Lawyer Who Said He Cannot Competently Represent Child-Rape Defendant Is Jailed for Contempt

A Louisiana attorney who told a New Orleans judge, two days into trial, that he could not competently represent a defendant in a child-rape case was jailed Tuesday, apparently for contempt, until he becomes willing to “perform his duties.” It wasn’t clear Tuesday afternoon how long Claiborne Brown would be…

Jun 13, 2012 10:51 PM CDT

Trial Looms in Legal Battle of Actors Kevin Costner and Stephen Baldwin re Oil Spill Cleanup Machine

Kevin Costner. s_bukley / Shutterstock.com Stephen Baldwin. s_bukley / Shutterstock.com An invention spearheaded by actor Kevin Costner, who invested millions of dollars of his own money, had something of a Hollywood ending when a major oil company purchased his oil cleanup machine in a $52 million deal after the Deepwater…

Jun 1, 2012 5:15 PM CDT

La. Attorney Accused by Former Firm of Misusing Client Assets Has Given Up Law License

A prominent Louisiana attorney has given up his law license after being accused in a civil suit by his former law firm of misusing or misappropriating a seven-figure sum of client assets, including tax credits. James M. “Tres” Bernhard III, who formerly served as an associate of Crawford Lewis, agreed…

May 7, 2012 4:37 PM CDT

Judge Gives Preliminary OK to $7.8B BP Deal; Government Plaintiffs Will Have to Wait for Trial

A trial to determine BP’s liability for the Gulf oil spill has been pushed back until January, giving the company more time to reach a deal with litigants not covered by a proposed $7.8 billion settlement. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier gave preliminary approval to the settlement with individuals and…

May 4, 2012 12:05 PM CDT

Death Sentence for Wolf Hybrid Is Converted to Life Term at Louisiana State Penitentiary

A wolf hybrid that had been given the death penalty by a Louisiana judge over its aggressive behavior got a reprieve Tuesday after a state prison warden suggested an alternative sentence. Chief, who has mixed British Columbia wolf and German shepherd ancestry, will now be sent to patrol the 18,000-acre,…

May 2, 2012 5:30 PM CDT

Disbarred Lawyer Gets 15 Days; Feds Say He Tried to Bring 9mm Bullets Into Courthouse

A disbarred Kansas lawyer has been sentenced to 15 days, with credit for time served, and released, after allegedly trying to bring three 9mm bullets into the Hale Boggs Federal Courthouse in New Orleans. After the ammo was found in a bag he was trying to bring into the courthouse…

May 2, 2012 3:47 PM CDT

For a Fourth Time, Would-Be Lawyer Is Rejected for Bar Admission on Moral Character Grounds

Marcia Denise Jordan won’t get a law license from the Louisiana Supreme Court—now or in the future—according to an opinion issued on Monday. The court denied Jordan’s fourth application for admission because of evidence that she embezzled money from the student bar association and engaged in unauthorized practice of law,…

Apr 12, 2012 12:25 PM CDT

5 Former New Orleans Cops Get Up to 65 Years in Post-Katrina Killings and Cover-Up

After hearing wrenching testimony from both sides, a federal judge in New Orleans on Wednesday imposed stiff sentences on four of the five former police officers convicted in a post-Hurricane Katrina shooting of six unarmed civilians on Danziger Bridge and a subsequent cover-up. The four defendants who actually sprayed the…

Apr 4, 2012 8:49 PM CDT

DA’s Office Can’t Ethically Hire Receptionist Laid Off By His Former Law Firm, Panel Says

A Louisiana district attorney can’t hire a receptionist laid off at his former private law firm, because doing so could provide an economic benefit to the firm by reducing its unemployment costs, a state ethics panel has determined. Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick Jr. asked the Louisiana Board of…

Mar 20, 2012 10:51 PM CDT

Supreme Court Rejects Louisiana Bid to File Original Complaint Challenging Census Count

The state of Louisiana’s bid to file a lawsuit over the counting of illegal immigrants in the 2010 Census has been turned aside by the U.S. Supreme Court. Today, the justices rejected the state’s request to file an original complaint in the case, according to SCOTUSblog and the Associated Press.…

Mar 19, 2012 3:20 PM CDT

Homes Searched for Drugs in New Orleans Will Be Identified by Orange Stickers

New Orleans police officers will let the public know they are following up on anonymous tips by placing bright orange stickers on homes searched for drugs. New Orleans police superintendent Ronal Serpas says the stickers will be used as part of a six-month pilot program, even when no drugs are…

Feb 15, 2012 5:08 PM CST

Back to the Big Easy: ABA to Hold Its First Major Post-Katrina Meeting in New Orleans

Feb 1, 2012 7:50 AM CST

Top La. Court Censures Jurist for Contacting Another Judge to Help Niece Get Protective Order

The Louisiana Supreme Court has censured a state-court judge for using the power and prestige of his office to help a niece get a protective order, from another judge, against alleged abuse by the niece’s estranged husband, reports the Shreveport Times. Although DeSoto District Judge Robert Burgess said he acted…

Jan 25, 2012 9:12 PM CST

Deferred Suspension Recommended for Lawyer Who Ran ‘Extremely Loose Ship’

A Louisiana hearing committee has recommended a fully deferred 60-day suspension for an attorney who failed to detect that a lawyer he employed in his high-volume real estate practice oversaw closings in a house-flipping scheme. The hearing committee recommended that the sanction for Owen Trahant Jr. be deferred if he…

Nov 21, 2011 2:03 PM CST

News Coverage of Prosecutor’s Supreme Court Grilling Gets Snarky

Supreme Court justices had little patience Tuesday for a New Orleans prosecutor’s argument that exculpatory evidence in a criminal case was not “material” and didn’t need to be turned over to defense lawyers. According to the National Law Journal (reg. req.), justices took the prosecutor’s office “to the woodshed” for…

Nov 9, 2011 2:45 PM CST