Tipster Protection Bill Passes

The New York legislature has approved a law that protects citizens who warn of suspicious activity. The bill bars those fingered by such reports from suing the tipsters, Joseph Goldstein reports in the New York Sun. It provides immunity for anyone who in good faith files a report warning that…

Jun 27, 2007 2:44 PM CDT

Convicted Governor Blames Karl Rove for Recommended 30-Year Prison Term

The controversy over alleged White House politicization of the federal prosecution process has moved beyond concern about the perhaps politically motivated dismissals of nine U.S. attorneys to a new issue–the cases they did, or did not, pursue. Now Don Siegelman, a former Democratic governor of Alabama, is contending that he…

Jun 27, 2007 1:46 AM CDT

New Immigration Bill Making Progress; Is ‘Clay Pigeon’ Really an Emu?

An effort to pass landmark immigration legislation failed in the last Congress, and there is no guarantee that it will pass this time around either. But some forward progress is being made on a new version of a bill that would provide millions of now-illegal immigrants currently in the U.S.…

Jun 26, 2007 11:44 PM CDT

Mandatory Sentence Laws Harsh, Unfair, Federal Judge Tells Congress

Federal laws requiring federal judges to impose mandatory minimum sentences can be unfair and unduly harsh, and certain individual laws are especially objectionable, the chair of the Judicial Conference Committee on Criminal Law told a Congressional subcommittee today. “I have found the application of one particularly egregious mandatory minimum sentencing…

Jun 26, 2007 8:18 PM CDT

Dean: Law Schools Won’t Boycott Survey

Despite recent efforts by a number of colleges to lessen the impact of the annual U.S. News & World Report college survey by simply not participating, that’s unlikely to happen with law schools. At most, a “handful” will do so–and even if they do refuse to partcipate, the magazine will…

Jun 26, 2007 2:25 AM CDT

Ashcroft Testifies on Surveillance Disputes

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft appeared in a closed-door session before a House committee yesterday to testify about Bush administration disputes over a domestic surveillance program. The committee is considering a bill that would rewrite the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which requires a special court to issue warrants for domestic…

Jun 22, 2007 4:21 PM CDT

Senator Vows Action on Signing Statements

A senator who sought a study on presidential signing statements says his next step will be to determine if there are any legal violations. Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., told the New York Times he wanted to examine the broad impact of signing statements, in which the president expresses reservations about…

Jun 20, 2007 2:40 PM CDT

Bush Makes Good on Signing Vows

A study by the Government Accountability Office has identified several examples in which the White House did not carry out new laws. The GAO tracked 19 instances in which President Bush indicated in signing statements that he intended to disregard or decline to enforce legislation that he signed into law.…

Jun 19, 2007 4:41 PM 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

Same-Sex Marriage Wins Big MA Battle; Legislature Bans Ballot Issue

In a pendulum swing from another vote taken earlier this year, legislators in Massachusetts voted today not to put a hotly contested proposed state constitutional amendment on the November ballot – whether the state should ban same-sex marriage by defining matrimony solely as a union between a man and a…

Jun 14, 2007 10:52 PM CDT

Toxic Tap Water for Years at Marine Base

At least twenty-five years after toxins were found to have seeped into the water supply at a North Carolina marine base, the situation is still being studied. A report released Tuesday, as emotional testimony began at a hearing by the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee by individuals who say they…

Jun 13, 2007 11:05 PM CDT

British Law Firms May Go Public, Too

Seeking to follow in the footsteps of at least one Australian competitor, some British law firms reportedly are interested in potentially going public–and legislation being considered by Parliament would allow them to do just that. The Legal Services Bill expected to pass later this year likely will give United Kingdom…

Jun 13, 2007 2:05 AM CDT

Congress to Pass Gun Control Bill

Prompted by the recent carnage at Virginia Tech, in which an apparently mentally disturbed student shot and killed more than 30 people, Congress reportedly is likely to pass the first major federal gun control legislation in more than a decade. Drafted with the help of the National Rifle Association, a…

Jun 13, 2007 1:48 AM CDT

PD Who Helped Partner Tie Sham Knot Seeks Legal Immigration Alternative

A St. Louis public defender who chose to break the law rather than lose the man he loves admits he made a serious mistake. But the lack of legally recognized marriage alternatives for same-sex couples is what tempted him to transgress, Eric Affholter says. Now facing criminal fraud charges for…

Jun 13, 2007 12:48 AM CDT

Kennedy Pushes OT Law After Ruling

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., says he will work to amend a federal labor law to protect the wages of home-health aides.

Kennedy said a U.S. Supreme Court ruling barring overtime for most home-care workers highlights “a significant gap in the protections of our laws.”

Jun 12, 2007 4:14 PM CDT