Government

Political Spy Case Payout to Activist Includes Some $375K in Attorney’s Fees

A 22-year-old activist from the Evergreen State College in Washington will get $169,000 and his lawyers are expected to get twice as much in settlement of a political spying case that reportedly may have been sparked by a tip-off from the U.S. military that local authorities should keep an eye…

May 5, 2010 10:26 PM CDT

Embarassing Depo Wins Conn. Sect’y of State the Right to Run for AG Job

The embarrassing deposition was apparently worthwhile: A Duke University law graduate now serving as Connecticut’s secretary of state has won a court ruling that she has sufficient legal experience to run for election as the state’s attorney general. Hartford Superior Court Judge Michael Sheldon ruled today that Susan Bysiewicz’s work…

May 5, 2010 7:56 PM CDT

Despite Male-to-Female Sex Change, Woman Is Still a Man Under Texas Marriage Law

The attorney general of Texas is a staunch supporter of the state law requiring marriage (and, he says, by extension divorce) to be between a man and a woman. But a request last month by the El Paso County Attorney for a ruling concerning one woman’s plan to marry another…

May 5, 2010 6:20 PM CDT

‘Eye in Sky’ Helps County Target Structures Put Up Without Building Permits

With the help of aerial photographs, a Washington state community is zeroing in on thousands of potentially dangerous structures put up without building permits. But the “eye in sky” program in Pierce County is controversial: Some say that the buildings at issue–mostly garages and sheds–are less of a problem than…

May 4, 2010 11:37 PM CDT

Lawyer Argues It’s OK and Common to Seek Campaign Cash for Vote

A Baltimore lawyer has crafted an unusual defense for a county lawmaker accused in a civil suit of shaking down an office developer for campaign contributions: The practice isn’t that unusual, and it isn’t unlawful, the lawyer argues. The argument by lawyer Daniel Karp has raised some eyebrows, the Washington…

May 4, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Student Warned Defendant School Dist. in ‘08 of Potential Webcam Privacy Peril

In 2008, as a suburban Philadelphia school district was beginning a noble experiment intended to guarantee that every student had access to a state-of-the-art computer, a high school student saw a potential problem. Lower Merion School District would have the ability to monitor students remotely, via the laptops’ webcams, and…

May 3, 2010 11:30 PM CDT

Supreme Court Rules Against Family of Immigrant Suing for Delayed Cancer Treatment

The U.S. Supreme Court has held federal medical officials are shielded from personal liability for failing to diagnose the penile cancer of a Salvadoran immigrant who died after being released from custody. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the unanimous opinion (PDF), the Associated Press reports. The officials are exempted from personal…

May 3, 2010 3:24 PM CDT

ABA President: Ariz. Immigration Law Is ‘Draconian’ and ‘Likely Unconstitutional’

The president of the American Bar Association strongly criticized a controversial new Arizona immigration law in a written statement today. The law, which requires police to seek proof of an individual’s immigration status if they have a reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally, is seen by…

Apr 30, 2010 10:54 PM CDT

Judge Nixes Former Ill. Gov’s Motion to Subpoena President Obama

Saying that a defense motion fell “very short” of establishing a need to subpoena the president of the United States to testify in the upcoming political corruption trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a federal judge in Chicago has nixed a defense motion to require Obama’s testimony. Although the…

Apr 30, 2010 7:35 PM CDT

‘River of Oil’ from Gulf Spill Hits La. Shore, Could Dwarf Exxon Valdez Damage

Updated: The blowout of an oil well being dug by a British Petroleum rig in the Gulf of Mexico has resulted in a massive spill that could dwarf the environmental damage done in 1989 when the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Alaska. The “river of oil” that began washing onto…

Apr 30, 2010 12:17 AM CDT

Pistol-Packing Texas Gov Isn’t Sorry He Shot Coyote, Despite Legal Questions

When a coyote threatened his labrador retriever puppy during an early morning jog in the Austin area, Texas Gov. Rick Perry reportedly killed it with a single shot from his laser-sighted pistol. He says he has no regrets about using his .380 Ruger pistol, loaded with hollow-point bullets, to take…

Apr 28, 2010 5:37 PM CDT

Ex-Head of US Special Counsel Office Pleads Guilty to Criminal Contempt

The former chief of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel has agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of criminal contempt of Congress for withholding information from a U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating his deletion of files from four government computers, reports the Blog of Legal Times. Onetime…

Apr 27, 2010 11:55 PM CDT

‘Tip of Iceberg’: Inspector Never Tested 200 Properties for Lead & Asbestos

A guilty plea yesterday in Manhattan federal court by a 68-year-old safety inspector who reportedly never looked at more than 200 properties he certified to be free of asbestos and/or lead contamination is only “the tip of the iceberg,” an unidentified “official” tells the New York Times. Authorities are now…

Apr 27, 2010 10:46 PM CDT

‘Trial From Hell’: Prosecutor Posts on Facebook; Jurors Text; Bailiff Chats in Deliberations

A recent trial in a Florida felony gun case sounds like a fact pattern out of a law school exam problem: Jurors admittedly were texting and making cell calls during deliberations. A bailiff chatted with members of the deliberating panel during a smoke break, according to St. Lucie County Sheriff’s…

Apr 22, 2010 6:49 PM CDT

Wife of Ex-Mayor of Detroit Sues County DA, Says Her Money Was Spent on Hubby’s $1M Restitution

As the disgraced former mayor of Detroit faces a possible jail term for having violated his probation in a political corruption case by not making required payments toward his $1 million restitution, his wife has filed a federal lawsuit in Texas contending that Wayne County and its district attorney took…

Apr 22, 2010 5:15 PM CDT