Election Law

Lawyer Pleads Not Guilty to Campaign Finance Violations

Los Angeles trial lawyer Pierce O’Donnell has pleaded not guilty to charges that he violated campaign finance laws. A trial date was set for Oct. 21, the National Law Journal reports. The charges stem from allegations that O’Donnell reimbursed his staff and others for $26,000 in campaign contributions, reportedly made…

Aug 27, 2008 5:26 PM CDT

Biden Fought to Preserve Delaware as Corporate Bankruptcy Forum

Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden opposed a bill that would have cut down on the number of corporate bankruptcies filed in his home state of Delaware. Biden says companies like the efficiencies of having an experienced court handle their complicated bankruptcies, but critics point out that the senator’s stance…

Aug 27, 2008 12:39 PM CDT

Young Protester in Denver Finds 1st Arrest a Daunting Experience

Arrested for the first time in his life while protesting in Denver on Monday night, as the Democratic National Convention was getting into gear, a young Colorado man identified as “Martin” says he didn’t do anything wrong. “I was marching to make people aware that they should be worried about…

Aug 26, 2008 11:31 PM CDT

Woman Who Registered Pooch to Vote is Out of Legal Doghouse

It started out as a protest of what Jan Balogh thought were lax voter registration standards. But it turned into a drawn-out legal ordeal that finally ended this week when a judge dismissed misdemeanor false statement charges against her. So what was the alleged crime? Balogh used an old utility…

Aug 26, 2008 9:37 PM CDT

Biden Donates Campaign Contributions by Scruggs and Associates

Former Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has donated charity campaign contributions to charity from trial lawyer Richard “Dickie” Scruggs and other associates involved in a plot to bribe a judge. Biden gave $4,600 to the National Prostate Cancer Coalition from Scruggs and his son Zach, the Delaware News Journal reports.…

Aug 22, 2008 1:44 PM CDT

Did Edwards’ Friends Pay for $50K Trip Hunter Took With Baby?

Widely criticized for failing to follow up aggressively on a supermarket tabloid’s reports last year of an affair between former presidential candidate John Edwards and Rielle Hunter, a filmmaker who was paid to make videos for his campaign, at least some of the mainstream media isn’t taking the same approach…

Aug 20, 2008 4:50 PM CDT

Payments to Edwards’ Mistress Raise Campaign Law Issues

Payments made on behalf of former presidential candidate John Edwards to his admitted mistress may not have complied with campaign laws, experts say. At least one says money paid by Fred Baron, a wealthy Dallas trial attorney who served as Edwards’ national finance chairman, to Rielle Hunter could potentially present…

Aug 15, 2008 8:59 PM CDT

Lawyers for Edwards’ Mistress and Campaign Aide Tied to Fred Baron

Lawyers for John Edwards’ mistress and the man who says he is the father of her child both have ties to the Dallas trial lawyer who was chairman of the presidential candidate’s campaign finance committee. The committee chairman, Dallas trial lawyer Fred Baron, has said he paid to relocate Rielle…

Aug 15, 2008 10:48 AM CDT

Lawyer Who Paid Rent of Edwards’ Mistress ‘Shocked’ to Learn of Affair

The Dallas lawyer who paid the monthly rent of John Edwards’ mistress says he was “shocked” to learn that rumors of the affair were true. In an interview with Texas Lawyer’s Tex Parte Blog, Fred Baron said he paid to move Rielle Hunter to California and funded her monthly rent…

Aug 13, 2008 10:46 AM CDT

Proposed S.D. Abortion Ban May Bring Roe v. Wade Challenge

A revamped measure in South Dakota that would ban abortions except for women who’ve been raped or are victims of incest is gaining steam and may present the challenge that abortion foes are waiting for. The referendum comes two years after South Dakotans voted down a more restrictive ban. Abortion…

Aug 12, 2008 1:25 PM CDT

Wells to Target Judicial Nominees, Pro Bono for Military Personnel, Voter Rights

H. Thomas Wells Jr., who officially begins his term as ABA president Monday, announced the launch of two new association initiatives during a morning news conference in New York City, the site of the 2008 ABA Annual Meeting. Both projects, Wells said, reflect his belief that “as lawyers, we can…

Aug 11, 2008 6:08 PM CDT

Dallas Trial Lawyer Paid John Edwards’ Mistress to Relocate

Dallas trial lawyer Fred Baron says he paid John Edwards’ mistress to leave North Carolina so she could stop being hounded by the tabloids. Baron was the chairman of Edwards’ presidential campaign finance committee, but he said he used his own money to finance the move, the Dallas Morning News…

Aug 11, 2008 2:25 PM CDT

As Expected, Trial Lawyer Is Indicted on Campaign Finance Charges

Los Angeles trial lawyer Pierce O’Donnell has been indicted on charges that he violated campaign finance laws by asking his staff to make $26,000 in campaign contributions that he would reimburse. The indictment claims the contributions were made to the 2004 presidential campaign of John Edwards, the Daily Journal reports.…

Jul 25, 2008 3:43 PM CDT

High-Profile Lawyer Faces Indictment on Campaign Finance Charges

Prominent Los Angeles trial lawyer Pierce O’Donnell is about to be indicted on charges he violated federal campaign finance laws, the Los Angeles Times reports. At issue is whether O’Donnell broke the law by asking employees to contribute to the 2004 presidential campaign of John Edwards and then reimbursing them,…

Jul 24, 2008 1:56 PM CDT

Mock Jurors in Fieger Case Reflected Bush Credibility Crisis, Lawyer Says

Mock jurors hearing evidence in a case against Michigan lawyer Geoffrey Fieger overwhelmingly expressed a distrust of government, an attitude probably held by jurors in the real trial, says one defense lawyer. Lawyer Steve Fishman, who represented co-defendant Ven Johnson, told the Detroit Free Press he became sure he would…

Jun 27, 2008 2:07 PM CDT