Lawyer once charged with murder conspiracy sues for use of ‘habitual liar’ informant

A North Dakota lawyer who was once charged with murder conspiracy filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday that claims that the prosecutor and law enforcement agents relied on an unreliable confidential informant who was a “habitual liar.”

Jan 30, 2020 12:15 PM CST

District attorney says testing rape kits is ‘our moral imperative’

In less than four years, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s national rape kit testing program has led to 186 new arrests and 64 new convictions, including 47 felony sexual assault convictions. Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. also announced that more than 55,000 rape kits have been tested in 32…

Mar 14, 2019 3:42 PM CDT

Challenge to mandatory bar returns to 8th Circuit after Supreme Court orders reconsideration

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ordered a federal appeals court to reconsider a First Amendment challenge to mandatory bar membership by a North Dakota lawyer. The Supreme Court vacated a judgment against lawyer Arnold Fleck and ordered the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at St. Louis to reconsider…

Dec 3, 2018 10:42 AM CST

Voting litigation heats up with 6th Circuit decision for purged Ohio voters

A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that Ohio must accept provisional ballots in the midterm elections from some voters because they received vague notices informing them they could be purged from the rolls. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Cincinnati ruled after the U.S. Supreme Court held in…

Nov 1, 2018 9:37 AM CDT

I Did It Norway: Some American prisons are singing a European tune

In August, when the solar eclipse passed over South Boise Women’s Correctional Center in Idaho, the officers held lunch early, handed out protective sunglasses, and invited the women outside to watch the sky. At the Cheshire Correctional Institution in Connecticut, a few prisoners and officers recently played cards together; the…

Nov 2, 2017 5:52 PM CDT

Jeff’s Law

A special preview from the October issue: The attorney general sees his role as pushing present-day law enforcement toward a rose-colored past.

Oct 1, 2017 12:15 AM CDT

When a mental health emergency lands you in jail

Early last year, two suicidal patients showed up at a hospital emergency room in Pierre, South Dakota, seeking help. Although the incidents happened weeks apart, both patients ended up in an unexpected place: jail. Across the country, and especially in rural areas, people in the middle of a mental health…

Sep 25, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

North Dakota judge laments decline in civility, cites ‘Seinfeld’

A North Dakota judge has denied a prosecution request for a new judge in a murder conspiracy trial in an opinion that took the lawyers to task for their heated arguments. Judge Thomas Merrick lamented a lack of civility and cited a lesson from Seinfeld in his opinion, the Minot…

Jul 20, 2017 8:50 AM CDT

Supreme Court makes venue shopping harder for patent trolls

Could this be the end of out-of-town patent lawyers flocking to Marshall, Texas? They’ve become known for showing up in luxury cars, ordering catered gourmet meals for their trial war rooms and running up expensive hotel tabs. That’s the future some observers predict for the top destination for patent infringement lawsuits after a U.S. Supreme Court decision limited the venues where such suits may be filed.

Jul 1, 2017 1:35 AM CDT

Silver Gavel Awards have honored outstanding depictions of law in media for 60 years

In 2017, the ABA Silver Gavel Awards for Media and the Arts will celebrate their 60th anniversary. To Kill a Mockingbird, Law & Order, NPR’s All Things Considered, SCOTUSblog and Netflix’s Making a Murderer—these were different forms of media, but all increased public awareness and understanding of the American judicial system and all have earned Silver Gavels over the years.