Government

Record $102M Settlement in California Forest Fire Case

A railroad company has settled with the government for a record $102 million in a case over a 2000 wildfire in a forest north of Sacramento, Calif., that was especially valuable because it was protected from logging. Over three weeks, it consumed 52,000 acres within the Lassen and Plumas national…

Jul 22, 2008 10:54 PM CDT

Alleged War Criminal Hid in Plain Sight, as Well-Known New-Age Doc

Updated: An alleged war criminal arrested in Serbia yesterday after 13 years on the run disguised himself in the interim by donning a big pair of glasses, growing a long beard and mustache and adopting an assumed name. However, Radovan Karadzic didn’t exactly keep a low profile: He has been…

Jul 22, 2008 4:20 PM CDT

Jail Often the Only Option for Mental Health Treatment

It costs more to treat the mentally ill in jail than in a hospital setting. But jail offers the only treatment alternative for many, due to a lack of psychiatric hospitals. So some inmates actually welcome the opportunity to return to jail and get needed treatment, reports the Houston Chronicle.…

Jul 21, 2008 7:23 PM CDT

As Calif. Immigration Caseload Grows, Courts Don’t

As federal agents have increasingly focused their enforcement efforts on illegal immigrants in recent years, the number of immigration cases has increased substantially. But the number of judges hasn’t, leading to bigger and bigger backlogs, both in California and throughout the country, reports the Los Angeles Times. In Los Angeles,…

Jul 21, 2008 6:57 PM CDT

Appeals Court Tosses CBS Fine for Janet Jackson Wardrobe Malfunction

A federal appeals court has tossed a half million dollar indecency fine against CBS television for Janet Jackson’s so-called wardrobe malfunction during the Super Bowl. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the fine by the Federal Communications Commission deviated from past policy and was arbitrary and capricious, the…

Jul 21, 2008 3:52 PM CDT

Public Reprimand Recommended for Fla. Appeals Court Judge

A Florida appeals court judge who criticized a fellow jurist in a written opinion should be publicly reprimanded, a hearing panel has recommended. It is now up to the Florida Supreme Court to decide whether to reprimand 1st District Court of Appeal Judge Michael Allen in the highly unusual case,…

Jul 18, 2008 10:06 PM CDT

LAPD’s False Info to Suspect Led to Murder of 16-Year-Old ‘Witness’

A young woman was murdered in 2003 apparently because of a Los Angeles Police Department ruse to extract information from a suspect that backfired. Seeking to find out more from suspect Jose Ledesma, 19, about the murder of another young man, two LAPD detectives told Ledesma that 16-year-old Martha Puebla…

Jul 18, 2008 5:23 PM CDT

US Attorney, DOJ Blast Conditions at Cook County Jail in Chicago

Conditions at a Chicago jail run by Cook County are so substandard that prisoners are at risk of physical abuse and even death, a federal prosecutor and the Department of Justice say in a report released yesterday. Long criticized as overcrowded and understaffed, the huge facility is also characterized by…

Jul 18, 2008 4:21 PM CDT

Nice Work: California City Hires Law Firm for $50K Per Month

A small practitioner in Claremont, Calif., will reportedly be bringing in $50,000 per month for the next five years, under a five-year contract approved Tuesday by the Rialto city council. It is with the Law Offices of Jimmy Gutierrez. “The retainer could exceed $600,000 per year when factoring in billable…

Jul 18, 2008 3:36 PM CDT

Top Deputy in US Watchdog Agency Quits, Objects to ‘Political Agendas’

The top deputy to the chief of a government watchdog agency has resigned and accused his boss of putting “political agendas and personal vendettas” ahead of his mission. James Byrne is resigning effective tomorrow from his post as deputy to Scott Bloch, chief of the Office of Special Counsel, the…

Jul 18, 2008 2:53 PM CDT

Overworked Florida PDs Try to Turn Away Clients

Faced with a crushing workload of, on average, nearly 400 felony cases per attorney, the Miami public defender’s office is taking a drastic step. Like at least two other public defender’s offices in the state, it is seeking court permission to turn away clients, because the overworked lawyers in the…

Jul 17, 2008 11:18 PM CDT

We Didn’t Torture, Ex-AG John Ashcroft Tells House Panel

In a House Judiciary Committee hearing today, former Attorney General John Ashcroft disavowed the reasoning behind controversial legal memos created by Department of Justice attorneys that critics say justified torture of terrorism suspects. But, in the ninth hearing on the tactics the U.S. used, after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist…

Jul 17, 2008 9:53 PM CDT

How is Detroit Mayor Paying $1M in Personal Legal Bills?

The embattled mayor of Detroit will probably rack up some $1 million in legal bills, observers predict, just defending himself in a criminal case related to his testimony in a civil police whistleblower case. A controversial $8.4 million secret settlement in the civil case has created a political firestorm that…

Jul 17, 2008 9:03 PM CDT

Prosecuting Official for Funds Misuse Led to Texas DA’s Downfall

Elected six times as district attorney of Rockwell County, in Texas, Ray Sumrow didn’t expect his career move to be a prison cell. But that is where he is now spending his time after 22 years in office, serving a 15-year term for stealing public money. The architect of his…

Jul 17, 2008 8:03 PM CDT

Cross on House Brings $80K Tax Break

For George Michael, a cross placed on the side of his $3 million lakefront mansion in suburban Chicago resulted in a tax break of almost $80,000. But now officials in Lake Bluff, where it is located, say he owes $115,000 in fines for failing to get the village’s permission to…

Jul 17, 2008 7:43 PM CDT