Government

D.C. Lawyer Chants ‘I Hate Police,’ Is Arrested, Says Officer Used Slur

Aggravated by the recent arrest of Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. for disorderly conduct in Cambridge, Mass., a 33-year-old Washington, D.C., lawyer says he chanted “I hate police” when he passed a group of Washington, D.C., officers on Saturday evening. In response, attorney Pepin Tuma contends, he himself…

Jul 31, 2009 8:50 PM CDT

Reopen Va. Tech Probe, Add Gunman’s Medical File Info, Families Urge

Following news last week that the long-missing mental health file had been found for the gunman who massacred 32 people in a 2007 shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, injured survivors and family members of those who died are urging that an investigation be reopened. They are calling on Va. Gov.…

Jul 28, 2009 10:51 PM CDT

Dismiss Ye Gon Case Due to DOJ ‘Systemic Failure,’ Defender Agencies Urge Judge

Joining in a call by private defense lawyers representing Zhenli Ye Gon to dismiss the federal drug conspiracy indictment against him with prejudice, two Washington, D.C., public defender agencies say the way the U.S. Department of Justice has handled the high-profile case against the Mexican millionaire merits this sanction. Invited…

Jul 28, 2009 9:27 PM CDT

In Latest Loss for $54M Pants Suit Judge, Fed’l Court Dismisses Termination Claim

It appears that much-publicized litigation brought by an administrative law judge in Washington, D.C., over a dry cleaner’s alleged loss of his suit trousers and the jurist’s subsequent loss of his job may finally be nearing a conclusion. After generating international headlines with a May 2008 lawsuit that sought $54…

Jul 28, 2009 7:57 PM CDT

Fla. City to Pay $55K to Bait Shop Ticketed for Displaying US Constitution

Lawyers for the city of Clearwater had said the Florida municipality was on solid legal ground when it fined a local bait shop over a fish mural painted on an exterior wall of the business. But after two federal judges disagreed that the city’s sign ordinance was constitutional as applied,…

Jul 28, 2009 7:13 PM CDT

Will Credit Card Snafu Keep Disabled Law Grad from Taking Calif. Bar?

The California bar exam starts tomorrow, and the last word from officials was that Sara Granda wouldn’t be allowed to take it. The quadriplegic woman, who is indigent and receiving disability benefits, paid the more than $600 fee with a state-issued check, and hence the bar exam form she filed…

Jul 27, 2009 9:52 PM CDT

Harvard’s Gates, Officer Accept Obama Invite to Discuss Arrest Flap Over a Beer

In the initial heat of battle over his controversial arrest last week for disorderly conduct at his own home in Cambridge, Mass., a prominent Harvard University scholar had talked about filing a lawsuit over the incident. Apparently mistaken by a passer-by for a housebreaker, Henry Louis Gates Jr. had contended…

Jul 27, 2009 8:41 PM CDT

Grenada AG Resigns Over Letter Seeking Leniency for Stepson in Fla. Case

The attorney general of Grenada has resigned over a letter he sent on official letterhead seeking leniency for his stepson from the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney in a Florida criminal case. Media reports in Grenada say Attorney General Jimmy Bristol’s resignation was accepted today by the prime minister of the Carribean…

Jul 24, 2009 6:12 PM CDT

Lawyer Plans Extreme Pretrial Makeover for Client in Alleged Police Abuse Case

When Richard Rodriguez was arrested in May by El Monte, Calif., police after a televised car chase, his booking photo showed the 23-year-old with a shaved head and covered in tattoos. But before he goes to trial in the tort claim he filed yesterday over an apparent kick in the…

Jul 24, 2009 5:37 PM CDT

Town Mgr. Weds Porn Actress and Is Fired, Raising Legal Issues

Seeking to avoid disruptive publicity, a small Florida town fired its manager after learning that he had recently married an adult film actress. But Scott Janke’s firing this week by the town council of Fort Myers Beach was probably even bigger news, according to the Associated Press. It also raises…

Jul 23, 2009 7:46 PM CDT

Dual Pact in $8.4M Detroit Texts Case Didn’t Seem ‘Nefarious,’ Lawyer Says

When an attorney representing the city of Detroit suggested two separate settlement agreements to document an $8.4 million pact resolving police whistle-blower litigation and keeping secret racy text messages between the then-mayor and a top aide, there was no reason to suspect anything “nefarious,” plaintiffs lawyer Mike Stefani testified today…

Jul 23, 2009 5:27 PM CDT

Federal Careers Expert Offers Tips on Jobs in Attorney Honors Programs

Most federal agencies have attorney honors programs for entry-level lawyers, according to federal careers expert Derrick Dortch. In an online discussion hosted by the Washington Post, Dortch responds to a question about attorney honors programs outside the Justice Department. Dortch says job seekers can find out more by going to…

Jul 23, 2009 5:24 PM CDT

1 in 10 Prisoners Serving Life, But State Budget Woes May Bring Some Relief

More prisoners than ever before were serving life terms in 2008—a total of 140,610 out of 2.3 million inmates, or nearly 1 in 10, according to a report released today by the Sentencing Project, which advocates the elimination of life terms without the possibility of parole. Two-thirds are Latino or…

Jul 22, 2009 11:39 PM CDT

ABA to Sue if FTC Won’t Exempt Lawyers from ID Theft Rules

The American Bar Association is prepared to sue if the Federal Trade Commission doesn’t exempt attorneys from new regulations intended to safeguard against identity theft, ABA President H. Thomas Wells Jr. said. Proskauer Rose will represent the ABA on a pro bono basis in the case if litigation becomes necessary,…

Jul 22, 2009 10:10 PM CDT

New York AG Sues 35 Law Firms, Seeks to Void 100,000 Default Judgments

The attorney general of New York has sued 35 law firms and two collectors in a case that could overturn 100,000 default judgments in consumer debt cases. In a lawsuit filed today in Buffalo, Andrew Cuomo seeks to compel cooperation from firms that had relied on what may be faulty…

Jul 22, 2009 8:16 PM CDT