Minnesota

Minnesota launches civil rights probe of state police department in hopes of bringing change

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights hopes to change policing practices of the Minneapolis Police Department through a civil rights investigation and consent decree.

Jun 3, 2020 9:40 AM CDT

Cops charge people for coughing on grocery store shelves, police officers during pandemic

People accused of intentionally coughing on grocery store shelves and police officers are facing criminal charges, as is one man accused of licking grocery containers.

Apr 9, 2020 9:34 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: SCOTUS splits over immigrant’s fight against ID theft conviction; first black justice on top Illinois court dies

SCOTUS splits over undocumented immigrant’s fight against state identify theft conviction The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Tuesday against Ramiro Garcia, an unauthorized immigrant in Kansas who was convicted under a state identity theft law after using someone else’s Social Security number to get a job. The conservative justices…

Mar 3, 2020 3:21 PM CST

Sex offender’s quest for ‘Better Off Dead’ name change bites the dust in appeals court

A man who was civilly committed as a sexually dangerous person can’t change his name to “Better Off Dead,” the Minnesota Court of Appeals has ruled.

Jan 8, 2020 11:58 AM CST

2 sets of BigLaw firms confirm merger talks

If merger talks are successful between two sets of BigLaw firms, there will be two new entrants on the American Lawyer’s list of the nation’s 50 top law firms.

Nov 14, 2019 10:22 AM CST

Lawyer who pleaded guilty in ‘wrecking ball’ scheme to sue porn downloaders gets prison sentence

A federal judge in Minneapolis scolded a suspended lawyer for his abuse of trust as she sentenced him Friday to 14 years in prison for a scheme to sue porn downloaders. U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen said the former Prenda Law lawyer Paul Hansmeier had taken advantage of the courts,…

Jun 17, 2019 9:11 AM CDT

All charges dropped in Flint water case with promise of continuing investigation

Prosecutors in Michigan have dropped all pending criminal charges against officials accused in connection with the leaching of lead into the water supply in Flint. Prosecutors said they dropped the charges against eight defendants because of problems with the investigation under the previous attorney general, Bill Schuette, report the Detroit…

Jun 14, 2019 10:26 AM CDT

Fight to repeal marital rape exception succeeds in this state because of 1 woman’s efforts

Minnesota has lifted an exception that protected some people accused of raping their spouses, thanks to the lobbying efforts of a woman who learned that her own spouse couldn’t be prosecuted for sexually assaulting her while she was unconscious.

May 6, 2019 12:07 PM CDT

Citing petition by law firm ‘Sue, Grabit, and Run,’ judge enjoins Old Man Winter

A Minnesota judge has not only complained about the weather—he decided to do something about it. In a March 7 order, Judge Kevin Burke issued an injunction barring any more snow this winter in specified areas of Minnesota—especially in Hennepin County where he presides. Above the Law, WCCO and the…

Mar 11, 2019 10:40 AM CDT

Prince’s estate files lawsuit over cybersquatting of prince.com

The estate of the late recording artist and actor Prince is suing an Englewood, New Jersey-based domain broker for cybersquatting the prince.com website. Filed last Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, the suit alleges that Domain Capital is infringing on the estate’s “PRINCE” trademark…

Jul 30, 2018 12:45 PM CDT

Supreme Court upholds Minnesota law that invalidated ex-wife as life insurance beneficiary

A Minnesota law that invalidated beneficiary designations to spouses after a divorce does not violate the contracts clause when applied to a policy purchased before the law’s enactment, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. Justice Elena Kagan was joined by seven other justices in her majority opinion in Sveen v.…

Jun 11, 2018 11:40 AM CDT

Minnesota Supreme Court rules that warrants are required for searches in driveways

A divided Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that the Fourth Amendment protects driveways from warrantless searches, Minnesota Public Radio has reported. Wednesday’s ruling upholds an intermediate court’s decision to overturn the conviction of Quentin Todd Chute. Chute was convicted of receiving stolen property after police walked down his driveway and…

Mar 15, 2018 4:09 PM CDT

Lawyerist expands offerings, rebrands TBD Law conference

Lawyerist, an online blog and publisher, announced a new path for the company, which will now focus on helping small and solo firms build a community and improve their business practices. “I’m super-pumped,” says Sam Glover, founder of Lawyerist. “I’m really excited.” The new path comes with a series of…

Mar 6, 2018 5:00 PM CST

Trump nominates 9 to federal court vacancies

Updated: Nine more nominees for federal judgeships were announced Tuesday by the White House. The newest wave of nominees are: • Mark Bennett, former attorney general of Hawaii, to the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. • Andrew Oldham, general counsel for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to the…

Feb 13, 2018 4:00 PM CST

Some states are welcoming back ex-offenders to work behind bars

In 2010, Cindy Stubbs was nearing the end of a 14-year sentence in a South Carolina prison, determined never to return. A mother of four, locked up on gun and drug trafficking charges since she was 34, Stubbs worked inside the prison translating textbooks to Braille. Three months before her…

Jan 18, 2018 1:25 PM CST