CDT

Donor disclosure requirement violates First Amendment rights of association, SCOTUS rules

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Thursday that California's donor disclosure requirement violates the First Amendment.

Jul 1, 2021 9:31 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: SCOTUS overturns another agency structure; corporate diversity suit allowed

Supreme Court rules FHFA structure is unconstitutional The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the structure of the Federal Housing Finance Agency is unconstitutional because its director can only be removed by a U.S. president for cause. The decision will allow President Joe Biden to replace the Trump appointee leading…

Jun 23, 2021 4:21 PM CDT

Property rights group notches another SCOTUS victory in ruling against agricultural unions

A California regulation allowing union organizers to access private property of employers is a physical taking requiring just compensation, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision Wednesday.

Jun 23, 2021 10:26 AM CDT

3 newest justices join Supreme Court liberals in decision for fleeing misdemeanor suspect

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that police officers who are pursuing a misdemeanor suspect aren’t necessarily entitled to enter a home without a warrant.

Jun 23, 2021 9:53 AM CDT

Tax charges don’t deter ADA lawyer, who filed a thousand access complaints after indictment

Sacramento, California, lawyer Scott Johnson has filed more than a thousand disability access complaints in the San Francisco Bay Area since his May 2019 indictment on tax charges.

Jun 23, 2021 9:38 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Suit tossed over ‘stateless’ BigLaw partners; Lafayette Square claims dismissed

Perkins Coie wins suit dismissal because of ‘stateless’ partners The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Chicago has ruled that former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page can’t sue Perkins Coie for defamation in federal court. Page had alleged that the law firm and the Democratic National Committee retained Fusion…

Jun 22, 2021 4:53 PM CDT

Disbarred lawyer can’t discharge debt he owes state bar for client losses, bankruptcy judge says

A disbarred California lawyer can’t use a bankruptcy to discharge more than $2 million in debt that is owed to a fund used to reimburse his former clients, a federal bankruptcy judge has ruled.

Jun 17, 2021 12:19 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Judge compares AR-15 to Swiss Army knife; suit claims GC wasn’t rehired because of long-haul COVID-19

Federal judge strikes down ban on assault weapons Citing the Second Amendment, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez of the Southern District of California struck down California’s ban on assault weapons Friday. “Like the Swiss Army knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland…

Jun 7, 2021 4:03 PM CDT

SCOTUS will hear case involving FBI surveillance of Muslim community and state secrets privilege

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider the government’s ability to invoke the state secrets privilege to defeat a lawsuit accusing the FBI of illegally spying on the Muslim community.

Jun 7, 2021 12:06 PM CDT

Arizona reportedly prepares gas chamber for execution by cyanide, the gas used at Auschwitz

Arizona officials have “gone to considerable lengths to revive the state’s mothballed gas chamber,” according to a recently released report by the Guardian.

Jun 7, 2021 9:02 AM CDT