Obituaries

Lawyer, author and founder of program for wrongfully convicted dies at 52

Laura Caldwell, a lawyer, author and founder of a project that supported the wrongfully convicted, died Sunday after a long battle with breast cancer.

Mar 4, 2020 11:03 AM CST

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

Afternoon Briefs: RBG outpaces colleagues for written opinions; DOJ lawyer who wrote risky footnote dies

DOJ lawyer who risked his career over a footnote dies at 88 A former deputy solicitor general who served under eight presidents, Lawrence Wallace, has died at age 88. Wallace argued more cases in the U.S. Supreme Court than any other lawyer in the modern era. Wallace is known for…

Feb 27, 2020 3:40 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Utah allows bar admission for DACA immigrants; first openly gay federal judge dies

Utah allows bar admission for DACA immigrants The Utah Supreme Court has approved a new rule that allows immigrants brought to the country illegally as children to gain admission to the state bar. The U.S. Department of Justice had opposed the move, citing the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the…

Feb 4, 2020 3:14 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Judge and civil rights lawyer dies at 93; lawyer reminds court of Super Bowl continuance promise

Nathaniel Jones, civil rights lawyer and appeals judge, dies at 93 Former civil rights lawyer and federal appeals judge Nathaniel Jones died Sunday at age 93. Jones was on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Cincinnati and was former general counsel for the NAACP. (The Cincinnati Enquirer, Blank…

Jan 27, 2020 4:20 PM CST

‘Transient’ charged in stabbing death of asbestos lawyer who is being hailed as a hero

Police have charged a man described as a “transient” in the home invasion and stabbing death of an Illinois lawyer Saturday.

Jan 7, 2020 12:15 PM CST

Director of wrongful convictions center is struck and killed by pickup truck

Karen Daniel, a former co-director of Northwestern University’s Center on Wrongful Convictions and a law professor, was struck and killed Dec. 26 by a pickup truck while she was walking her dog in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park.

Jan 6, 2020 11:57 AM CST

From feeling shame to inspiring hope, Steve Price was just getting started

This past spring, when the May 2019 issue of the ABA Journal arrived from the printer, Managing Editor Kevin Davis made plans to meet with Steve Price, whose face graced the cover. Davis wanted to hand-deliver a few copies and say thanks. Price was a formerly incarcerated man who talked with Davis about his struggles to make it on the outside.

Nov 26, 2019 1:30 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Judge died from fentanyl and heroin; $117M pelvic mesh settlement announced

Johnson & Johnson and subsidiary to pay $117M settlement in multistate pelvic mesh case Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Ethicon have agreed to pay nearly $117 million to settle claims over alleged deceptive marketing for transvaginal surgical mesh devices. Forty-one states and Washington, D.C., will share in the settlement.…

Oct 18, 2019 4:11 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Boies booted from suit against Dershowitz; DA’s Halloween display criticized

Judge boots Boies from defamation suit against Dershowitz U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska on Wednesday refused to toss a defamation suit filed against former Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz. The plaintiff, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, says she was a victim of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring, and Dershowitz, Epstein’s lawyer, had…

Oct 17, 2019 4:12 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Lawyer convicted in conspiracy involving fake law firms; legal jobs fall

Lawyer convicted in conspiracy that involved creation of fake law firms Virginia lawyer David H. Miller, 70, of Fairfax was convicted Friday on charges of conspiring to defraud and to launder fraud proceeds totaling more than $1.5 million. Miller was accused of helping set up fake law firms to bill…

Oct 7, 2019 3:48 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Suit filed over chicken sandwich shortage; judge seen as likely SCOTUS pick

Popeyes sued for running out of chicken sandwiches An East Ridge, Tennessee, man has filed a lawsuit against Popeyes for selling out of its new chicken sandwich. Craig Barr claims in a civil summons that the fast-food chain engaged in false advertising and deceptive business practices. He’s seeking $5,000 in…

Sep 3, 2019 4:47 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Ex-law dean Norman Lefstein dies; inmate who got life for stealing $50 is released

Former law dean Norman Lefstein dies at age 82 Norman Lefstein, a former dean of Indiana University’s McKinney School of Law, died Thursday at age 82. Lefstein has been described as one of the giants in the legal profession and the architect of the modern indigent defense reform movement. He…

Aug 30, 2019 2:32 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Rappers awarded $2.8M over Katy Perry song; lawyer killed outside courthouse by pickup truck

• Federal jurors in Los Angeles have awarded $2.78 million to Christian rap artists in a copyright suit against Katy Perry and others. The suit claimed that a repetitive musical rhythm in Perry’s song “Dark Horse” infringed the copyright for the Christian song “Joyful Noise.” Perry herself is responsible for…

Aug 2, 2019 4:07 PM CDT

‘America’s DA’ Robert Morgenthau dies at 99

Former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau died Sunday, less than two weeks before his 100th birthday. Morgenthau was the DA for 35 years before his retirement in 2009.

Jul 22, 2019 10:13 AM CDT