Obituaries

ABA Board of Governors member who died suddenly was a good lawyer but ‘a better person,’ friends say

Kevin Curtin, senior appellate counsel in the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts and the District 2 representative to the ABA Board of Governors, died suddenly Thursday.

Dec 15, 2020 12:08 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Suits accuse Facebook of ‘buy or bury’ approach; House bill makes PACER records free

State and FTC lawsuits accuse Facebook of stifling competition Facebook is accused of stifling competition in two lawsuits filed Wednesday. One suit was filed by the Federal Trade Commission, and the other was filed by attorneys general for 46 states, the District of Columbia and Guam. “Facebook targets competitors with…

Dec 9, 2020 3:50 PM CST

The country’s oldest sitting federal judge, described as ‘deeply compassionate,’ dies at 99

The country’s oldest sitting federal judge, Thomas Reavley of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Louisiana, has died at age 99.

Dec 3, 2020 10:25 AM CST

Friends remember Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her longtime association with the ABA

Over the years, Ginsburg received various ABA honors, including the Margaret Brent Award in 1993. In June of that year, President Bill Clinton announced her nomination to the Supreme Court. The nomination hearings were in July, and the Brent Award ceremony, which she attended, was in August. The same month, she took her seat on the Supreme Court.

Dec 1, 2020 2:00 AM CST

University of Chicago Law School celebrates Earl Dickerson’s legacy as a civil rights lawyer and activist

Earl B. Dickerson’s name may not be well known to the public, but the civil rights lawyer lived a larger-than-life existence. Now, scholars, relatives and activists are marking the 100th anniversary of his 1920 graduation from the University of Chicago Law School in celebration of his becoming the first African American to receive a juris doctor.

Oct 28, 2020 10:13 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Trump faces suit over rape denial; Biden opposes SCOTUS term limits

Trump can be personally sued over rape denial A federal judge in Manhattan on Tuesday refused to substitute the federal government as the defendant in a defamation suit filed against President Donald Trump by a woman who accused him of rape. The plaintiff, journalist E. Jean Carroll, had alleged that…

Oct 27, 2020 3:58 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Purdue Pharma will plead guilty; lawyers can’t find parents of 545 immigrant children

Purdue Pharma agrees to plead guilty over opioid marketing Purdue Pharma has agreed to plead guilty to felony charges for misleading doctors, patients and the government about OxyContin and for promoting the drug through kickbacks. The charges are for defrauding federal health agencies and violating anti-kickback laws. The company will…

Oct 21, 2020 3:41 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Secretaries get extra bonuses at this law firm; AG Barr warns of liberal DAs

Secretaries at this law firm get extra bonuses; associates left out Goodwin Procter will pay an extra $1,000 to all secretaries to recognize “hard work during these challenging times,” according to an internal email obtained by two legal publications. The law firm won’t be paying special bonuses to associates, however.…

Oct 19, 2020 1:34 PM CDT

Teaching was one of Ginsburg’s many strengths, say former students and clerks

Before Ruth Bader Ginsburg was appointed to the federal bench, she argued and won several landmark gender discrimination cases before the U.S. Supreme Court—in spite of the justices all being men who sometimes made flippant remarks about gender during her oral arguments.

Oct 15, 2020 5:28 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Texas attorney general’s aides seek probe of possible wrongdoing; legal industry gains jobs

7 aides to Texas attorney general seek probe for potential crimes Seven aides to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have asked law enforcement to investigate whether Paxton violated bans on improper influence, abuse of office and bribery. Paxton denied the allegations and said they were made “to impede an ongoing…

Oct 5, 2020 4:21 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Justice Ginsburg will lie in state; 2 lawyers are sentenced in extortion plot

Justice Ginsburg will be first woman to lie in state at Capitol The late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie in repose at the top of the Supreme Court’s steps Wednesday and Thursday, then will lie in state Friday at the U.S. Capitol Building. Ginsburg will be…

Sep 21, 2020 4:36 PM CDT

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies at 87

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Friday from complications from metastatic cancer of the pancreas, the Supreme Court has announced. NPR reports that she dictated to her granddaughter Clara Spera this message: "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed."

Sep 18, 2020 6:44 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Bill Gates Sr. dies at 94; federal judiciary seeks $500M for better security

Bill Gates Sr., lawyer and ABA Medal winner, dies at 94 Lawyer and 2009 ABA Medal winner Bill Gates Sr. has died at age 94. Gates was a name partner at K&L Gates and a co-chair at the foundation established by his son, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. When he was…

Sep 16, 2020 4:55 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Police reform part of Breonna Taylor settlement; state chief justice dies

Louisville will pay $12M to family of Breonna Taylor The city of Louisville, Kentucky, has agreed to pay $12 million to settle a lawsuit by the family of Breonna Taylor, who was killed by police when her boyfriend fired at officers, thinking they were intruders, during a raid of her…

Sep 15, 2020 4:49 PM CDT

Well-known lawyer was shot and killed by his son, who then killed himself, family friend says

A well-known Florida personal injury lawyer was shot and killed Wednesday by his oldest son, who also shot the lawyer’s girlfriend before killing himself, according to a family friend.

Sep 11, 2020 11:39 AM CDT