ABA joins other legal organizations in calling for independent immigration courts

A letter sent by the ABA and three other legal organizations Thursday urges Congress to establish an immigration court system outside the control of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Jul 11, 2019 2:57 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Bar associations battle over trademark; New Jersey judge rebuked over rape case

• Even though the Association of Trial Lawyers of America changed its name to the American Association for Justice in 2006, the Washington, D.C.-based bar association is suing the California-based Association of American Trial Lawyers for trademark infringement and unfair competition. The suit says the American Association for Justice sent…

Jul 3, 2019 4:27 PM CDT

Florida ex-felons face legal battle over voting rights

Civil rights activists are challenging a new law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday that formerly incarcerated people who have completed their prison sentences and probation have to pay outstanding court fines or fees before their right to vote is restored.

Jul 3, 2019 2:00 PM CDT

Federal judge blocks policy ending bond hearings for asylum-seekers

Updated: A ruling by a federal judge has blocked the enforcement of a new policy that would require immigrants awaiting asylum determinations to be detained during their review. Judge Marsha Pechman of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington said in her opinion, filed Tuesday, that immigration…

Jul 3, 2019 11:21 AM CDT

Are you an attorney who wants to get involved at the border? The ABA offers ways to do it

Jul 3, 2019 10:14 AM CDT

Man who sent lynching imagery to Muslim lawyer via Twitter faces up to 5 years in prison

A North Carolina man has been charged with issuing a threat via interstate commerce—and faces up to five years in prison—after sending an image of a man who had been lynched and the words “view your destiny” to a Muslim lawyer on Twitter. Qasim Rashid, who is also a Democratic…

Jul 2, 2019 4:10 PM CDT

Chemerinsky: A look back at the Supreme Court’s October 2018 term

There was much that was unusual about the U.S. Supreme Court’s October 2018 term, writes Erwin Chemerinsky, law dean at the University of California at Berkeley. What should be gleaned?

Jul 2, 2019 2:18 PM CDT

‘Criminal’ songwriter donates her royalties to pay immigrants’ legal fees

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Fiona Apple recently wrote in a Tumblr post that she would donate 2019 and 2020 earnings from TV and movie placements of her song “Criminal” to the While They Wait fund. “I could write a song about this and maybe I will but for now, I will use…

Jul 2, 2019 11:45 AM CDT

Federal judge orders intervention in Texas detention centers holding immigrant children

After lawyers’ reports on conditions at a Texas detention center prompted a national outcry in June, a federal judge has ordered an independent monitor to improve health and sanitation at facilities holding unaccompanied immigrant children. In her order Friday, District Judge Dolly M. Gee of the Central District of California…

Jul 1, 2019 4:24 PM CDT

A natural migration: Descendant of immigrants works to protect civil rights

Many migrant men, women and children are fleeing their homelands to seek safety from violence. My maternal and paternal family members migrated to the United States from Mexico in search of opportunity and with hopes of realizing a dream.

Jul 1, 2019 2:20 AM CDT

Aug. 6, 1890: First execution by electric chair

As an opponent of capital punishment, Thomas Edison had no interest in pursuing capital electrocution. Still, Edison found a way to benefit.

Jul 1, 2019 1:00 AM CDT

Union for asylum officers files brief opposing remain-in-Mexico policy

President Donald Trump’s remain-in-Mexico policy for asylum-seekers puts migrants in danger and violates U.S. and international law, according to an amicus brief filed by the union for asylum officers.

Jun 28, 2019 10:02 AM CDT

Inhumane treatment of immigrant children violates ‘law, court settlements and common decency,’ ABA says

The ABA is "appalled by credible reports of hundreds of children being held in unsafe and unhealthy conditions in violation of federal and state law, court settlements and common decency," ABA President Bob Carlson said Tuesday.

Jun 26, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Lawyers and judges are on the front lines of the peace process in Colombia

In 2016, after 50 years of armed conflict, the government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (known as FARC) signed a peace agreement. The centerpiece of that agreement was a transitional justice mechanism, established to ensure accountability for atrocities committed during the war. Three years later, it is facing unprecedented challenges in its effort to provide justice for the many civilian victims of the conflict. Lawyers, prosecutors and judges are on the front lines of efforts to provide reparations to the victims, with the long-standing support of the American Bar Association.

Jun 20, 2019 4:45 PM CDT

5 female anchors sue TV station for alleged age and gender discrimination

Five female anchors at TV station NY1 with more than 100 years of collective experience allege in a lawsuit that station owner Charter Communications “blatantly marginalized them and cast them aside in favor of younger women and men.” The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court, alleges age and gender…

Jun 20, 2019 10:55 AM CDT