Family Law

Legislature can’t use subpoena to delay execution in shaken-baby case, Texas Supreme Court rules

Texas lawmakers can’t force courts to delay an execution by issuing a legislative subpoena for a death row inmate’s testimony after the scheduled execution date, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled.

Nov 19, 2024 1:41 PM CST

Did ethics case constitute ‘crying in baseball’? Kansas supremes debate discipline as ‘sword’

Updated: A Kansas attorney has received a six-month stayed suspension for making “inflammatory attacks” on an opposing counsel and including “irrelevant information” in a court filing intended to diminish his client’s estranged wife.

Nov 14, 2024 1:02 PM CST

Lawyer accused of stealing over $31K from jailed woman after she signed power of attorney at his request

A lawyer in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, has been accused of stealing more than $31,000 from an imprisoned woman awaiting a competency hearing after she agreed to sign an agreement giving power of attorney to his employee.

Nov 13, 2024 9:51 AM CST

Duane Morris partner ousted after wife found dead in stairwell and her parents allege domestic violence

Updated: A judge in Cook County, Illinois, has granted a temporary restraining order that prevents a now-ousted partner at Duane Morris from retrieving the remains of his wife after her body was found in a stairwell in his South Loop residential building last month.

Nov 12, 2024 9:42 AM CST

Ex-fiancee must return $70K ring after failed engagement, court says

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Friday ruled that, from now on, an engagement ring must be returned to the buyer if the wedding falls through, regardless of who’s at fault.

Nov 11, 2024 9:30 AM CST

2nd Circuit sticks to its guns on constitutionality of concealed-carry law after SCOTUS remand

New York residents can’t carry handguns in sensitive locations and must show evidence of good moral character when applying for a concealed-carry license.

Oct 28, 2024 2:07 PM CDT

The Power of Pro Bono: A fair hearing, respect and justice for all

Irene walked into the office of a young lawyer in a small town in Mississippi more than 40 years ago with an eviction notice and a two-page lease. Events that would follow turned the lawyer into a legal aid attorney and a believer in the power of pro bono legal work.

Oct 16, 2024 10:28 AM CDT

Supreme Court orders reconsideration of appellate decision on youths carrying guns

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday told a federal appeals court to reconsider its decision that blocked a Pennsylvania ban on youths openly carrying guns during a state of emergency.

Oct 15, 2024 2:46 PM CDT

Judge with ‘highly antagonistic demeanor’ must be removed from foster care case, 5th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has removed a federal judge from foster care litigation against the state of Texas, citing her “highly antagonistic demeanor” against the defendants during a December 2023 contempt hearing.

Oct 15, 2024 8:37 AM CDT

Lawyer accused of exploiting elderly client is found liable for $26M in malpractice case

Trials & Litigation

Oct 7, 2024 2:51 PM CDT

MacArthur ‘genius grants’ fellows include law prof, domestic violence researcher

Among the winners of the 2024 MacArthur Foundation fellowships, commonly known as "genius grants," are a law professor who studies racial inequities and a researcher who studies the impact of technology on intimate partner abuse.

Oct 3, 2024 2:30 PM CDT

Well-known fathers’ rights lawyer suspended over unreasonable fees; lawyer staffing cited

Updated: A well-known fathers’ rights lawyer has been suspended for charging unreasonable fees of more than $443,000 in eight cases, some involving no more than three months of work.

Oct 3, 2024 11:58 AM CDT

Judge who oversaw handcuffing of sleepy teen on field trip now hearing these cases

A Detroit judge sued for allegedly making an example of a sleepy teenager on a courtroom field trip is back on the bench, but he no longer presides in preliminary stages of serious criminal cases.

Oct 2, 2024 8:57 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: Will the Supreme Court have a role in the presidential election as it enters a new term?

As the justices return to the bench on Oct. 7 for the new term, the unknowable question is whether the U.S. Supreme Court will play a role in the outcome of the November 2024 presidential election. Will this year be like 2000, when a close election was effectively decided by the court’s ruling in Bush v. Gore? Or will it be like 2020, when a close election did not raise any issues for the justices to decide?

Oct 2, 2024 8:53 AM CDT

Suit alleging Jones Day’s family-leave policy discriminates against men can go to trial, judge rules

A federal judge has ruled that two former associates at Jones Day can go to trial on seven claims against the law firm, including allegations that its family-leave policy discriminates against male attorneys.

Sep 26, 2024 10:52 AM CDT