Minnesota

Lesbian Teens Allowed to Appear as Couple at Pep Fest; Suit Is Settled a Day After Filing

Two lesbian teens in Minnesota will be allowed to walk together at their high school’s Snow Days Pep Fest as a result of a mediation session presided over by a federal judge. Sarah Lindstrom and Desiree Shelton had been elected to the royalty court for the fest at Champlin Park…

Jan 31, 2011 3:42 PM CST

8th Circuit Tosses Case Claiming Minnesota Chief Justices Should Be Elected

A federal appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit claiming Minnesota’s governor has misused the process for filling judicial vacancies to prevent elections for chief justice in the state. The St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled it has no jurisdiction to review a Minnesota ruling rejecting the claim,…

Jan 27, 2011 2:02 PM CST

Ex-County Attorney Gets Probation for Role in ‘Nice Guy’ Prostitution Ring

A former county attorney in Minnesota who pleaded guilty to operating a “nice guys” prostitution ring has been sentenced to 15 years’ probation. Former Hennepin County attorney John Paul St. Marie, 66, won’t serve any time in jail because of his fragile medical condition, according to stories by the St.…

Jan 21, 2011 4:23 PM CST

Decisions on Coffee Makers and Baggy Pants Earn Honors for Best Legal Writing

International contract disputes aren’t usually high on legal reading lists, but there is one that should be. A majority and concurring opinion (PDF) by two judges for the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals were among the best pieces of legal writing named by The Green Bag, the legal…

Jan 5, 2011 11:29 AM CST

Armed with Glock, Minn. Judge Holds 3 a.m. Home Intruder at Bay

Awakened at about 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day by the sound of breaking glass, a Minnesota judge and former prosecutor opened his safe and got out his Glock as his wife called 911. Armed with the .45-caliber pistol, St. Louis County Judge Shaun Floerke, who serves as assistant chief…

Jan 4, 2011 6:33 PM CST

Angry at Attorney, Neighbor Hacked His Encrypted Wi-Fi & Sent Child Porn to His Law Firm Colleagues

Angry at a Minnesota attorney, a neighbor hacked his encrypted Wi-Fi account and e-mailed pornography labeled as family photos to his colleagues at a Minneapolis law firm, seeking to make trouble for him, authorities say. Barry Vincent Ardolf, 45, also sent threatening e-mails purportedly from the attorney to the Minnesota…

Dec 22, 2010 10:50 PM CST

No Jail in Plea Deal for Ex-County Attorney Accused in ‘Nice Guy’ Prostitution Ring

A former County Attorney in Minnesota will avoid jail time under a plea deal for his role in a high-priced “nice guy” prostitution ring. John Paul St. Marie, 66, of Minneapolis was accused of setting up trysts between well-to-do “nice guy” businessmen and expensive prostitutes at top hotels in Minneapolis.…

Nov 24, 2010 1:21 PM CST

Onetime Top In-House Lawyer Faces Charges Over Drugs Allegedly Found in Under-Desk Safe

Two years after a raid by federal agents of a Minnesota company allegedly revealed cocaine, ecstasy and methamphetamine to be in the under-desk safe of its chief legal counsel, felony drug charges have been brought against attorney David Baer, 37. Baer was not implicated in the Ponzi scheme at Petters…

Nov 10, 2010 11:04 PM CST

In 3rd Music-Download Trial Replay, Minn. Woman Is Hit with $1.5M Verdict; $62,500 Per Song

As the Bill Murray character experienced in the movie Groundhog Day, those who can’t seem to get it right may have to relive the same day again and again until they do. For a Minnesota woman, that has been happening in real life in a music-downloading lawsuit. In the third…

Nov 4, 2010 4:59 PM CDT

Election Roundup: Expected Close Contest May Keep Lawyers Busy

As Republicans appear to be positioned to make significant gains in today’s election, which is expected to draw a large turnout, some Tea Party voters may have a decision to make: If they wear gear such as party T-shirts or the group’s “Please ID Me” buttons to the polling place,…

Nov 2, 2010 12:45 PM CDT

Former County Attorney Disbarred for Alleged Role in ‘Nice Guy’ Prostitution Ring

A former county attorney in Minnesota accused of running a high-priced “nice guy” prostitution ring has been disbarred. John Paul St. Marie of Minneapolis consented to disbarment, the Associated Press reports. He was charged in July with six felony counts of promoting prostitution. He was accused of setting up trysts…

Nov 2, 2010 12:12 PM CDT

A Cautionary Tale of Corporate Political Spending Emerges in Minnesota

Long regarded as a leader in campaign finance reform, Minnesota until this year had some of the nation’s toughest laws on political spending by corporations. With the federal government and many other states, Minnesota for decades tried to tame corporate political participation through various restrictions on expenditures. Minnesota legislators considered…

Oct 22, 2010 8:48 PM CDT

Ex-Gray Plant Mooty Lawyer Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison

A Minneapolis lawyer in line to become president of the Minnesota State Bar Association has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for sexually assaulting a teen boy who was his neighbor. Aaron Biber was sentenced after pleading guilty earlier this summer to first-degree criminal sexual conduct for cultivating a…

Oct 21, 2010 12:42 PM CDT

Inmate Charged in Alleged Murder-for-Hire Plot Against Minn. Prosecutor and Sentencing Judge

Apparently blaming a local Minnesota prosecutor who happened to be his neighbor for his latest criminal conviction, John Stephen Woodward at first made legal ethics complaints against Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom, reports the Star Tribune. But when they didn’t accomplish what he wanted, Woodward allegedly moved on to Plan…

Sep 29, 2010 9:20 PM CDT

Judge Is Reprimanded for ‘Unnecessary’ Remarks Criticizing Lawyers and Witnesses

A jurist with a history of making problematic remarks has been publicly reprimanded by the Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards. Hennepin County District Judge Stephen Aldrich agreed to the reprimand, which concerns a series of “unnecessary remarks” he made at hearings in a 2008 murder case, the Star Tribune reported.…

Sep 28, 2010 8:45 PM CDT