Government

Top Court Asked to Decide If Mich. Gov. Can Remove Detroit Mayor

Updated: Just minutes after a state court refused today to block the Michigan governor’s planned hearing tomorrow over the possible ouster of Detroit’s embattled mayor, counsel for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick filed an emergency appeal. But then the governor’s office went a step further and asked the state’s highest court to…

Sep 2, 2008 8:04 PM CDT

Meet Shelley Smith, a City Solicitor With 200 Pairs of Shoes

It’s not easy being in the shoes of Shelley Smith, who has served as Philadelphia’s city solicitor for the past eight months. For one thing, they’re size 11, and she’s got 200 pairs—50 of them ready for action in a closet in her municipal office. For another, she’s got a…

Sep 2, 2008 7:22 PM CDT

Sudden Deaths in Police Custody May Be Biological, Study Says

A study by Spanish researchers of sudden deaths of young men who died soon after being arrested says a biological fear factor may be at least part of the answer to the unsolved mystery. Just like wild animals, which can die suddenly when captured, humans taken into custody are stressed.…

Sep 2, 2008 6:18 PM CDT

Beer Brewer is Victorious in Battle over ‘Legal Weed’ Bottle Caps

A small California brewer who stood his ground in the face of threatened federal regulatory enforcement over his tongue-in-cheek bottle caps has won the regulatory battle. Adverse publicity has helped persuade the feds that the phrase “Legal Weed” on the Mt. Shasta Brewing Co.’s beer bottle caps is neither confusing…

Sep 2, 2008 6:08 PM CDT

As Students Head Back to School, Lawyers Head Back to Court

As students start another school year, litigation over their education is on a number of minds. In Chicago, as many as 2,000 predominantly minority students are boycotting the first day of school today and taking special buses to public schools in the upscale suburb of Winnetka, in support of efforts…

Sep 2, 2008 3:20 PM CDT

Lawyers for Detroit Mayor Propose Plea Deal

Updated: Lawyers for embattled Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick are proposing a plea deal in which he would resign and plead guilty to two felonies. Kilpatrick would also perform 300 hours of community service, agree not to run for office for two years, give up pension benefits and pay a six-figure…

Sep 2, 2008 12:50 PM CDT

Palin Represented by Private Lawyer in Firing Probe

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is being represented by an Anchorage lawyer in a probe into the firing of Alaska’s public safety commissioner. Employment and professional liability lawyer Thomas Van Flein told KTUU.com that he was hired because the attorney general has a potential conflict of interest because he…

Sep 2, 2008 10:59 AM CDT

Former Conn. Ethics Counsel Faces Ethics Complaint Over Fake Letter

A Connecticut lawyer who posed as a parking lot attendant when she wrote an anonymous letter complaining about her boss at a state agency is now facing a disciplinary complaint. Maureen Duggan faces a hearing in November or December, after a judicial branch disciplinary panel on Aug. 19 determined that…

Aug 29, 2008 3:54 PM CDT

Detroit Mayor Sues to Stop Ouster Hearing, Claims Gov. is Biased

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has filed suit in an effort to stop Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm from holding a hearing into whether he should be removed from office. The Detroit City Council has requested the hearing under a state constitutional provision that allows the governor to remove government officials who…

Aug 29, 2008 11:10 AM CDT

Federal Judge in Texas is Indicted in Employee Sex Abuse Case

A federal district judge in Texas was indicted today on charges of abusive sexual contact and aggravated sexual abuse, based on complaints made by his former case manager. The federal case against U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent is unique, and also represents the first time in recent years that a…

Aug 28, 2008 11:40 PM CDT

Ex-Counsel Sues Detroit Mayor, Says He Owes $79K Legal Bill

Updated: A former defense lawyer for beleagered Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who himself is an attorney, has sued over an allegedly unpaid legal bill of nearly $80,000. “Attorney William Moffitt, a high-powered Alexandria, Va., lawyer, sued Kilpatrick in Wayne County Circuit Court on Wednesday, accusing the mayor of failing to…

Aug 28, 2008 6:44 PM CDT

Naked Naturists Win Another Round in California Park Case

Officials who have for years turned a blind eye to public nudity in an isolated area of San Onofre State Beach, unless someone complained, can’t change that enforcement policy now without a public hearing, a California judge ruled yesterday. Following complaints of lewd behavior, the California Department of Parks and…

Aug 28, 2008 5:31 PM CDT

Bradley Arant Hired for Ala. County’s Possible Bankruptcy Filing

Alabama’s Jefferson County has hired a Birmingham law firm to work on a possible bankruptcy filing. Bradley, Arant, Rose and White will draw up bankruptcy papers if talks with creditors fail, Bloomberg News reports. Officials say the county can’t afford soaring interest rates on $3 billion in bonds. If the…

Aug 28, 2008 3:24 PM CDT

FBI Foresaw Massive Mortgage Fraud, But Did Little to Forestall It

An FBI official foresaw in 2004 that mortgage fraud was a ticking time bomb. But the agency didn’t devote enough resources to protect the nation’s economy from what has proved to be a devastating crime wave that is still growing exponentially. Despite efforts to tighten lending standards, a survey shows…

Aug 27, 2008 9:47 PM CDT

Successful Second Amendment Legal Team Seeks $3.5M in Fees

The legal team that won a U.S. Supreme Court Second Amendment ruling is seeking $3.5 million in legal fees. Lawyer Alan Gura says in a motion filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., that he and two other lawyers worked more than 3,000 hours on the case, Legal Times reports.…

Aug 27, 2008 5:54 PM CDT