It’s Not Just the Economy: Congress Will Face a Full Agenda of Justice System Issues

Jan 1, 2013 7:10 AM CST

6 Attorneys Among 21 NYC Law Firm Workers Charged in Asylum Conspiracy Case

Updated: Six attorneys are among 21 employees of 10 law firms in New York City who have been criminally charged in federal court in Manhattan with participating in a claimed conspiracy to win asylum for individuals based on false claims of persecution. A total of 26 individuals are named as…

Dec 18, 2012 10:39 PM CST

Arizona Suit Challenges Driver’s License Restrictions For Immigrant Youths

A group of civil and immigrant rights organizations challenged an executive order by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer Thursday which denies driver’s licenses to some youths who recently received immigration relief and work permits under the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The suit argues that the order is…

Nov 30, 2012 10:35 PM CST

Fake Immigration Lawyer Gets 5-Year Prison Sentence

A California man who falsely passed himself off as an immigration lawyer has been sentenced to five years in prison. Rey Martin Lespier, 45, pleaded no contest Wednesday to four counts of theft by false pretense in Merced County, Calif., the Merced Sun-Star reports. Lespier, who is not a licensed…

Nov 30, 2012 6:15 PM CST

2nd Circuit Reverses Disbarred Lawyer’s Fed’l Immigration Fraud Conviction Over Voir Dire Issue

A federal appeals court panel has reversed the immigration fraud conviction of a disbarred New York lawyer, finding that his constitutional right to a public trial was violated because the presiding judge excluded the attorney’s brother and the brother’s girlfriend from the courtroom during voir dire. The judge reportedly did…

Nov 13, 2012 11:10 PM CST

Will 2010 Decision Help Immigrant Who Pleaded Guilty in 2003? High Court Mulls Retroactivity

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday considered the reach of a decision holding that criminal defense lawyers have a Sixth Amendment obligation to warn their clients when a guilty plea could result in deportation. At issue is whether the 2010 decision Padilla v. Kentucky is retroactive, report the New York…

Nov 2, 2012 4:15 PM CDT

Around the Blawgosphere: Legal Bloggers on the Hurricane Sandy Aftermath

Hurricane Sandy has had a tremendous impact on the week’s events for those who were caught in its path or worried from afar about loved ones living in affected areas. Updates about the storm also dominated the news feeds of the rest of the nation. This week, we’re focusing on…

Nov 2, 2012 1:30 PM CDT

Did Obama Violate the Take Care Clause by Staying Some Deportations? John Yoo Weighs In

President Barack Obama effectively wrote into law the failed DREAM Act when his administration announced in June that it would not deport many illegal aliens under 30 who came to this country as children, two law professors say. The president also breached his constitutional duty to enforce the laws under…

Oct 9, 2012 10:29 AM CDT

NY Appeals Court: Top US Court’s Padilla Ruling Applies re ‘96 Plea Now Blamed on Counsel’s Advice

Sixteen years after Roman Baret’s guilty plea in 1996 to criminal sale of a controlled substance, a New York appeals court has held that the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 2010 ruling in Padilla v. Kentucky applies retroactively. It requires defense lawyers to advise clients of any adverse immigration consequences of…

Oct 4, 2012 4:34 PM CDT

Florida Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Case of Undocumented Immigrant Seeking Law License

The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday heard oral arguments in a controversial case concerning an undocumented immigrant seeking a law license. In addition to other arguments he made earlier, Jose Manuel Godinez-Samperio is now contending he should be admitted to practice in the state because a new immigration policy adopted…

Oct 2, 2012 9:57 PM CDT

Civil Solution: ABA Says Those Facing Removal from the US Shouldn’t Be Treated Like Criminals

Oct 1, 2012 5:49 AM CDT

Investigators Say There Are Likely More Immigration Victims of Disbarred Lawyer

At least 10 people paid a disbarred South Carolina lawyer for immigration services he didn’t provide and authorities say they expect more victims to surface. Former Hilton Head lawyer Michael George Wyman, who opened Wyman’s Immigrant Angels Inc. in March, was charged this week with 10 counts of breach of…

Sep 28, 2012 11:15 AM CDT

9th Circuit Splits 6-5 Over Immigration Provision, Sides with Applicants Who’ve ‘Aged Out’

In an en banc ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held that children of immigrants who are given derivative visas can immigrate with their parents to the United States, even if they’ve “aged out” by turning 21 before their parents’ visas were processed. The Recorder reports that…

Sep 27, 2012 12:05 PM CDT

Fla. Universities Can’t Charge Higher College Tuition for Children of Illegal Immigrants, Judge Says

Updated: A federal judge in Florida ruled this week that students in state-supported colleges and universities can’t be charged out-of-state tuition just because their parents are in the country illegally. Such a policy violates the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause, U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore ruled Friday, according to…

Sep 6, 2012 9:30 PM CDT

Breaking the Shackles: More Must Be Done to End Human Trafficking and Help Victims

Sep 1, 2012 9:50 AM CDT