Civil Rights

Lawsuit: 7-Year-Old Citizen Locked In With Dad

A 7-year-old California boy was rousted from his bed at home by federal immigration authorities and illegally held with his father for 10 hours in a locked room earlier this year, according to a lawsuit filed today in federal court in San Francisco. Even though Noe Reyes showed agents his…

Apr 27, 2007 12:52 AM CDT

NH Civil Unions OK’d; ‘Proud Tradition’

The New Hampshire legislature approved civil unions for same-sex couples today, the anniversary of when the first such bill in the country was signed into law seven years ago by the governor of Vermont. Unlike Vermont, however, New Hampshire was not prompted to do so by a court ruling. The…

Apr 26, 2007 7:32 PM CDT

Massacre Fallout: ‘A’ Student Charged for Essay

A straight-A student at a suburban Chicago high school reportedly was charged with disorderly conduct yesterday over a paper he had written for his English class. Authorities declined to specify exactly what was said in the paper that disturbed the 18-year-old student’s teacher and led to his arrest Tuesday, but…

Apr 26, 2007 6:39 PM CDT

Today in Legal History: Guillotine First Used, Vt. Civil Unions First in U.S.

On this day in 1792, the guillotine reportedly was first used in France to execute a highwayman, Nicolas-Jacques Pelletier. At the time, despite its subsequent notoriety as a means of killing some 15,000 during the French Revolution, the guillotine was considered a swift, certain and more humane way of putting…

Apr 26, 2007 5:08 PM CDT

Gonzales Battle Puts Latino Groups in Hot Spot

As the controversy over Attorney General Alberto Gonzales continues, Latino groups reportedly are torn. Many gladly endorsed the elevation of the son of migrant farmworkers to the nation’s top prosecutorial position. Now that he is on the hot seat, however, over the controversial firing of eight U.S. attorneys – and…

Apr 26, 2007 2:12 AM CDT

Leading Syrian Human Rights Lawyer Jailed

A leading Syrian human rights lawyer reportedly was sentenced to a five-year prison term yesterday in Damascus, sparking protests by the U.S. and others. Arrested last May, Anwar al-Bunni was convicted of “disseminating false information likely to undermine the morale of the nation in wartime,” reports the Cybercast News Network.…

Apr 25, 2007 7:34 PM CDT

Today in Legal History: U.S. Declares War on Spain, NY Mandates Car Plates, ‘Dixie’ Flag Retired

On this day in 1898, the U.S. declared war against Spain, involving America in Cuba’s struggle for independence. For details, see this Library of Congress Web page. On this day in 1901, New York became the first state to require car owners to register and get license plates for their…

Apr 25, 2007 5:14 PM CDT

E-mail ‘Rant’ Costs Job; No Whistleblower Shield

A jaw-dropping e-mail reportedly sent to all employees at Kaiser Permanente last fall by an unauthorized 22-year-old worker shows that so-called company whistleblower rules intended to protect those who bring corporate wrongdoing to public attention only go so far. At the same time, though, it also demonstrates, as the Wall…

Apr 24, 2007 9:45 PM CDT

‘Partial’ Abortion Ban Puts Justices’ Faith at Issue

Last week’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to ban so-called partial birth abortion has sparked contentious discussion about the religious views of the nine justices who rendered the 5-4 ruling. A majority reportedly are Catholic In an article today detailing the controversy, ABC characterizes the issue as a “backlash”…

Apr 24, 2007 8:59 PM CDT

Author Dead in Crash, Wrote ‘Best & Brightest’

David Halberstam, a Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist whose well-known book, The Best and the Brightest, was a fascinating window for many on the elite lawyers and others wielding political power in Washington, D.C., in the Vietnam War era, died today in an auto accident in California. He was 73. The San Jose…

Apr 24, 2007 12:53 AM CDT

Traffic Court Discourages Lawyer’s Service Dog

A disabled Rockville Centre, N.Y., lawyer arranged a plea deal for her client in a hallway this week after Nassau County traffic court officials discouraged her from entering the crowded courtroom with her service dog. Court officials say they asked her to wait until there was more space, the AP…

Apr 21, 2007 12:36 AM CDT

This Day in Legal History: Anti-KKK Legislation, Supreme Court Upholds Busing

On this day in 1871, Congress passed a law intended to end the terror tactics being used against African-Americans and others by a white supremacist group called the Ku Klux Klan that had been formed after the end of the Civil War. Popularly known as the Ku Klux Klan Act,…

Apr 20, 2007 11:00 AM CDT

Activist’s Wife Blames Yahoo for Husband’s Torture

Yahoo has effectively disclosed the identities of some Chinese users of its e-mail service to the Chinese government, leading to their imprisonment and even torture in that country, according to a lawsuit filed by international human rights activists yesterday. The 34-page suit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, contends…

Apr 19, 2007 5:16 PM CDT

FedEx Race Bias Settlement in Top 10

A $55 million consent decree in a racial discrimination suit against FedEx Corp. may make the agreement one of the top 10 race bias settlements, says the lawyer for the plaintiffs.

Apr 11, 2007 12:33 PM CDT

Goodling Scandal Spotlights Christian Law School

Since President Bush took office in 2001, a Christian law school founded by televangelist Pat Robertson has had a lot of success placing graduates – including Monica Goodling – in government jobs. Her resignation Friday as a top aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, after refusing to testify before Congress…

Apr 9, 2007 9:07 PM CDT