Government

Judge’s tactics of ‘overzealous collection’ lead to unpaid suspension

The Ohio Supreme Court has suspended an Ohio judge who deemed it to be impractical to comply with a law setting procedural safeguards for jailing people for failure to pay fines.

Sep 25, 2024 2:47 PM CDT

Insurance coverage for preventive care at risk unless Supreme Court acts, cert petition says

The federal government is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a federal appeals court decision that could end free preventive care services provided by health insurance.

Sep 24, 2024 2:30 PM CDT

Man gets prison time for attorney-fraud scheme that targeted some BigLaw firms

A North Carolina man convicted in an attorney-fraud scheme has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay more than $22.5 million in restitution to 73 victims, including four BigLaw firms.

Sep 24, 2024 10:13 AM CDT

Ex-prosecutor indicted for alleged bribery conspiracy is ‘honorable man,’ his lawyer says

A former Louisiana prosecutor accused in a kickback scheme is an “honorable man” who will “stand tall and fight these false allegations,” according to his lawyer.

Sep 23, 2024 1:32 PM CDT

California law deans have ‘grave concerns’ about new bar exam plans

Fifteen deans from ABA-accredited law schools have signed a letter to the California Supreme Court stating that they have “grave concerns” about Kaplan Exam Services’ ability to develop a multiple-choice bar exam “in a responsible manner” in time for the February 2025 administration of the newfangled exam.

Sep 20, 2024 12:54 PM CDT

California Supreme Court denies plan for new bar exam

The California Supreme Court has put the brakes on the State Bar of California’s plan to launch a proprietary bar exam created by Kaplan Exam Services. The bar’s petition to allow Kaplan to create a 200-question multiple choice exam for the February 2025 administration was denied without prejudice just two weeks before registration opens, according to the bar’s website.

Sep 19, 2024 4:19 PM CDT

Lawyer must face ethics charge alleging he tried to hire Israeli hackers to access judge’s emails

A California bar court judge has rejected a lawyer’s bid to dismiss an ethics charge alleging that he plotted to hire Israeli hackers to hack in to the email and phone accounts of a judge and a lawyer.

Sep 19, 2024 11:52 AM CDT

Alaska man charged with threatening to kill six Supreme Court justices

An Alaska man has been arrested after allegedly threatening to torture and assassinate six Supreme Court justices and their relatives, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

Sep 19, 2024 10:40 AM CDT

School district’s ‘equity training’ didn’t constitute First Amendment injury, appeals court says

A public school district can’t be sued for violating the First Amendment rights of two employees who stopped speaking or pretended to agree with presenters during required “equity training,” a federal appeals court has ruled.

Sep 17, 2024 12:24 PM CDT

2 federal judges who boycotted Columbia law grads didn’t commit misconduct, review panel says

Two federal judges who said they wouldn’t hire future law grads from Columbia University did not commit misconduct, according to a review panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Atlanta's judicial council.

Sep 17, 2024 10:10 AM CDT

Disbarred lawyer is sentenced for alleged forgery that facilitated deed thefts

A disbarred attorney accused of impersonating a practicing lawyer to forge legal documents in a deed theft scheme was sentenced last week to 18 months to three years in prison for her actions.

Sep 17, 2024 9:12 AM CDT

Americans’ trust in government and elections differs by party affiliation, new report finds

With the November 2024 presidential election less than two months away, a new report by the World Justice Project is ringing alarm bells about American skepticism in the election process, political polarization and an overall lack of faith in government accountability.

Sep 17, 2024 12:01 AM CDT

Chief Justice Roberts steered rulings benefiting Trump, report says, citing internal information

A confidential memo and disclosures about internal deliberations show how Chief Justice John Roberts took an active role in three U.S. Supreme Court decisions that benefited former President Donald Trump, according to a story by the New York Times.

Sep 16, 2024 3:52 PM CDT

District attorney ‘paid little attention to the five-alarm fire’ in high-profile case and should be disbarred, panel says

A Colorado district attorney should be disbarred mostly for her "absence at the helm" in a high-profile murder case in which prosecutors failed to turn over sufficient expert witness information to the defense, leading to the exclusion of experts, according to a Colorado disciplinary hearing board.

Sep 16, 2024 11:07 AM CDT

Congress asked to weigh impeaching ex-judge for alleged sexual misconduct

Federal judiciary leaders have asked Congress to consider impeaching a federal judge in Alaska who resigned this summer after an investigation found he created a hostile work environment in his chambers and engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a former law clerk.

Sep 13, 2024 9:38 AM CDT