Government

As a prosecutor, Kamala Harris ‘tried to bridge the tricky divide’

Before she became a U.S. senator, the vice president and the potential Democratic nominee for president, Kamala Harris was a prosecutor in California who opposed the death penalty but defended capital punishment on behalf of the state. After graduating from the school formerly known as the University of California Hastings…

Jul 23, 2024 3:40 PM CDT

Online law grad has ‘truly extraordinary’ case meriting waiver of Utah admission rules, top state court says

Updated: A graduate of an unaccredited online law school may take the bar exam in Utah, even though she did not satisfy a requirement for 10 years of experience in another jurisdiction before admission, the Utah Supreme Court has ruled in a 3-2 decision.

Jul 23, 2024 10:17 AM CDT

GOP eyes legal challenges as Harris assumes control of Biden’s war chest

As President Joseph Biden tries to hand over the Biden-Harris campaign committee’s millions in remaining cash to Harris, Republican lawyers and operatives are saying “not so fast.”

Jul 22, 2024 8:08 AM CDT

8th Circuit blocks Biden’s student loan repayment plan

A federal appeals court on Thursday blocked President Biden’s new student loan repayment plan, leaving millions of borrowers enrolled in the cost-cutting program in the lurch.

Jul 19, 2024 10:15 AM CDT

Navy exonerates Black sailors charged in Port Chicago disaster 80 years ago

Eighty years after explosions ripped through the Port Chicago naval facility in California, killing 320, the secretary of the Navy has announced the full exoneration of African American sailors who were charged in 1944 with mutiny and refusing orders to return to work in dangerous conditions loading ammunition.

Jul 19, 2024 8:00 AM CDT

Special counsel will appeal dismissal of classified documents case against Trump

Special counsel Jack Smith has formally filed notice that he will appeal a Florida judge’s decision to dismiss Donald Trump’s 40-count indictment for allegedly mishandling classified documents and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them.

Jul 18, 2024 2:35 PM CDT

ABA will partner with White House to recruit more pro bono immigration attorneys

The Biden administration is calling on the legal community to increase its pro bono representation of individuals who are unrepresented in immigration proceedings.

Jul 18, 2024 1:25 PM CDT

ABA asks lawyers with disabilities to ‘put themselves on the map’ and #BeCounted

To celebrate Disability Pride Month, the ABA Commission on Disability Rights has launched the #BeCounted campaign.

Jul 18, 2024 1:10 PM CDT

Federal judiciary must ‘establish robust systems’ to handle workplace abuse, study finds

Federal courts have failed to consistently address workplace misconduct or adequately collect and analyze data about these cases, according to a new study. Among its recommendations, the new report suggests making financial damages available.

Jul 18, 2024 12:00 PM CDT

New Jersey senator convicted of 16 felonies in corruption trial

Sen. Bob Menendez was convicted Tuesday of taking bribes from three businessmen who showered him and his wife with cash, gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz, an extravagant bounty for his help securing deals with foreign officials and trying to derail several criminal investigations in New Jersey. Menendez vowed to appeal, and legal experts say he could be helped by the Supreme Court’s rulings in recent years narrowing the scope of federal bribery laws.

Jul 16, 2024 4:25 PM CDT

Retired NFL player’s lead counsel removed for attempting to ‘manufacture discord,’ judge says

A Mississippi judge on Thursday removed one of retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre’s lawyers in a state civil lawsuit involving misspent welfare funds.

Jul 16, 2024 3:15 PM CDT

Trump classified documents case dismissed by Florida judge

A federal judge has dismissed the criminal case against Donald Trump accusing him of mishandling classified information, finding that the appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith was unconstitutional.

Jul 15, 2024 9:40 AM CDT

Former attorney who used fake IDs to get jobs pleads guilty to federal fraud charges

A disbarred attorney who practiced law in the Cincinnati area has pleaded guilty to fraud as part of a long-running scheme to obtain jobs at numerous law firms.

Jul 15, 2024 9:35 AM CDT

SCOTUS upended gun laws nationwide; mass confusion has followed

On both sides of the gun-control debate, people say this term’s Rahimi ruling will do little to ease the confusion and disruption unleashed by the high court’s 2022 historical mandate in Bruen.

Jul 11, 2024 8:00 AM CDT

Targeting white-collar crime, DOJ seeks more whistleblowers

Under a Biden administration program the Justice Department plans to unveil within weeks, authorities will offer whistleblowers who provide tips that lead to successful prosecutions a percentage of the resulting penalties and fees—an amount that could total millions of dollars.

Jul 10, 2024 3:30 PM CDT