Judiciary

Man Admits He Sent Racially Charged Threats to Justice Thomas, Others

An Ohio man has pleaded guilty to sending scores of threatening letters and e-mails mainly to African-American men seen with white women. David Tuason sent more than 200 threats since 1988, including some addressed to Justice Clarence Thomas. In a story about Tuason’s plea Thursday, the Associated Press reports that…

May 16, 2008 1:27 PM CDT

Columnist Says ‘Judges Gone Wild’ Theory Is Incorrect

Are liberal activist judges thwarting the will of the people with their flexible reading of the Constitution? Ruth Marcus doesn’t think so. In an opinion column for the Washington Post she takes aim at presidential contender John McCain for criticizing judges who “legislate from the bench.” “The world he sketches…

May 14, 2008 3:52 PM CDT

W. Va. Chief Justice Loses Primary After Vacation Controversy

The chief justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court has lost his primary bid for a new term after vacation photos surfaced that led to his recusal in a case involving a large coal company. Elliott “Spike” Maynard finished in third place out of four candidates, the Associated Press reports.…

May 14, 2008 3:29 PM CDT

Malfunctioning Sprinkler System Drenched New Mississippi Court Building

A malfunctioning sprinkler system last week drenched all four floors of Mississippi’s new $38 million building housing the state supreme court and court of appeals. Court workers were using paper towels in an attempt to dry thousands of legal records that were soaked in water, the Columbus Commercial Dispatch reports.…

May 14, 2008 12:39 PM CDT

Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Runs for Two Spots to Protest ‘Cronyism’

A Mississippi Supreme Court justice who wants to protest “cronyism at its worst” is running—at least for now—for two seats on his court. Justice Charles “Chuck” Easley told the Columbus Commercial Dispatch he filed to run for his seat and the one occupied by Ann Hannaford Lamar to protest her…

May 14, 2008 12:21 PM CDT

Judge Suspended for Inappropriate, Joking Comments

Maryland’s highest court has suspended a judge for 30 days because of his vulgar language and inappropriate, joking remarks in the courtroom. The suspension of Judge Bruce Lamdin of Baltimore County is the harshest punishment given to a Maryland judge in more than two decades, the Baltimore Sun reports. Lamdin…

May 14, 2008 11:51 AM CDT

Woman’s Suit Against Judge Who Asked Her to Remove Veil Gets Tossed

A federal judge in Detroit has dismissed a woman’s lawsuit against a small claims judge who asked her to remove her veil. The woman, Ginnnah Muhammad, had claimed Judge Paul Paruk of Hamtramck unconstitutionally interfered with her right to practice religion and violated a civil rights law requiring access to…

May 13, 2008 4:53 PM CDT

N.Y. Judges to Lawmakers: No Pay Raises for Us, No Hearings for You

Updated: Perhaps it’s just an over-scrupulous sense of ethics on the part of New York’s judges. But ever since the chief judge sued the state legislature for a pay raise, a number of the state’s jurists have been recusing themselves from hearing cases involving state lawmakers and the law firms…

May 13, 2008 4:29 PM CDT

Is the ‘Anonymous Justice’ Souter Considering Retirement?

At least one U.S. Supreme Court watcher has speculated that Justice David H. Souter has become disenchanted with life on the Supreme Court and may soon retire. Souter guards his privacy to such an extent that Bloomberg News calls him the “anonymous justice.” He told a congressional panel in 1996…

May 13, 2008 2:38 PM CDT

Judge Advises Colonoscopy-Averse Lawyers to ‘Get Over It’

A judge says he dreaded his first colonoscopy with the same kind of trepidation reserved for requests for a tax audit and scary parts of the movie Alien. “I’m not talking here about your basic, ordinary garden-variety bar exam dread,” writes Judge William Bedsworth of the California Court of Appeal…

May 13, 2008 1:20 PM CDT

Magistrate Reprimanded for Using Racial Slur, Seeking to Record Sexual Encounter

A former South Carolina magistrate has been publicly reprimanded based on findings he used a racial slur and sought to videotape a law clerk in a sexual encounter. The South Carolina Supreme Court said former magistrate Larry Hutchins of Spartanburg cannot seek any judicial post without express permission of the…

May 13, 2008 12:35 PM CDT

New Attire for UK Judges: Color-Coded Designer Robes

Updated: The new robes in which U.K. judges will preside in court as of Oct. 1 are still primarily black. However, they are now not only designed by Betty Jackson but feature two vertical stripes down the upper front which reflect the judges’ position. “For the division heads and Court…

May 12, 2008 5:18 PM CDT

Apartheid Case to Proceed Because Supreme Court Can’t Muster a Quorum

The recusals of four justices left the U.S. Supreme Court without a quorum today in a dispute over the legal rights of apartheid victims, leaving intact an appeals court ruling allowing their suit to go forward. The suit seeks damages from U.S. companies accused of assisting South Africa’s apartheid government,…

May 12, 2008 3:24 PM CDT

Supreme Court Backs Lawyer’s Decision on Magistrate Jury Selection

In a decision backing the power of lawyers to make tactical decisions for their clients, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a defendant’s lawyer in a criminal case may waive the right to jury selection before an Article III judge. The defendant in the case, Homero Gonzalez, did not…

May 12, 2008 2:49 PM CDT

Reagan-Appointed Judges Now Conservative ‘Superstars’

Many federal appeals judges appointed by President Ronald Reagan are now at the height of their power, issuing conservative opinions on hot-button issues like affirmative action, so-called partial-birth abortions and gun rights. A USA Today story on how these judges are shaping the law said they were “young, brainy and…

May 12, 2008 2:20 PM CDT