Judiciary

What’s in a Name? Lots

Various bar associations found Michael B. Hyman “highly qualified” when he ran for judge in Cook County, Ill., and the former appellate lawyer—who also had numerous jury trials under his belt—had only recently served as president of the Chicago Bar Association.

Aug 1, 2008 1:05 PM CDT

Qualms Over the Cover

Your June cover photo is, to say the least, in very poor taste. No matter how one feels about the action (or inaction) of the other branches of the federal government regarding appointment of federal judges, your use of the milk carton to make any point does a disservice to…

Aug 1, 2008 1:00 PM CDT

Advocate for the Courts

Judiciary issues top agenda of incoming ABA President Wells

Aug 1, 2008 1:00 PM CDT

Mo. Lawyer Rants Against Judge, Gets 4 Months in Jail

Asking a Missouri judge “Are you a pedophile?” was but one of the “rude and angry” comments that reportedly helped persuade the jurist to slap a 120-day contempt sentence on a Kansas City lawyer. Attorney Carlos Romious also caught the attention of Greene County Circuit Court Judge Tom Mountjoy by…

Jul 31, 2008 7:50 PM CDT

New Judge Gives 4th Circuit a Majority of GOP Appointees

G. Steven Agee’s new seat on the Richmond, Va., 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gives the influential court a majority of GOP-appointed judges. But don’t expect a decisive tilt to the right. Agee was sworn in earlier this month, ending a 5-5 split between Republican and Democratic appointees, the…

Jul 31, 2008 6:26 PM CDT

Study Labels Thomas Most Partisan Justice, Scalia Most Activist

A law professor’s study of court decisions concludes that Justice Clarence Thomas is the U.S. Supreme Court’s most partisan justice, and Justice Antonin Scalia is the most activist. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy is most neutral, and Justice Stephen G. Breyer shows the most…

Jul 31, 2008 3:34 PM CDT

Angry Ex-Husband Allegedly Plotted to Kill N.Y. Divorce Judge

A 90-day contempt term for failing to pay child support has now been transformed into an indefinite prison stay for a New York man accused of plotting to get a gun to kill the judge in his divorce case. Angry at the Suffolk County judge who “gave his house away”…

Jul 30, 2008 6:50 PM CDT

Mich. Judge Who Removed Opponent’s Signs: I Did Nothing Wrong

A Michigan judge who admittedly removed her opponent’s campaign signs from a seemingly public area, while leaving her own adjacent campaign signs in place, says she did nothing wrong. But Judge Dana Fortinberry appears to be incorrect when she says the signs were on private property that only she had…

Jul 30, 2008 5:04 PM CDT

Divorce Lawyer Banished After Calling Black Court Staffer ‘A Little Monkey’

An Atlanta divorce lawyer has been banned from the entire fifth floor of the DeKalb County courthouse following an incident in which he called an African-American court staffer a “little monkey.” Two judges cited the remark in an order that bans lawyer Paul Koehler from the floor where the judges…

Jul 30, 2008 1:52 PM CDT

Kozinski Cancels and Yoo Misses Speaking Gigs at 9th Circuit Conference

The annual judicial conference held by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is getting lots of attention in the legal press because of high-profile figures who canceled or missed speaking engagements there. One of them is the conference’s chief judge, Alex Kozinski, who ordered an ethics investigation…

Jul 30, 2008 1:13 PM CDT

Motion Seeks Removal of Judge Who Approved Search of Law Office

A Texas judge’s decision to approve a search warrant of a law office is being cited in a motion to force his removal from a homicide case. Judge Mark Rusch approved prosecutors’ request for a warrant to search the office of lawyer Keith Gore, who is defending an accused contract…

Jul 29, 2008 4:31 PM CDT

Accused Ringleader in 1979 Murder of Federal Judge Dies of Cancer

A convicted drug dealer who was accused but acquitted of most charges in the 1979 assassination of a federal judge has died. Jamiel Alexander “Jimmy” Chagra, 63, died Friday of cancer in Mesa, Ariz., where he was reportedly living with his wife under an assumed name. Acquitted on murder charges,…

Jul 28, 2008 7:02 PM CDT

Judge Sanctioned for Calling Crack Addiction a ‘Black Man’s Disease’

A former South Carolina judge who called crack cocaine addiction a “black man’s disease” has agreed to stay off the bench and consented to a public reprimand. Magistrate George Peter Lamb of Beaufort County was accused of making the cocaine remark while discussing a warrant, the Associated Press reports. The…

Jul 28, 2008 6:43 PM CDT

Meet Judge Arthur Schack, Foreclosure Watchdog

In pending foreclosure cases, Judge Arthur Schack of Brooklyn, N.Y., doesn’t always wait for an opposing lawyer to raise issues about the ownership of mortgages. He investigates the problem himself and dismisses most cases sua sponte. Schack was mentioned in two articles over the weekend, one in the Wall Street…

Jul 28, 2008 10:56 AM CDT

Ex-Juvenile Court Judge Pleads Guilty to Viewing Child Porn at Law Office

A former juvenile court judge in Tennessee has pleaded guilty to possessing more than 100 images of child pornography on the computer at his law office. The former judge, Ronald R. Reagan of Sevierville, was sentenced to 46 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release, the Knoxville News…

Jul 25, 2008 1:22 PM CDT