Judiciary

E-Law Rock Stars?

When electronic discovery disputes get heated in his courtroom, Magistrate Judge David J. Waxse of the U.S. District Court in Kansas has a simple strategy: “If someone comes to me and says, ‘So and so is impossible to deal with and we can’t get a deal done,’ I tell them,…

Jul 11, 2008 7:00 PM CDT

Former Ind. Judge Gets 15 Months in Court Fraud Case

A former municipal judge in Schererville, Ind., who funneled defendants’ fees to a driving school she secretly owned and demanded kickbacks from a counseling firm that worked with her court, among other alleged misconduct, has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison. Deborah Riga could have gotten two years,…

Jul 11, 2008 3:24 PM CDT

Embattled Las Vegas Judge Loses Bid to Extend Her Term

Embattled Las Vegas Judge Elizabeth Halverson has lost her claim that a law giving her an initial term of only two years on the bench is unconstitutional. The Nevada Supreme Court said in a footnote that it ruled on Halverson’s claim even though the judge had filed a complaint against…

Jul 10, 2008 6:06 PM CDT

Lawyer Band Practices in Judge’s Chambers

A federal judge who plays the saxophone allows a group of 35 Chicago lawyers who play in a jazz group called the Barristers Big Band to practice in her chambers. U.S. District Judge Blanche Manning of Chicago, an accomplished musician who also performs and records with the KCR Ensemble, is…

Jul 10, 2008 4:52 PM CDT

Mich. Judges Likely to Rule on Proposal to Cut Judicial Pay and Jobs

Michigan judges who could face pay cuts or lose their jobs under a proposed constitutional amendment will likely be asked to decide if the measure gets on the November ballot. Republicans and business groups will probably file suit, the Associated Press reports. They see the measure as an attempt by…

Jul 10, 2008 2:33 PM CDT

Baseball Request Lands Missouri Judge in Hot Water

A disciplinary panel is recommending a reprimand for a Missouri judge accused of initially seeking an autographed baseball as part of a misdemeanor plea deal when he was a prosecutor. The allegations against Judge Matthew Thornhill relate to an incident about two years ago involving a defendant who apparently claimed…

Jul 9, 2008 4:02 PM CDT

5 Miami Judges Hold Court on Nation’s TV Airwaves

In what is surely a record for any one U.S. city, five former Miami criminal judges are now holding court on reality television shows, and two were nominated for Emmy awards this year. Among them: Marilyn Milian, who has presided over The People’s Court for eight years; David Young, whose…

Jul 8, 2008 7:54 PM CDT

Ga. Supreme Court Nixes Secret Sentence-Review Panels

A split Georgia Supreme Court has overturned a controversial system of secretive post-conviction review panels that since its inception has reduced sentences for hundreds of prisoners in the state. But the 4-3 court stopped short of reinstating the original prison terms, the Associated Press reports. Reinstating the sentences would amount…

Jul 8, 2008 5:14 PM CDT

Judge Uses Limerick to Order Lawyer to Pare Down 465-Page Suit

Using a five-line limerick to make his point, a federal judge has ordered a Vancouver, Wash., lawyer to rewrite a racketeering suit. U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton invoked civil procedure rules that require a “short and plain statement” of allegations. And Judge Leighton used some poetic license to make his…

Jul 8, 2008 10:14 AM CDT

Ohio Judge Disbarred Over Dealings with Convicted Client

An Ohio judge’s effort to help a former client skirt money-laundering laws and purchase a commercial building from him has ended his legal career. Judge Jeffrey Hoskins of the Highland County Court of Common Pleas was permanently disbarred last week by the Ohio Supreme Court for what it described in…

Jul 7, 2008 4:19 PM CDT

36 Inmates Waiting 5 Years for Trial in Chicago Area

Although backlogs have been reduced in recent years, there are 36 jail inmates in Cook County, Illinois, who have been awaiting trial for at least five years. A total of 430 have been held at least two years without trial, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. The county, of which Chicago is…

Jul 7, 2008 4:05 PM CDT

Judicial Nominee Could Face Trouble Over Copying Issue

The former chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee could be in for a tough judicial nomination fight over questions surrounding passages in at least five articles he wrote that tracked the work of other authors, the New York Times reports. Michael O’Neill, now an associate law professor at George…

Jul 7, 2008 2:45 PM CDT

Judge v. Judge: Banned Florida Jurist Sues Courthouse Chief

Banned from the main Broward County, Fla., courthouse and reassigned to work on traffic cases after a reported verbal altercation with another judge, Judge Jay Spechler resigned earlier this year. But now he has sued Broward Chief Judge Victor Tobin personally for defamation, contending also that Tobin created a hostile…

Jul 3, 2008 6:31 PM CDT

Texas Judge and Law Prof in Civil Rights Case is Arrested

A part-time Houston municipal judge and Texas Southern University law professor who is one of five plaintiffs in a federal civil rights suit against Harris County apparently spent at least several hours in jail yesterday after sheriff’s deputies arrested her. April Jill Walker was arrested yesterday evening in the driveway…

Jul 3, 2008 5:10 PM CDT

Back on Bench, Md. Judge Dials It Down But Still Cares

Suspended without pay for 30 work days for uncivil and profane language—the harshest punishment handed out to a Maryland judge in more than 20 years—Baltimore County District Judge Bruce Lamdin was subdued today, his first day back on the bench. He did advise one defendant to listen to his lawyer,…

Jul 2, 2008 10:20 PM CDT