Judiciary

Grand Jurors Sue for OK to Talk About Texas Supreme Court Justice’s Case

In a highly unusual move, six members of a 12-person grand jury that indicted a Texas Supreme Court justice are suing the county prosecutor and the state for permission to talk about the evidence they considered in the controversial case. Ordinarily, grand jury proceedings are secret. But the grand jurors…

Feb 14, 2008 7:07 PM CST

Las Vegas Family Court Judge Accused of Sexual Misconduct

A Las Vegas judge who hears adoption and domestic violence cases has been charged in an ethics complaint with sexually harassing an employee he first sexually abused when she was about 14 years old. The complaint against Nicholas Del Vecchio also alleges he used racial slurs, made sexually suggestive comments…

Feb 13, 2008 3:52 PM CST

Judge Denies Motion Citing Torture Policy Involvement as Reason for Recusal

A federal appeals judge has denied a motion that seeks his recusal in an excessive-force case on the ground that he cannot be fair because of his involvement in developing torture policy for the Bush administration. The motion contends that Judge Jay Bybee of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit…

Feb 13, 2008 3:14 PM CST

Court Must Accept, Rule On Transgender Name Change & Fee Waiver Filings

The chief judge of the Will County Circuit Court erred by not accepting petitions by a transgender person seeking a name change and a filing-fees waiver, according to an Illinois Supreme Court ruling. When Dauun Turner, who reportedly is disabled and lives on social security benefits, tried to file the…

Feb 12, 2008 10:11 PM CST

Murder Defendant Sues Ga. Judge Over Change of Counsel

A defendant in a capital murder case who was represented for more than a year by private lawyers paid for by the state of Georgia has sued his trial judge for replacing the private attorneys with public defenders. Meanwhile, the salaried public defenders selected by Pike County Superior Court Judge…

Feb 11, 2008 8:56 PM CST

Fla. Appeals Judge Faces New Charges Over Critique of Fellow Jurist in Opinion

Asked to explain why he had criticized a fellow appellate court jurist in a written opinion, Judge Michael E. Allen reportedly told the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission that he had no personal animosity against Judge Charles J. Kahn Jr. But the commission apparently didn’t believe Allen, and has now filed…

Feb 11, 2008 4:10 PM CST

17-Year Traffic Ticket Saga Ends With Court Apology

For 17 years, a Philadelphia man has trekked to traffic court almost annually to explain that he is not his twin brother, after receiving threats that his Pennsylvania driver’s license would be suspended if he didn’t pay outstanding tickets. Each time, after reviewing the situation, officials agreed that the tickets…

Feb 8, 2008 8:03 PM CST

Judge Censured for Excessive Bail, Severe Attitude

The Michigan Supreme Court has publicly censured a judge for setting “grossly excessive” bail and showing a “severe attitude” toward witnesses and litigants. Judge Norene Redmond of Eastpointe was censured after the court reviewed her actions in three cases, according to the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News. The cases…

Feb 8, 2008 7:07 PM CST

3 Arrested in Alleged Ala. Plot to Kill Attorney & Judge

Three men reportedly have been arrested in an alleged plot to hire a hitman to kill an attorney and a judge in an Alabama divorce case. The targets of the plot, Buddy Williams, a lawyer in Ozark, and Dale County Circuit Court Judge Ken Quattlebaum, apparently were never attacked, but…

Feb 8, 2008 6:32 PM CST

Ky. Judge Bans Prosecutor Objections in Probable Cause Hearings

A Kentucky judge has threatened to hold prosecutors in contempt if they don’t stop making “obnoxious, ridiculous, abundant and useless objections” during probable cause hearings. Jefferson District Judge Sean Delahanty told prosecutors on Tuesday to cool it, saying that their excessive objections were wasting time and disrupting probable cause hearings,…

Feb 7, 2008 12:08 AM CST

Former Ethics Counsel Disbarred Over Investigation of Judge

Two Massachusetts lawyers, including the former ethics counsel for two state governors, were disbarred today because of their aggressive investigation of a judge who ruled against their clients in 1995 in a high-profile family battle over control of a supermarket chain. The efforts of Gary C. Crossen and Kevin P.…

Feb 6, 2008 7:40 PM CST

Panel Issues Poetic Ruling for Union in ‘Crappy’ Limerick Dispute

An Illinois appeals court has ruled that a limerick penned by a union official did not constitute defamation in an opinion that opens with its own poetic turn. The panel opinion (PDF) written by Judge John Bowman overturned a $2.35 million verdict for a suburban Chicago-area homebuilder who took issue…

Feb 6, 2008 4:40 PM CST

Some States Seek to Limit Judicial Power to Regulate Lawyers

Legislators in a handful of states are trying to limit the traditional power of their states’ supreme courts to regulate the legal profession. In South Carolina, for instance, a Republican legislator and physician, Dr. Kristopher “Kris” Crawford, is proposing legislation that would eliminate the state supreme court’s power to regulate…

Feb 5, 2008 5:02 PM CST

Expletive Deleted: Judge Accused of Profanity-Laced Tongue-Lashing

A state disciplinary panel has accused a New Jersey judge of unleashing a profanity-laced tongue-lashing as he ordered a lawyer out of his courtroom, New Jersey Star-Ledger reports. The complaint (PDF) against Judge F. Michael Giles of Essex County says he was neither dignified nor courteous when he ordered the…

Feb 5, 2008 1:32 PM CST

Reprimand Recommended for Judge Who Gave PDs 15 Minutes to Write Motion

Florida’s Judicial Qualifications Commission is recommending that a Miami judge receive a reprimand for setting unreasonable time limits to file disqualification motions and threatening lawyers with contempt for failing to meet them. Judge Cheryl Aleman was “arrogant, discourteous, and impatient to the lawyers appearing before her,” the commission found. The…

Feb 5, 2008 1:04 PM CST