Videos guide lawyers through federal civil procedure

Learning federal civil procedure can be a tough slog. The author of an online legal-practice guide helps lawyers research the subject with a series of online videos. The Wagstaffe Group Practice Guide: Federal Civil Procedure Before Trial is available in three loose-leaf volumes from Matthew Bender. Subscribers to the Lexis…

Jun 6, 2017 1:15 PM CDT

ABA urges Supreme Court to hear case of Gitmo detainee held more than 15 years

The ABA filed an amicus brief on Wednesday that urges the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal by a Guantanamo Bay detainee who has been held without trial for 15 years. The ABA brief (PDF) says the court should review the claim by Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri that he…

Jun 1, 2017 9:21 AM CDT

ABA opposes tort reform bills that amend court rules and limit damages

Jun 1, 2017 12:40 AM CDT

Wikipedia publisher may sue over NSA ‘upstream’ surveillance, federal appeals court rules

A federal appeals court has ruled the Wikimedia Foundation has standing to sue over the government’s warrantless, temporary collection of email communications during its searches for targeted international communications flowing through the United States. The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the Wikipedia publisher to sue over…

May 24, 2017 10:53 AM CDT

SCOTUS limits venue in patent suits, making it more difficult to file in friendly jurisdictions

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday narrowed the locations where patent infringement suits can be filed in a unanimous decision interpreting conflicting statutes on venue.

May 22, 2017 9:55 AM CDT

Judge tosses suits claiming Facebook is liable for aiding terrorism

A federal judge in Brooklyn, New York, has dismissed two lawsuits that claimed Facebook should be liable for allowing terrorists to use its platform to advance violence. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis ruled on Thursday, report Reuters, Bloomberg and the Verge, which linked to the opinion (PDF). One of the…

May 18, 2017 3:08 PM CDT

Avvo wins default $2 million judgment against alleged creators of fraudulent imitation site

On Tuesday, Avvo announced that it had won its lawsuit against hackers and phishers who were accused of creating a rip-off site designed to trick lawyers and customers into disclosing their personal information. Last week, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona granted a default motion in favor…

May 16, 2017 5:27 PM CDT

Former AIG chief can’t contest bailout terms, appeals court rules

Lawyers for the former CEO of American International Group say they will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their client’s case after a federal appeals court ruled his new company had no standing to contest the terms of the insurer’s government bailout. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the…

May 11, 2017 7:08 AM CDT

Transgender teen called ‘modern-day human rights leader’ in 4th Circuit concurrence

A transgender teen may once again be banned from the boys’ restroom at his high school as a result of an appeals court order Friday. The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted an injunction that had allowed Gavin Grimm to use the boys’ restroom at his high…

Apr 10, 2017 8:30 AM CDT

Susman Godfrey is sanctioned for wrong line spacing in brief

A federal judge in Manhattan has fined Susman Godfrey $1,048.09 for wrong spacing in a brief that allowed the law firm to cram more words into its argument on behalf of Amazon Web Services Inc. U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero said the law firm used 24-point spacing, rather than double…

Apr 4, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Legal logjam in immigration court grows to more than 540,000 cases

A backlog of pending cases has been growing in the immigration courts for more than a decade—reaching more than half a million cases last year. One immigration judge said that in the fall of 2016, some judges were setting hearing dates as late as 2022.

Apr 1, 2017 4:40 AM CDT

Law deans and GCs join campaign to save Legal Services Corp. funding

The American Bar Association’s call to save the Legal Services Corp. was echoed by the general counsel from 185 companies in a letter to Congress on Tuesday, and by the deans of 166 law schools last week. The LSC’s funding was marked for elimination in President Donald Trump’s proposed budget.…

Mar 29, 2017 3:10 PM CDT

ABE Opportunity Grants established to provide funding for urgent legal needs

The American Bar Endowment has launched a new grant program to help local, state and national organizations meet urgent legal needs. The ABE Opportunity Grants program is intended to “support new, boots-on-the-ground, innovative projects that address issues of critical importance to the public and the legal profession,” ABE president J.…

Mar 28, 2017 1:16 PM CDT

Federal judge in Virginia refuses to block revised travel ban

A federal judge in Virginia on Friday refused to block President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban. The decision (PDF) by U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga of Alexandria is contrary to rulings by judges in Hawaii and Maryland, who both issued nationwide injunctions that blocked enforcement of at least some sections…

Mar 27, 2017 10:15 AM CDT

Federal judge tosses suit against property owner who shot down hovering drone

A federal judge in Louisville has dismissed a suit seeking damages against a property owner who shot down a hobbyist’s drone in 2015. Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas Russell dismissed the suit against self-described “drone slayer” William Merideth, citing a lack of federal subject matter jurisdiction, Ars Technica reports. The…

Mar 27, 2017 8:40 AM CDT