Judiciary

Judge Manuel Real Kicked Off Honda Class Action

U.S. District Judge Manuel Real of Los Angeles has been removed from another case. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals removed Real from a case involving Honda’s rear suspension systems and revoked his order certifying a class action in the lawsuit, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports in…

Jul 24, 2008 3:31 PM CDT

New Zealand Judge Renames Girl, Says ‘Talula Does the Hula’ Was Poor Choice

A fed-up judge in New Zealand thought the name “Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii” was an embarrassing name for a 9-year-old girl involved in a custody battle, so he decided to change it. Judge Rob Murfitt made the girl a ward of the court so he could make the…

Jul 24, 2008 2:51 PM CDT

Teen’s 1-Year Term for Judge Threat is What He Wanted, Counsel Says

A troubled Ohio teenager has been sentenced to a one-year prison term for sending a threatening letter to a Licking County juvenile judge last year punctuated with his own blood. But Corey Spears, 16, wanted to be sentenced in adult court, his lawyer says. That’s because the one year term…

Jul 22, 2008 6:30 PM CDT

Lender CEO OK’d Judge’s Refi While Class Action Was Pending, Magazine Says

When a California appeals court judge sought a $1 million mortgage and a $900,000 credit line to refinance his 8,200-square-foot home in January 2004, a loan officer for Countrywide Financial determined that the credit line was “above what guidelines allow.” But the mortgage lender’s chief executive, Angelo Mozilo was the…

Jul 22, 2008 5:57 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

Probe of Federal Judge Expands to Include House Sale to Lawyer

A Justice Department investigation of U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent now includes allegations he failed to report benefits he received from the sale of his Galveston home in a deal arranged by a lawyer with dozens of cases in his court, the Houston Chronicle reports. Kent sold the home to…

Jul 21, 2008 10:52 AM 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

2 Ex-Judges, 1 Attorney Indicted in Georgia Corruption Case

Two former state-court judges–one of them, until recently, a chief judge–as well as an attorney and a court administrator have been indicted in Georgia, in a federal case over state judicial corruption. The indictments today were by a federal grand jury that has been probing claimed corruption in the Alapaha…

Jul 18, 2008 6:13 PM CDT

Hearing in N.Y. Judicial Pay Case Intrigues Law Blogger

As oral arguments were being made today in an unusual lawsuit by New York’s top judge seeking an increase in judicial pay for the state’s jurists, law blogger Eric Turkewitz happened to be in court on another case. So he stopped by for an hour or so to observe, and…

Jul 17, 2008 10:44 PM CDT

Some Federal Courthouses Swamped With ‘Crimmigration’ Cases

Federal courthouses in Texas and other border states are swamped with prosecutions for illegal border crossings. Immigration cases accounted for 58 percent of new federal prosecutions in April, the Dallas Morning News reports. The new cases are the result of a zero-tolerance policy designed to reduce the flow of illegal…

Jul 17, 2008 4:58 PM CDT

Judge Says His Courtroom Obscenities Tied to Son’s Death

An Indiana judge charged in a misconduct complaint says he had reason to be angry when he made disparaging remarks about a defendant during a sentencing hearing in another courtroom. Judge Kenneth Scheibenberger is accused of visiting another judge’s courtroom in 2007 and calling the defendant, charged with a weapons…

Jul 17, 2008 12:38 PM CDT

Lawyer Asserts First Amendment Right to Describe Judge as a Witch

A Florida lawyer who called a judge an “evil, unfair witch” on a blog has submitted a brief with the Florida Supreme Court that contends his comments were protected by the First Amendment. Lawyer Sean Conway submitted the legal papers after the court asked him and the Florida Bar to…

Jul 16, 2008 6:23 PM CDT

‘Tell it to the Judge’ Survey to Query Witnesses, Lawyers About Fairness

Lawyers, witnesses, police officers and other court participants in nine states will be asked to fill out surveys asking them about the fairness of the proceedings. The “Tell it to the Judge” surveys are being conducted by 10 judges affiliated with the American Judges Association and in cooperation with the…

Jul 15, 2008 5:18 PM CDT

Popular Self-Help Clinic Fielded 43,000 Inquiries in ‘07

Litigants without lawyers are an increasingly common sight in courthouses across the country. In San Diego alone, the percentage of family court cases with at least one unrepresented party was 70 percent in 2004. That’s up from 54 percent in the early ’90s, USA Today reports in an article about…

Jul 15, 2008 5:09 PM CDT

Potential Juror Curses Judge and Lands in Jail

A potential juror in Florida ended up in a jail cell rather than the courtroom when she apparently called the judge an asshole for refusing to dismiss her from jury service. Sarah Muller told the Ocala Star Banner she was unhappy that the judge dismissed another juror but refused to…

Jul 15, 2008 4:59 PM CDT