Court Administration

Presidential commission divided on Supreme Court expansion, ability of Congress to impose term limits

A presidential commission studying proposals to change the U.S. Supreme Court is divided on the wisdom of expanding the number of justices and the ability of Congress to impose term limits by statute.

Oct 15, 2021 11:39 AM CDT

Inmate moons judge during video hearing after he was ordered held without bail

A Massachusetts inmate showed his displeasure by mooning the judge last week after she ordered him held without bail. Justin MacLean, 37, may face additional charges for dropping his pants and exposing his buttocks at the end of the video hearing, the Eagle-Tribune reports. MacLean participated in the hearing remotely…

Oct 12, 2021 4:27 PM CDT

Judge on top New York court is reportedly banned from courthouse after refusing to reveal COVID-19 vaccine status

Just one judge in New York’s court system has refused to comply with the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Oct 6, 2021 10:36 AM CDT

Disbarred lawyer who fought Chevron gets prison time for disobeying court orders

Disbarred environmental lawyer Steven Donziger was sentenced to six months in prison Friday for refusing to surrender his electronic devices and disobeying other court orders in a suit against him by the Chevron Corp.

Oct 4, 2021 11:16 AM CDT

Federal courts won’t shut down Friday, even if government funding dries up

Federal courts should be able to continue operations for about two weeks if Congress fails to pass a bill to extend government funding by midnight Thursday, when funding expires for most federal agencies.

Sep 29, 2021 10:59 AM CDT

Comfort dogs can be used to assist witnesses testifying in criminal trials, top state court rules

Trial courts may allow comfort dogs for witnesses at criminal trials in appropriate circumstances, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled. The court on Wednesday affirmed the 2018 third-degree murder conviction of Sheron Jalen Purnell, ruling that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by allowing a comfort dog during the testimony of a minor with autism.

Sep 23, 2021 10:18 AM CDT

California is poised to permit remote court hearings through at least mid-2023

The San Diego Superior Court system has utilized remote hearings amid the COVID-19 pandemic to keep court business moving forward. Under a bill the California legislature approved unanimously last week, courts across the country’s most populous state would be permitted to continue hosting remote hearings in civil proceedings.

Sep 16, 2021 2:10 PM CDT

Supreme Court among buildings evacuated amid bomb threat investigation

Updated: U.S. Capitol police on Thursday morning were urging people to stay away from the area near the Library of Congress as they conducted an “active bomb threat investigation.”

Aug 19, 2021 12:18 PM CDT

Asylum officers, rather than immigration judges, would decide border asylum cases under proposed rule

Asylum officers would hear and decide asylum claims at the border under a proposed rule announced by the Biden administration Wednesday.

Aug 18, 2021 12:42 PM CDT

Some Texas courts agree to courthouse mask mandates despite governor’s contrary order

Courts in at least four counties in Texas will require masks in courthouses despite an executive order by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that bans mask mandates.

Aug 11, 2021 12:52 PM CDT

Weekly Briefs: More people apply to law school; gun-pointing lawyers pardoned

Law school applicants jump, along with high LSAT scores The number of law school applicants jumped by 13% this year, the biggest hike since 2002. The data from the Law School Admission Council also shows an increase in people with top LSAT scores of 175 to 180; there were 1,487…

Aug 6, 2021 11:27 AM CDT

New Jersey man gets prison time for posting federal judge’s home address on Twitter and Facebook

A New Jersey man has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for posting online the home address of a federal judge he deemed to be moving too slowly on his case.

Aug 3, 2021 1:08 PM CDT

Judicial portraits and Confederate monuments stir debate on bias in the justice system

“It is my goal—and my duty as a judge—to provide a trial setting that is perceived by all participants as fair, neutral and without so much as a hint of prejudice,” Judge Martin Clark wrote in a 2015 order. “Confederate symbols are, simply put, offensive to African Americans.”

Aug 1, 2021 1:40 AM CDT

Unvaccinated lawyer has to wear mask at client’s trial after top state court refuses to intervene

A criminal defense lawyer in Augusta, Maine, has to wear a mask in his client’s jury trial this week after the state’s top court refused to consider his claim that the face covering would prejudice jurors.

Jul 20, 2021 1:08 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: US lawyer sentenced in Hong Kong tussle; Air Force at fault in mass shooting

US lawyer in Hong Kong sentenced to prison Samuel Bickett, a U.S. lawyer in Hong Kong, has been sentenced to four months and two weeks in jail for intervening when he saw a man attacking a commuter. The man Bickett confronted turned out to be an off-duty police officer trying…

Jul 9, 2021 4:24 PM CDT