Would-Be Ind. Lawyers Who Sued over Mental Health Questions Protected in Discovery

A judge has prohibited Indiana bar examiners from conducting further discovery about the mental health of would-be lawyers who filed a class-action suit over treatment questions in applications for a law license. U.S. District Judge Tanya Pratt upheld a magistrate’s order barring the line of discovery, the National Law Journal…

Jan 5, 2011 5:40 PM CST

Calif. Supremes Allow Cops to Search Cellphone Without Warrant

Police may search a suspect’s cellphone after an arrest without first obtaining a warrant, the California Supreme Court has ruled. The 5-4 decision found that police had the authority to search text messages on a phone in the pocket of Gregory Diaz, arrested on suspicion of selling Ecstasy to an…

Jan 4, 2011 2:41 PM CST

Judge Settles $50M Suit Against Website for Linking ‘Lawmiss’ Comments to Her E-Mail

A judge has settled a $50 million lawsuit that claimed an Ohio newspaper and its website should not have reported that her e-mail account was the source of anonymous online comments about a serial murder case she had been assigned. The judge, Shirley Strickland Saffold of Cuyahoga County, dropped her…

Jan 3, 2011 3:10 PM CST

Corporate Rights Are Again at Issue as AT&T Wants to Keep Info a Secret

Jan 1, 2011 8:40 AM CST

Lawsuits Say Unique Apple iPhone and iPad IDs Let Advertisers Profile & Track Users Via Apps

Updated: By giving each iPhone and iPad a so-called Unique Device Identifier or UDID, Apple Inc. has made it possible for advertisers secretly to track which applications individuals download and how frequently they use them, in violation of federal and state computer, consumer and privacy law, two federal lawsuits contend.…

Dec 28, 2010 11:16 AM CST

Are You in the FBI Terrorist Database? Acting Suspiciously Could Put You There

The FBI is building a terrorism database of thousands of U.S. residents identified as acting in a suspicious manner by police or fellow citizens. The database is accessible to an increasing number of local police and military criminal investigators, raising concerns it will end up in the public domain, the…

Dec 20, 2010 3:12 PM CST

WikiLeaks Founder Free to Stay at Country Estate Under UK Appellate Decision

A High Court judge in London has denied an appeal by prosecutors seeking to keep WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in jail pending extradition to Sweden on sexual assault charges. Conditions of bail, set at about $316,000, require Assange to stay confined in a country house in Suffolk and to wear…

Dec 16, 2010 2:04 PM CST

6th Circuit Expands E-Mail Protections in Male Enhancement Appeal

A federal appeals court has struck down part of a law that allows the government to obtain e-mails from Internet service providers without a probable cause warrant. The Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled for the maker of herbal product called Enzyte that was marketed for male enhancement.…

Dec 15, 2010 4:32 PM CST

‘Hostile Makeover’ Pits Employer Against Employee Concerning Unhealthy Habits

Two hospitals in Florida are part of a “hostile makeover” workplace trend: They are requiring job applicants to take a nicotine test, in order to screen out any who smoke, writes columnist Beth Kassab in the Orlando Sentinel. A majority of states ban such employer intrusion into a worker’s off-the-job…

Dec 14, 2010 11:56 PM CST

Judge Refuses to Release Names of SEC Lawyers Who Viewed Porn at Work

The identity of the Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer who spent up to eight hours of day watching pornography at work will remain a secret under a federal judge’s ruling. U.S. District Judge Christine Arguello turned down a Denver lawyer’s request for the names of porn-watching SEC employees, citing privacy…

Dec 10, 2010 2:12 PM CST

Deposition Disclosure Fights Involve Robo-Signers and Sheriff Joe Arpaio

May depositions be posted on the Internet or otherwise released to the public? A Florida lawyer who posted robo-signer testimony and an Arizona sheriff targeted in a racial profiling lawsuit are taking opposite stands in court battles over the issue. Sarasota, Fla., lawyer Christopher Forrest is challenging a temporary injunction…

Dec 10, 2010 1:47 PM CST

US Faces Obstacles to Prosecution of WikiLeaks Founder, Now in UK Custody

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange turned himself in to British police on Tuesday as U.S. officials confirmed a criminal investigation into his website’s release of documents. Assange, who is an Australian citizen, plans to fight extradition to Sweden, where he stands accused of sexual assault, according to the Washington Post and…

Dec 7, 2010 12:37 PM CST

Privacy-Loving Couple Obtains ‘One Sweet Dollar of Vindication’ From Google

A Pittsburgh-area couple who sued Google Maps over its “Street View” feature have agreed to settle the case for $1. A statement issued by Aaron and Christine Boring called the deal “one sweet dollar of vindication,” the Associated Press reports. Their lawsuit had claimed Google violated their privacy when its…

Dec 3, 2010 12:25 PM CST

Two Harvard 2Ls Sue Over Airport Searches; Law Prof Doubts Success

Yet another lawsuit has been filed that challenges airport full-body scans and pat downs, this time by two Harvard law students. The suit was filed by 2Ls Jeffrey Redfern and Anant Pradhan, according to the Harvard Law Record. Redfern told the publication that he became interested in a lawsuit when…

Dec 2, 2010 4:37 PM CST

Feds Propose ‘Do Not Track’ List to Protect Web-Surfers’ Privacy

Updated: Amidst myriad recent reports of the extent to which those who surf the Internet are being profiled for advertisers’ benefit, the Federal Trade Commission is planning to create a “do not track” function akin to the “do not call” registry. Web-surfers who wish to protect their privacy by preventing…

Dec 1, 2010 6:47 PM CST