Judiciary

Lawyer, Client Sanctioned $29K for Client’s Profanity-Laced Deposition

U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno of Philadelphia has tallied the number of times a litigant dropped the F-word or a variant in a deposition—it was 73 times—and calculated the sanction he and his lawyer should pay—it is more than $29,000. The client, Aaron Wider, is CEO of HTFC Corp., a…

Mar 5, 2008 2:39 PM CST

Senate Confirms Filip as No. 2 Justice Official

The Senate has confirmed Mark Filip, a federal judge in Chicago, to become the Justice Department’s second in command. The confirmation was part of a broader agreement by Democrats to confirm more White House appointments, report the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.). In exchange, the administration…

Mar 4, 2008 11:49 AM CST

Client Who Decked Counsel Sentenced to 6 Months

A disgruntled client who decked his appointed defense counsel last month got the new lawyer he was seeking … and more. Although public defender Doug Crickmer said at the time that he forgave Peter Hafer, the Kentucky judicial system apparently wasn’t ready to turn the other cheek. Hafer—whose punch to…

Mar 4, 2008 12:58 AM CST

Speeding Lawyer Not Fast Enough on Her Feet With Court Excuse

An Arkansas lawyer is facing a contempt of court charge after reportedly telling a Carroll County judge she couldn’t appear before him the next day because she was in St. Louis, awaiting a federal appeals court hearing. But after Cindy Baker was ticketed for speeding the next morning in northwest…

Mar 3, 2008 11:30 PM CST

Lawyers’ Letter Supports Cross-Dressing Judge

Bankruptcy lawyers have started a letter-writing campaign in support of a judge who was wearing a cocktail dress when police arrested him on suspicion of drunken driving. The campaign urges the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reject the resignation of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Somma, who pleaded…

Mar 3, 2008 6:52 PM CST

Breyer, Known for Zany Hypotheticals, Considers Hungry Racoons and Pet Oysters

Justice Antonin Scalia is known for his sarcasm during oral arguments and Ruth Bader Ginsburg for her attention to details. But no U.S. Supreme Court justice can compete with Justice Stephen G. Breyer’s unusual questions on everything from hungry raccoons to mutated ”tomato children.” “The 69-year-old Breyer is the court’s…

Mar 3, 2008 3:15 PM CST

Ex-Judge Reprimanded for Training Conference Remarks

A former Mississippi judge has been reprimanded for disparaging remarks about African-Americans she made at a drug court training conference. The judge, Nicki Boland of Hinds County, was defeated when she ran for re-election last fall. During the Dallas conference held in 2005, Boland became upset with the county drug…

Feb 29, 2008 7:26 PM CST

Bar Presidents Protest ‘Reckless’ Investigation of Mich. Judge

Twelve former presidents of the Grand Rapids Bar Association are protesting the “reckless” manner in which they say the Judicial Tenure Commission is investigating a Michigan judge. In a letter (PDF) to the commission, they say that District Judge Steven Servaas, who has been on the bench for 35 years,…

Feb 29, 2008 5:08 PM CST

Reports of New Scruggs Influence Payments Surface in FBI Notes

An FBI report says plaintiffs lawyer Richard “Dickie” Scruggs agreed to pay two associates $500,000 to discourage Mississippi’s attorney general from indicting State Farm Insurance Co. A confidential source told the FBI that Scruggs feared State Farm would not settle his civil cases if the insurer also faced criminal charges,…

Feb 28, 2008 4:24 PM CST

Linda Greenhouse to Take N.Y. Times Buyout

Updated: A renowned legal journalist known for her decades of U.S. Supreme Court coverage has announced that she will be leaving the New York Times. Linda Greenhouse, 61, says she had been planning to retire soon anyway, and has decided to accept a buyout package from the newspaper, reports the…

Feb 27, 2008 11:13 PM CST

Judge’s Widow Can’t Pursue Suit Claiming Overwork Caused His Death

The widow of a Connecticut judge who claims her husband died from overwork can’t sue the state under a special statute that extended the time limit for her to file suit. The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Monday (PDF) that the law was unconstitutional because it was designed to benefit just…

Feb 27, 2008 1:09 PM CST

Some Suggest Justice Ethics Probe Led to Wis. Supremes Slowdown

The pace of rulings by the Wisconsin Supreme Court has slowed, and some suspect an ethics investigation of one of the justices could be to blame. So far the court has issued 10 rulings this term, compared to its normal pace of 20 rulings, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Some…

Feb 26, 2008 6:23 PM CST

Federal Judge Loses Escalator Injury Suit, Lawyer Cites Bias

The lawyer for a federal judge who lost a $21 million lawsuit for an escalator injury is blaming bias against the judiciary for the verdict. California jurors deliberated only two hours before ruling against U.S. District Judge George Schiavelli of Los Angeles, who said he was injured when a shopping…

Feb 26, 2008 2:29 PM CST

Moldy Courthouses an Issue in Fla.

Mold reportedly may be a problem at a number of Florida courthouses. Among them: the David W. Dyer Federal Courthouse in downtown Miami. As a new courthouse sits across the street unused because of construction delays and cost overruns, workers complain that a documented mold problem may be making at…

Feb 25, 2008 6:08 PM CST

McCain’s Role in Judicial Filibuster Vote Cost Him Some Support

In 2005, Sen. John McCain helped pave the way for confirmation of two U.S. Supreme Court justices and other conservative judges by helping stop a vote on whether to ban filibusters of judicial nominees. That action has led some high-profile conservatives to oppose McCain’s presidential bid, the New York Times…

Feb 25, 2008 2:12 PM CST