Judiciary

Source Tells of Lawyer’s Lunch With Judge Kent

An anonymous source told the Galveston Daily News that embattled U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent had lunch with a lawyer suing oil giant BP in October 2006 a short time after he ruled for the lawyer on a deposition request. Kent had ordered BP’s CEO to sit for a deposition…

Feb 4, 2008 2:22 PM CST

Moussaoui Judge Blasts Idea of National Security Court

The judge who oversaw the trial of al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui criticized proposals for a special national security court at a speech Friday, saying federal courts are equipped to handle terrorism trials. Speaking at American University law school, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said she disagrees with commentators who have…

Feb 4, 2008 12:42 PM CST

Yale Law Students Protest at Speech by Judge Who Signed ‘Torture Memo’

About 25 law students put garbage bags over their heads to protest an appearance yesterday by Judge Jay Bybee, who signed the so-called torture memo when he headed the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. The trash bags were intended to resemble hoods put on military prisoners at Abu Ghraib…

Feb 1, 2008 2:38 PM CST

Judge Warns Lawyers About Appeals of His Rulings

A federal judge overseeing a racial discrimination suit filed by five black police officers against the city of Minneapolis warned lawyers they need to display the “right attitude” during a hearing on Thursday. David told the lawyers they could face sanctions if the case becomes too litigious by repeated appeals…

Feb 1, 2008 1:16 PM CST

Judge Reprimanded for Calling Three Black Female PDs ‘The Supremes’

A Maryland judge has been reprimanded for calling three black female public defenders “The Supremes” and telling a defendant to get “an experienced male attorney.” The Maryland Commission on Judicial Disabilities said the remarks by Judge W. Kennedy Boone III were “undignified and disparaging,” the Hagerstown Herald-Mail reports. Boone made…

Feb 1, 2008 12:38 PM CST

In Smuggled Letter, Pakistan’s Ex-Chief Justice Backs Independent Courts

Pakistan’s former chief justice has released a letter criticizing President Pervez Musharraf for eliminating the country’s independent judiciary. The letter by Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was his second public statement since Musharraf imposed emergency rule on Nov. 3, the New York Times reports. The document says Chaudhry and his family are…

Jan 31, 2008 4:37 PM CST

Judge Recuses From Courthouse Shooting Case Due to New Yorker Quotes

The Atlanta judge overseeing the prosecution of alleged courthouse shooter Brian Nichols has stepped aside from the case after he was quoted as saying, “Everyone in the world knows he did it.” Judge Hilton Fuller weathered a storm of criticism after he halted the Nichols prosecution due to the state’s…

Jan 31, 2008 11:42 AM CST

Judge Has Lawyer Handcuffed to Client, Jailed

An Oklahoma judge jailed an attorney after accusing him of lying about his client hiding a witness in a domestic violence case. Oklahoma County District Judge Twyla Mason Gray sentenced lawyer Derek Smith to four days in jail for contempt, the Oklahoman reports. The 36-year-old lawyer was handcuffed to his…

Jan 30, 2008 10:03 PM CST

Las Vegas Judge Denies Misconduct Allegations, Cites ADA

Suspended Las Vegas Judge Elizabeth Halverson, accused of mistreating staff and sleeping during trials, denies misconduct allegations in a formal response filed yesterday. Halverson claims the Nevada Judicial Discipline Commission fails to identify sufficient grounds of judicial misconduct, and does not point to a judicial canon or state law that…

Jan 30, 2008 1:59 PM CST

Mass. Reviewing Speech Limits on Judges

Citing a “genuine confusion” about what judges can say publicly about cases, Massachusetts’ highest court has assembled a committee to consider revising judicial conduct rules. The move by the Supreme Judicial Court comes in part because of publicity after the arrest of Daniel Tavares Jr., who was arrested in the…

Jan 29, 2008 6:10 PM CST

Study Says La. Supreme Court Justices Apparently Swayed by Campaign Cash

A Tulane University law professor has conducted a study of the Louisiana Supreme Court that finds campaign contributions appear to influence the justices’ votes. The study found that, on average, justices vote in favor of their contributors 65 percent of the time, and that the larger the contribution, the more…

Jan 29, 2008 5:02 PM CST

NJ Judge Says He Isn’t Resigning Due to Ethics Complaint, Lawsuit

A beleaguered New Jersey judge has resigned, amid allegations that he twice came to court under the influence of alcohol and issued a search warrant in a case that should not have been in his court. Judge Richard Sasso said his resignation was because of health problems, including spinal injuries…

Jan 29, 2008 2:50 PM CST

Federal Judge’s Top 10 Sentencing List Takes Aim at Supreme Court

A federal judge has published a tongue-in-cheek Top 10 list of things he learned from the U.S. Supreme Court’s sentencing decisions that makes clear his frustrations. The list by U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf of Nebraska is “a provocative jaw-dropper that may get Kopf scratched off the holiday card list…

Jan 29, 2008 11:45 AM CST

Man Who Stole Salvation Army Kettle Spends Night Homeless on Judge’s Orders

A man who stole a Salvation Army donation kettle containing $250 the week before Christmas was sentenced by a Cleveland-area judge to spend the night homeless. Last Thursday, Painesville Municipal Court Judge Michael A. Cicconetti called Nathen Smith’s crime “despicable” and ordered the 28-year-old to spend the next 24 hours…

Jan 28, 2008 5:51 PM CST

Lawyer for Computer Worker Reported Hacking Allegations Against Judge

The formal ethics charges recently filed against Las Vegas Judge Elizabeth Halverson contained previously undisclosed allegations that the judge tried unsuccessfully to hack into the county computer system to access the e-mail of other employees. A computer worker who says he refused Halverson’s tech request says it was his lawyer…

Jan 28, 2008 3:45 PM CST