Criminal Justice

Low-Paid Fla. Prosecutors, Defenders Are Quitting

Prosecutors and public defenders in Florida are leaving their low-paying jobs at alarming rates, according to the offices that employ them. The Miami Herald cites statistics from the Miami-Dade state attorney’s office. It lost 126 out of 291 attorneys in 2005 and 2006. The public defender’s office there lost 63…

May 2, 2007 6:33 PM CDT

Extortion Charge Dropped in Oprah Threat Case

Authorities have dropped charges against an Atlanta man accused of trying to extort $1.5 million from Oprah Winfrey. Keifer Bonvillain will have to complete community service and undergo drug testing as part of the deal, as well as pay $3,000 in restitution to the FBI for the cost of its…

May 2, 2007 6:05 PM CDT

Ailing Lawyer Delays Spector Trial

The murder trial of music producer Phil Spector has been delayed until May 7 because of a defense attorney’s medical problem. Bruce Cutler told the Los Angeles Times that he had some problems with his diabetes medications. “Superman has to get some kryptonite taken out of his system,” Cutler said.…

May 2, 2007 5:28 PM CDT

Man Convicted in Case that Exonerated Another

A Los Angeles jury has convicted a man for 11 murders over a 10-year-period in a case that helped exonerate another inmate. The sentencing hearing for Chester Dewayne Turner, a former pizza deliveryman and crack dealer, starts today, according to the Los Angeles Times. DNA tests by a cold case…

May 2, 2007 5:19 PM CDT

TB Patient Jailed for Risky Actions

An Arizona man with tuberculosis has been confined to a hospital’s jail ward since August because he did not wear a mask in public or take prescribed medications. “It’s not fair that they put me in jail,” 27-year-old Robert Daniels told the Los Angeles Times. He wants to be moved…

May 2, 2007 4:59 PM CDT

Patriot Act Changes Gave DOJ Control

The same day that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales assured a federal judge that a Montana U.S. attorney who worked in Washington was not violating federal law, that Montana prosecutor had a GOP senate staffer insert a provision to eliminate residency restrictions into a bill. The Washington Post says the incident…

May 2, 2007 2:56 PM CDT

75 Gitmo Lawyers Lobby U.S. for Court Access

Some 75 attorneys representing so-called enemy combatants being held in the Guantanamo Bay prison without trials fanned out over Capital Hill today, lobbying legislators in private meetings in an effort to get their clients into U.S. court. Denouncing the current approach as “executive branch extremism” during a news conference, the…

May 2, 2007 1:08 AM CDT

New Practice Area for D.C. Lawyers: D.C. Madam

The much-publicized case of the so-called D.C. Madam has sparked a new business practice for a number of Washington, D.C. lawyers. After she said she planned to name names of some of those on her 15,000-client list in her ongoing federal racketeering prosecution, at least five local attorneys telephoned Deborah…

May 1, 2007 6:22 PM CDT

D.C. Madam Case Began With IRS Tip

The investigation of the alleged D.C. madam started with a tip to the Internal Revenue Service by a man who learned his girlfriend was working as a prostitute. Since then, prosecutors have located several women who are prepared to testify that they worked for the escort service run by Deborah…

May 1, 2007 5:33 PM CDT

U.S. Flip-Flop in Medellin Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal by a Mexican national on death row who says he was not informed of his right to meet with consular officials. The United States has changed its position on whether courts here have to reopen cases in which defendants were…

May 1, 2007 3:22 PM CDT

Plotters’ Links Prompt Calls for Investigation

Details that have emerged from the trial of five men convicted of plotting to bomb British targets are prompting calls for further investigation. Evidence kept secret during the British trial showed a link between the plotters and four suicide bombers who attacked the London subway system, killing 56 people. Authorities…

May 1, 2007 2:49 PM CDT

Treatment an Option in NY Gambling Court

Offenders who appear in the nation’s first gambling court in suburban Buffalo, N.Y., can receive treatment instead of jail time. Justice Mark G. Farrell presides, overseeing a docket of crimes that range from burglary to check forgery, according to the New York Times. Court staffers say more than half of…

May 1, 2007 2:12 PM CDT

Attorney Convicted in Stock Price Scheme

An Atlanta attorney has been found guilty of securities fraud. Attorney Ulysses Thomas Ware was accused of issuing press releases to increase the price of stock before selling it at a profit, the New York Law Journal reports. A federal jury in the Southern District of New York found Ware…

May 1, 2007 1:32 PM CDT

Massacre Leads to Increased Gun Control in Va.

In the wake of the massacre of 32 at Virginia Tech, the state’s governor has issued an executive order to close a loophole that allowed the killer in that case, Seung Hui Cho, to buy firearms despite his troubled mental health history. The order puts individuals who have been found…

May 1, 2007 11:23 AM CDT

The Reach of the Writ

Habeas corpus rights of Guantanamo detainees are still up in the air

May 1, 2007 11:18 AM CDT