Judiciary

9th Circuit Rejects ‘Cowering Attorneys’ Claim as Reason to Boot Judge from Case

A federal appeals court has rejected a claim that U.S. District Judge Manuel Real should be booted from the resentencing of a conspiracy defendant because lawyers are too afraid of the judge to press their case vigorously. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that Real…

Sep 11, 2008 11:33 AM CDT

2 Colorado Judges Censured for Prosecutorial Work Years Ago

Two former Colorado prosecutors who didn’t turn over potentially exculpatory information to the defense in a first-degree murder case have been censured for their role in sending a man who says he is innocent to prison for almost a decade. That man, Timothy Masters, was released earlier this year, after…

Sep 10, 2008 7:42 PM CDT

Lawyers in Virginia Beach Warned: No More Cop Back-Patting in Court

Lawyers in Virginia Beach have been warned to stop patting traffic cops in the back during court appearances. Chief General District Judge Gene Woolard asked lawyers to end back pats but did not issue a formal order banning the practice, the Virginian-Pilot reports. “We worked this one out peacefully,” Woolard…

Sep 10, 2008 2:23 PM CDT

Prosecutor and Judge in Capital Case Admitted Affair, Lawyers Say

Updated: A judge who oversaw the death penalty trial of Charles Dean Hood and the prosecutor in the case have admitted an affair, lawyers told the governor of Texas in a letter. The now-retired judge, Verla Sue Holland, and the onetime prosecutor, Thomas O’Connell, “admitted under oath that they had…

Sep 10, 2008 10:56 AM CDT

Judge Who Refused Hearing on ‘Ridiculous’ Lawyer Dispute Is Overturned

A New Jersey appeals court has ruled a judge in Monmouth County must hold a hearing in a dispute between two former law firm partners, even if he thought the cost of litigation would dwarf the amount in dispute. The trial-level judge, Alexander Lehrer had called the dispute “the most…

Sep 9, 2008 3:50 PM CDT

Thailand Prime Minister Broke the Law by Hosting Cooking Show, Court Rules

Thailand’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the country’s prime minister broke the law by hosting a cooking show. The court ordered Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to resign because he had broken a law barring cabinet ministers from working for private companies, the International Herald Tribune reports. His party said Samak…

Sep 9, 2008 1:55 PM CDT

Judge: Broadcom Co-Founder’s Plea Deal Suggests Justice is for Sale

A federal judge in Santa Ana, Calif., has tossed a plea deal that involved a hefty fine but no jail time in the backdating case against Broadcom co-founder Henry Samueli. U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney said the deal creates the impression that “justice is for sale,” the Daily Journal reports…

Sep 9, 2008 11:54 AM CDT

Gag Order Implies Private Hearings for Federal Judge in Sex Abuse Case

A gag order has been issued by a federal judge who has been brought in from Florida to hear the criminal case against U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent of Texas, who is accused of sexually abusing his former case manager. The unusual order, which was issued late Friday by Senior…

Sep 8, 2008 7:52 PM CDT

How New York Judges Make Fashion Statements

Black is a color that goes with just about anything, an observation apparently made by some New York judges who dress up their robes with accessories. Other judges have spurned their robes altogether. Judge ShawnDya Simpson has done both, the New York Times reports. Sometimes she wears a scarf or…

Sep 8, 2008 4:22 PM CDT

Embattled Nev. Judge Recovering from Alleged Frying Pan Beating

A controversial Nevada judge is reportedly recovering from injuries she sustained in an incident late Thursday at her Las Vegas home, following surgery for skull fractures on Friday. The condition of suspended District Judge Elizabeth Halverson, 50, whose 49-year-old husband is accused of beating her with a frying pan, has…

Sep 8, 2008 3:39 PM CDT

Kansas High Court Asked to Decide: Can Judges Fill Out Questionnaires?

A federal court has asked the Kansas Supreme Court to weigh in on a question of state law: Can state judges ethically fill out questionnaires that ask them about their opinions on issues that are likely to come before them? On the one hand, judges have a First Amendment right…

Sep 5, 2008 9:14 PM CDT

Retired N.Y. Judge Pleads in Federal Prostitution Case

A New York trial court judge who had a reputation for handing out tough sentences is now potentially facing one himself. Ronald Tills, 73, admitted in court yesterday that he had recruited prostitutes for a national men’s fraternal club of which he is a member, the Royal Order of Jesters,…

Sep 5, 2008 8:52 PM CDT

Embattled Nev. Judge Hospitalized, Husband Charged With Attempted Murder

Updated: A controversial Nevada judge who has been suspended from the bench is in the hospital with a severe head injury, and her husband has been charged with attempted murder after an incident at their Las Vegas home last night. Edward Halverson, 49, who has a lengthy criminal record, is…

Sep 5, 2008 7:37 PM CDT

Tenn. High Court Hears Law Firm’s Plea for Judge’s Permanent Recusal

A Greeneville, Tenn., law firm’s effort to get a local judge to recuse himself permanently from its cases seemingly received a favorable reception today in a Tennessee Supreme Court hearing. The firm, Rogers Laughlin Nunnally Hood & Crum, is appealing to the high court Circuit Judge John Wilson’s refusal to…

Sep 5, 2008 4:50 PM CDT

Death-Row Inmate Gets Quicker Hearing on Alleged Judge-Prosecutor Affair

A new judge has scheduled a hearing for Monday to consider a Texas death-row inmate’s request for more information about an alleged affair between the judge and prosecutor in his case. Lawyers for Charles Dean Hood want to compel testimony about the allegations from the former judge, Verla Sue Holland,…

Sep 5, 2008 12:29 PM CDT