Anna Nicole Judge Quits; TV Show Next?

Move over Judge Judy. A new star may be rising from the ranks of state-court jurists to compete for reality show television ratings. Larry Seidlin, a Miami area judge who gained at least 15 minutes of fame when he tearfully ruled on competing claims for Anna Nicole Smith’s body after…

Jun 19, 2007 8:04 PM CDT

Plaintiff is Top Judge; Who Hears Appeal?

It’s a basic premise of constitutional law that litigants are entitled to a fair trial. Thus, when a judge is even peripherally involved in a lawsuit, he or she routinely steps aside and lets another jurist hear the case. But what happens when all the judges in the system are…

Jun 19, 2007 12:05 AM CDT

Judge: Scruggs in Criminal Contempt

A federal judge in Alabama is asking the U.S. Justice Department to prosecute a high-profile trial lawyer for criminal contempt, contending that Richard Scruggs brazenly violated a court injunction by sharing documents concerning Hurricane Katrina-related insurance claims with the Mississippi attorney general. In an order, Dist. Judge William Acker asks…

Jun 16, 2007 1:16 AM CDT

One Federal Judge in Western Michigan

With three of four federal judge seats vacant for well over a year in the Western District of Michigan, the one sitting jurist has more than a full plate. “For the last year or so, I think my car’s been the first one in the court garage in the morning…

Jun 15, 2007 10:50 PM CDT

Judge Accused of Pot Smoking Resigns

The Florida judge arrested for smoking marijuana in a park has resigned from the bench. Judge Lawrence Korda announced in a letter that he will resign on July 2, the Daily Business Review reports. Korda accepted a plea deal in which prosecutors agreed to dismiss the marijuana charge if he…

Jun 15, 2007 1:31 PM CDT

Libby Judge Threatened

A federal judge says he received threats of harm after sentencing former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby to 30 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton disclosed the threats as he began a hearing today into whether Libby may remain free pending appeal, the Associated Press…

Jun 14, 2007 7:20 PM CDT

Nuremberg Attorney: Gitmo Trials Unfair

An 88-year-old American lawyer who helped try war criminals at Nuremberg, Germany, after World War II says today’s Guantanamo Bay cases fly in the face of the prosecutorial precedent he helped set there. “I think Robert Jackson, who’s the architect of Nuremberg, would turn over in his grave if he…

Jun 12, 2007 12:27 AM CDT

New Trial Due to Judge’s Plea Comment

A federal judge who suggested that he might sentence a defendant to even less time than the prosecution was offering in a plea bargain had good intentions but made a big mistake, says the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The judge’s interference with the plea bargaining process…

Jun 11, 2007 7:47 PM CDT

Court Vacancies Lingering

A slowdown in federal court appointments has conservatives worried that President Bush is neglecting his chance to reshape federal courts.

Bush has not yet nominated candidates for eight federal appeals seats and 16 trial-level judgeships, the Washington Post reports.

The clock is ticking for the lame duck president, conservatives say. They point out that it can take a year to get candidates confirmed in a contentious environment.

Jun 11, 2007 4:05 PM CDT

Ex-N.Y. Judge Gets Up to 10 Years in Prison

Jun 6, 2007 1:22 PM CDT

Alaskan Judge Joins Immunization Effort in India

If you happen to see children in the northern Indian state of Haryana with a touch of dye on their pinkie fingers and smiley face stickers on their shirts, chances are Michael I. Jeffery was involved.

Jun 5, 2007 8:10 PM CDT

N.J. Judge Apologizes in Ethics Probe

A New Jersey Supreme Court justice has apologized for interceding with Camden County courts in a case against a youth accused of bullying his son, saying his actions created the appearance of impropriety. In a letter to the court’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct, Roberto Rivera-Soto said he was “profoundly…

Jun 5, 2007 7:30 PM CDT

Rookie Judge Reportedly Investigated

A rookie Las Vegas judge who is fighting the chief judge’s effort to remove her is reportedly under investigation by a judicial conduct commission.

Judge Elizabeth Halverson has been accused of acting abusively toward her staff and behaving improperly on the bench, according to the Las Vegas Sun.

An affidavit from her former judicial executive assistant said Halverson made her staff have ice waiting on the bench for her and would scream if they let it melt, according to KVBC-TV in Las Vegas.

Jun 5, 2007 3:59 PM CDT

Destination: Capitol Hill

Bar leaders highlight four key issues as core of congressional blitz

Jun 5, 2007 7:30 AM CDT

Undisclosed Court Papers Trouble Critics

The federal clerk’s office for the Southern District of Florida did not post key documents to its Web site in a case involving Miami attorney Louis Robles. First Amendment advocates are troubled by the omission, which apparently violated rules of the U.S. Judicial Conference, according to the Daily Business Review.…

May 30, 2007 2:05 PM CDT