Spotlight On the Three States That Maintain All-Male High Courts

Jun 1, 2011 7:30 AM CDT

Feds, John Edwards Reportedly at Impasse in Talks re Possible Plea

Did longtime friends of trial attorney John Edwards give him money to help cover up an extramarital affair so he could keep it secret from his cancer-stricken wife, Elizabeth? Or to help the former senator from North Carolina with his campaign for election as the nation’s president? The answer to…

May 31, 2011 11:32 PM CDT

DOJ Reportedly OKs Possible Prosecution of John Edwards re Affair Cover-Up Payments

Updated: Relying on unidentified sources, major news organizations are reporting that the U.S. Department of Justice has approved the pursuit of a possible criminal indictment against former presidential candidate John Edwards related to money spent to cover up an extramarital affair. The affair cover-up expenditures could have violated campaign-finance law…

May 25, 2011 8:46 PM CDT

IRS is Looking at Big Donors Who Didn’t Pay Tax on Gifts to Nonprofit Advocacy Groups

Five large donors could be asked to pay gift tax on millions of dollars in contributions to nonprofit advocacy groups. The donors, who aren’t identified, can support campaigns and causes in this manner without being publicly identified. Although the Internal Revenue Service has long had a rule requiring that tax…

May 12, 2011 9:33 PM CDT

Talking Heads Frontman ‘Feeling Very Manly’ After Winning Song-Use Suit Settlement from Ex-Fla. Gov

A lawsuit brought by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne against former Fla. Governor Charlie Crist over use of his “Road to Nowhere” song in campaign material has been settled. Although all of the terms weren’t disclosed, they include a public apology by Crist that is posted on YouTube, reports the…

Apr 12, 2011 3:23 PM CDT

Conservative Justice Takes Wisconsin Election Lead After County Clerk Finds Uncounted Ballots

A conservative incumbent justice took the lead in a Wisconsin Supreme Court election on Thursday after the county clerk in Waukesha said workers found more than 14,000 uncounted votes. Nearly 11,000 of those votes were for Justice David Prosser Jr., giving him a lead of more than 7,000 votes, according…

Apr 8, 2011 12:06 PM CDT

DRI Report Recommends New Recusal Procedures to Deal with Flood of Judicial Campaign Cash

A new report by the defense bar warns that judicial independence and integrity are threatened by court funding cuts and the increasing flow of money into judicial elections. Almost half of state courts are operating under hiring freezes, while others have cut staff pay, implemented judicial furloughs and cut courthouse…

Apr 6, 2011 11:00 AM CDT

Acquitted Prosecutor Can Identify with Defendants’ Frequent Complaint

A prosecutor in suburban Chicago can identify with a frequent complaint of the defendants he prosecutes after his own acquittal on charges that he asked public employees do campaign work on county time. McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis Bianchi tells the Chicago Tribune that he and his secretary were placed…

Mar 30, 2011 5:48 PM CDT

Chief Justice Checks Out a Website for Constitutional Ammunition in Campaign Finance Case

A majority of the U.S. Supreme Court appears ready to strike down an Arizona campaign finance law that doles out additional matching funds to publicly financed candidates as privately financed candidates spend more. The five justices who appeared ready to strike down the law were all in the majority last…

Mar 29, 2011 1:39 PM CDT

Swift, Stunning Win for Prosecutor on Trial in Political Corruption Case: Judge Axes All Charges

A closely watched trial of an Illinois prosecutor that is believed to be the first in state history to put a sitting district attorney in the defendant’s seat in a felony case has ended with a swift and stunning victory for McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis Bianchi. At the close…

Mar 23, 2011 9:11 PM CDT

Wis. Justice Admits He Lobbed the B-Word at the Chief Justice—and Says It Was Warranted

Wisconsin Justice David Prosser isn’t denying it. He called the state’s chief justice, Shirley Abrahamson, a “bitch” during a heated debate over whether to remove another justice from a criminal case. Prosser says he used the B-word after Abrahamson tried to undermine him politically and to embarrass him and other…

Mar 22, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Critics Say Ariz. Bills to Change Judicial Merit Selection Are a Legislative Power Grab

A conservative lawmaker in Arizona has introduced several bills that would change the state’s merit selection process for appellate judges and for trial judges in its two most populous counties. Critics say the bills introduced by Republican Sen. Ron Gould are an apparent attempt to politicize the judicial selection process…

Mar 17, 2011 1:49 PM CDT

Ex-Judge Gets 26 Years as Mastermind in Racketeering Conspiracy Vote-Purchase Case

A former Kentucky judge has been sentenced to over 26 years in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy among public officials to gain power and control by corrupting Clay County elections in 2002, 2004 and 2006. U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves called former Clay County Circuit Judge R.…

Mar 10, 2011 9:51 PM CST

John Edwards Hires Ex-White House Counsel in Bid to Stave Off Charges for Alleged Mistress Payments

Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards is trying to stave off criminal charges by hiring a new lawyer for his defense team. Former White House counsel Gregory Craig will be joining two North Carolina-based lawyers representing Edwards in a probe of possible campaign finance violations stemming from payments allegedly made…

Mar 3, 2011 1:08 PM CST

Candidates Say Public Campaign Funds Chill Their 1st Amendment Rights

Mar 1, 2011 10:01 AM CST