Missouri

New Book By Lawyer’s Daughter: How My Parents Helped Integrate St. Louis

Growing up in a circle of influential African-American attorneys at a time when the U.S. Supreme Court had just decided that racially restrictive property deed covenants were unconstitutional, Gail Milissa Grant took it for granted that she, too, would have a responsibility to help work for a better society when…

Oct 13, 2008 7:26 PM CDT

Judge Reprimanded for Autographed Baseball Request

A judge has been reprimanded by the Missouri Supreme Court for an unusual request made when he was a prosecutor negotiating a plea agreement. The court reprimanded Judge Matthew Thornhill for seeking an autographed baseball signed by former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Thornhill made…

Oct 6, 2008 6:44 PM CDT

Judge Warns PD Action Will Bring Md. Criminal Courts to ‘Grinding Halt’

The Maryland Office of Public Defender has warned state judges that starting next week it will no longer pay private lawyers to represent defendants in conflict-of-interest cases. Brian Denton, chief public defender for Prince George’s County, said in a letter that the action was being taken because of a directive…

Sep 25, 2008 4:40 PM CDT

How a Bankruptcy Court Overrode Restitution in a Criminal Case

The plight of Mark Poveromo illustrates how bankruptcy law and criminal law can conflict, sometimes to the victim’s detriment. The Associated Press reports on Poveromo’s predicament and quotes experts who say the case highlights the need to revise bankruptcy laws to treat people better who are awarded restitution in a…

Sep 22, 2008 4:16 PM CDT

St. Louis Law School Takes the Train in Chicago to Snag Young Professionals

St. Louis University Law School is trying to snag some potential law students from a neighboring state with ads touting its “intimate environment” posted in Chicago el trains and airports. One ad features a second-year student identified as “Kara” who says, “You get the best of both worlds here—an intimate…

Sep 11, 2008 1:57 PM CDT

‘Forgotten’ Defendant Sits in Jail for Two Years

The federal prosecutor in St. Louis says she is concerned about the performance of a lawyer who represents a defendant sitting in jail for almost two years with apparently no action to secure his release on bond. U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway spoke to the St. Louis Post Dispatch about the…

Sep 2, 2008 2:25 PM CDT

Mo. Lawyer Rants Against Judge, Gets 4 Months in Jail

Asking a Missouri judge “Are you a pedophile?” was but one of the “rude and angry” comments that reportedly helped persuade the jurist to slap a 120-day contempt sentence on a Kansas City lawyer. Attorney Carlos Romious also caught the attention of Greene County Circuit Court Judge Tom Mountjoy by…

Jul 31, 2008 7:50 PM CDT

Baseball Request Lands Missouri Judge in Hot Water

A disciplinary panel is recommending a reprimand for a Missouri judge accused of initially seeking an autographed baseball as part of a misdemeanor plea deal when he was a prosecutor. The allegations against Judge Matthew Thornhill relate to an incident about two years ago involving a defendant who apparently claimed…

Jul 9, 2008 4:02 PM CDT

Kansas City’s Polsinelli & Shughart Firms in Merger Talks

Two big Kansas City law firms are talking about getting bigger. Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus and Shughart Thomson & Kilroy are discussing a possible merger, and say in a joint press release (PDF) that they are “encouraged by the potential synergies between the two firms,” reports the Kansas City Star.…

Jul 8, 2008 2:04 PM CDT

Fake Cop’s Work Prompts 17 Civil Rights Suits Against Small Mo. Town

Updated: In a small Missouri town, a bizarre case is still unraveling: A fake undercover cop conducted raids and made arrests for weeks, with the help of local police, before being unmasked. Now at least 17 federal civil rights suits have been filed over the debacle, according to the Associated…

Jun 24, 2008 9:09 PM CDT

Mayor’s Aide Files Discrimination Suit Over a Volunteer—the Mayor’s Wife

Ordinarily, an employment discrimination lawsuit against a government entity is sparked by a problem between employees, or an employee and a supervisor. But an unusual case in Kansas City, Mo., involving an unusual full-time volunteer is stretching the boundaries of this area of law practice. The volunteer is Gloria Squitiro,…

Jun 11, 2008 10:07 PM CDT

Phyllis Schlafly Hon. Degree Sparks Wash U Spat, Law Prof Protest

Ever the conservative gadfly, attorney and political activist Phyllis Schlafly, didn’t hesitate to say what she thought when law professors, among others, complained about a planned award of an honorary degree to her today by Washington University in St. Louis. Her critics are “a bunch of losers,” says Schlafly, 83,…

May 16, 2008 4:06 PM CDT

Friend’s Mom Charged With Fraud Over MySpace Cyberbullying Suicide

Updated: A 49-year-old Missouri woman accused of helping to concoct a fictitious MySpace account used in a cyberbullying campaign that allegedly drove a neighbor’s child to suicide was indicted today by a federal jury in Southern California. Lori Drew is charged with three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization…

May 15, 2008 9:36 PM CDT

Court of Public Opinion Sways Wal-Mart in Battle Over Legal Winnings

A Missouri man, who lost a son in Iraq and whose wife suffers from debilitating memory loss because of an auto accident, couldn’t convince his wife’s former employer to back off its claim to the money the family recovered for her accident. At least not until his plight made prime-time…

Apr 2, 2008 6:52 PM CDT

Disbarred Lawyer Freed on Bond, Awaits Retrial in Murder of Partner

A disbarred lawyer has been freed on $100,000 bond as he awaits retrial in the murder of his law partner. Former Kansas City, Mo., lawyer Richard Buchli III had been convicted in the death of his partner, Richard Armitage, in 2002, but an appeals court reversed the conviction because prosecutors…

Feb 20, 2008 2:06 PM CST