PAC funds attack ad claiming North Carolina justice is not tough on child molesters

A political action committee called Justice for All NC is funding an attack ad that claims a North Carolina Supreme Court justice is “not tough on child molesters” and “not fair to victims.” The ad targets Justice Robin Hudson for a 2010 dissent in which she said it was unconstitutional…

May 6, 2014 5:27 PM CDT

Ethics allegations cloud Texas attorney general race

The fight for the Republican nomination for attorney general in Texas has taken a turn, thanks to legal ethics allegations against the front-runner, state Sen. Ken Paxton. In a Friday article from KUT.org, the Austin, Texas, affiliate of National Public Radio, Paxton is facing allegations that he did not disclose…

May 2, 2014 6:37 PM CDT

Law Day voting-rights theme highlights importance of ballot-box access, ABA president says

This year’s Law Day focuses on voting rights, with events ranging from high school oratory and grade-school poster contests to panel discussions and free CLE programs. The events are based on the theme, “American Democracy and the Rule of Law: Why Every Vote Matters.” ABA President James R. Silkenat says…

May 1, 2014 6:25 PM CDT

Law Day 2014 emphasizes the importance of the right to vote

May 1, 2014 10:00 AM CDT

Ret. Justice Stevens pushes for campaign finance law changes in Senate hearing

Money donated to political campaigns funds more than just political speech, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens told a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday, so the donations shouldn’t have complete coverage under free speech laws. He spoke at a senate hearing for campaign finance laws, the Associated Press reports,…

Apr 30, 2014 6:02 PM CDT

Federal judge strikes down Wisconsin voter ID law

Less than a week after an Arkansas judge struck down that state’s voter ID law, a federal judge has declared the Wisconsin’s voter ID law to be unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman ruled Tuesday that the 2011 law discriminated against racial minorities and violated the 14th Amendment to the…

Apr 30, 2014 4:05 PM CDT

Minnesota judge orders shutdown of online voter registration system

A state court judge in St. Paul, Minnesota, ruled today that an online voter registration system launched by Minnesota’s secretary of state last September must cease operations by midnight Tuesday, the Associated Press reports. Because it was done without permission from the legislature, Ramsey County District Court Judge John Guthmann…

Apr 28, 2014 9:00 PM CDT

Small town rallies in support of lesbian police chief after mayor fires her

The newly elected mayor of Latta, South Carolina, fired the town’s police chief shortly after his February election, claiming that 23-year member of the force Crystal Moore had questioned authority and failed to maintain order at a town council meeting, the Los Angeles Times reports. Mayor Earl Bullard denied that…

Apr 28, 2014 6:26 PM CDT

Arkansas judge declares state’s voter ID law unconstitutional

In a case questioning how a new Arkansas law requiring voters to present photo IDs would apply to absentee voters, a Pulaski County Circuit judge startled some onlookers by ruling Thursday that the entire law is unconstitutional, the Associated Press reports. Judge Tim Fox strictly interpreted the state’s constitution, which…

Apr 25, 2014 4:45 PM CDT

State bar and ABA condemn political attack ad against lawyer running for South Carolina governor

The South Carolina Bar has taken an apparently unprecedented step and condemned an attack ad on the Democratic gubernatorial candidate’s work as a defense attorney, saying it is a smear on the legal profession as a whole, the Associated Press reports. The Republican Governors Association’s ad is aimed at state…

Apr 24, 2014 9:29 PM CDT

SCOTUS upholds Michigan’s affirmative-action ban for college admissions

Updated: Michigan’s ban on affirmative action in public colleges was upheld today by the U.S. Supreme Court, with a 6-2 ruling. The voter initiative amended the state constitution to ban racial preference in public universities, the New York Times reports. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority in Schuette v.…

Apr 22, 2014 3:40 PM CDT

North Carolina attorney general finally apologizes to his opponent from 2000

Better late than never. After 14 years, North Carolina attorney general Roy Cooper has finally put an end to a feud that stemmed from his initial election to the job he continues to hold. The Charlotte Observer and the Associated Press reported that Cooper apologized to his 2000 opponent, Dan…

Apr 21, 2014 6:26 PM CDT

Former law firm CFO charged in $1.2B swindle is 18th to face a criminal case, feds say

The former chief financial officer of a defunct South Florida law firm has been charged with a role in the $1.2 billion swindle for which its former managing partner Scott Rothstein is now serving a 50-year federal prison sentence. Irene Shannon, 50, who was formerly known as Irene Stay, faces…

Apr 16, 2014 8:55 PM CDT

Man in YouTube video of US Supreme Court protest gets time served, is banned for a year

A Los Angeles man whose disruption of a U.S. Supreme Court hearing earlier this year was posted in a grainy YouTube video took a plea on Tuesday and was sentenced to time served. Noah Kai Newkirk was charged after the February incident with violating a law that bans “loud, threatening…

Apr 15, 2014 8:39 PM CDT

SCOTUS campaign finance ruling likely to increase clout of party officials

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday striking down federal aggregate campaign contribution limits will likely increase clout of party officials and millionaire donors. That’s the conclusion of a news analysis by the New York Times, which says the ruling would allow party leaders to form joint fund-raising committees and…

Apr 3, 2014 1:29 PM CDT