Biden commutes 37 of 40 federal death sentences before Trump takes office

President Joe Biden on Monday is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 prisoners on federal death row to life without parole, taking the unprecedented step ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, whose incoming administration is widely expected to restart executions.

Dec 23, 2024 9:25 AM CST

Meet 11 ABA members who inspired us in 2024

In this year’s Members Who Inspire series, the ABA Journal featured 11 outstanding ABA members who brighten the world around them.

Dec 20, 2024 2:12 PM CST

Poll: Which ABA Journal magazine cover from 2024 was your favorite?

We covered a wide array of diverse, in-depth and hard-hitting legal topics at the ABA Journal this year.

Dec 20, 2024 10:35 AM CST

Fani Willis disqualified from Trump election case by Georgia appellate court

A Georgia appellate court overturned a judge’s ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis to remain in charge of the criminal racketeering case against Donald Trump—a decision that could doom the high-profile prosecution.

Dec 19, 2024 9:38 AM CST

Attorney-client privilege should cover electronic messages to federal prisoners, ABA president says

Dec 19, 2024 9:24 AM CST

Judge faces wiretap charge for allegedly recording judicial deliberations; his lawyer says it was ‘self-protection’

A Maryland judge has been indicted for allegedly recording himself and two other judges during confidential deliberations without the others judges' knowledge or consent.

Dec 16, 2024 3:11 PM CST

Tween’s parents can’t sue video chat service for child porn and sex trafficking, 11th Circuit rules

Parents who alleged that their 11-year-old daughter was tricked and threatened into making child pornography can’t sue an online service that randomly places people into video chat rooms, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Dec 16, 2024 12:00 PM CST

Biden commutes nearly 1,500 sentences in ‘largest single-day grant of clemency’

President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardoning 39 more convicted of nonviolent crimes, the White House said in a statement Thursday, describing it as “the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history.”

Dec 12, 2024 9:30 AM CST

Prosecutor who sent nude photos to federal judge ‘felt trapped,’ thought she had no choice, cited letter says

An assistant U.S. attorney in Alaska said she felt “completely powerless” when then-U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Kindred of the District of Alaska asked for nude photos around the same time that he allegedly texted her about holding grudges and his power to help her win a nomination to the federal bench, according to documents unsealed Monday.

Dec 11, 2024 2:57 PM CST

Wife convicted of murdering prominent attorney husband claimed to reveal real killer at her sentencing

A Georgia woman convicted of murdering and burning the body of her husband, a prominent Atlanta-area attorney, was sentenced to life in prison after a Dec. 5 sentencing hearing in which she claimed that the real killer was the man’s son.

Dec 9, 2024 1:04 PM CST

Texas lawyer allegedly killed and cremated son, saying he mistook him for intruder

A Houston lawyer is accused of waiting about 17 hours to call police after allegedly killing his son and burning his body on a woodpile at his weekend home in Sabine County, Texas.

Dec 9, 2024 9:52 AM CST

Rejection of Boeing plea deal on DEI grounds causes consternation

The surprise rejection of Boeing Co.’s proposed guilty plea to fraud charges stemming from two fatal 737 Max crashes has inserted a fiery culture issue into the proceedings after a judge opposed the consideration of race in the selection of a compliance monitor.

Dec 6, 2024 12:35 PM CST

Biden should pardon Trump, as well as Trump’s enemies, says Watergate figure John Dean

Former lawyer and Nixon White House counsel John Dean is suggesting that President Joe Biden should go further with his pardons.

Dec 5, 2024 9:19 AM CST

Trump’s lawyers cite Hunter Biden pardon in NY hush money dismissal bid

President-elect Donald Trump’s felony conviction for falsifying business documents is tainted by the same corruption in the justice system that President Joe Biden decried when he announced his son’s pardon, Trump’s attorneys wrote in a document released Tuesday.

Dec 4, 2024 12:15 PM CST

Must Hunter Biden’s indictment be dismissed after presidential pardon? Special counsel doesn’t think so

The special counsel’s office is opposing motions to dismiss the tax-fraud and gun indictments against Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, arguing that a presidential pardon does not require it.

Dec 3, 2024 12:48 PM CST