Afternoon Briefs: Trump campaign eschews conspiracy-minded lawyer; New Jersey law protects judges’ privacy

Trump campaign distances from lawyer Sidney Powell The Trump campaign has distanced itself from lawyer Sidney Powell after she made unsupported claims that voting machines had been rigged and Republican officials in Georgia were part of the scam. “Sidney Powell is practicing law on her own,” the campaign said in…

Nov 23, 2020 4:30 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: District attorney is accused of plotting truck theft; husband and wife lawyers sue over gun photo

District attorney is accused of hiring his kids, conspiring to steal truck Lee County, Alabama, District Attorney Brandon Hughes has been charged with illegally hiring his children and lying to a special grand jury and an ethics commission. Hughes is also accused of conspiring to steal a pickup truck by…

Nov 10, 2020 4:39 PM CST

4 Alabama justices urge SCOTUS to overturn Roe v. Wade

The Roe v. Wade ruling finding a constitutional right to abortion was “pulled out of thin air,” according to four Alabama justices who used a special concurrence to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the opinion.

Nov 2, 2020 10:40 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Lawyer says he was stopped for jogging while Black; public defender held in contempt

Lawyer says he was racially profiled while jogging A Black lawyer says he was racially profiled during a late-night jog in his new gated community in Parkland, Florida. Lawyer Josiah Graham, 31, says a security SUV—driven by a Black guard—did a U-turn and began to follow him. Graham has written…

Oct 28, 2020 4:29 PM CDT

As SCOTUS confirmation hearing ends, a ‘well qualified’ Barrett avoids controversy and opinions

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett remained unflappable during her confirmation hearing this week, as she politely deflected questions about her views on cases establishing rights to abortion and same-sex marriage.

Oct 15, 2020 4:45 PM CDT

‘I hope that you aren’t suggesting that I don’t have my own mind,’ Barrett tells senator

Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the U.S. Supreme Court nominee, pushed back Wednesday when Democratic Sen. Christopher Coons of Delaware contrasted decisions of the late Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia.

Oct 14, 2020 2:09 PM CDT

An attack on a judge’s family is putting judicial security center stage

After a gunman opened fire at Judge Esther Salas’ suburban New Jersey home in July, killing her 20-year-old son, she made an emotional plea. But she isn’t the only one sounding the alarm and asking for greater protections and privacy for jurists. Others in the federal judiciary are taking another look at privacy protections and security at judges’ homes.

Oct 1, 2020 11:25 AM CDT

9th Circuit says surveillance program exposed by Snowden was illegal but upholds convictions

A federal appeals court said Wednesday the massive phone data collection program revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden, who copied and leaked classified information from the National Security Agency in 2013 when he was a CIA employee and subcontractor, violated federal law and possibly the Fourth Amendment.

Sep 3, 2020 12:23 PM CDT

Employee urine samples taken by ‘direct observation method’ don’t invade privacy, state supreme court rules

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled 4-3 on Wednesday that an employee can’t sue for invasion of privacy when an employer uses the “direct observation method” to collect a urine sample for drug testing.

Aug 27, 2020 10:02 AM CDT

8th Circuit rules against grand juror who wanted to talk about Michael Brown case

A federal appeals court has ruled against a grand juror who wanted to correct the record after a prosecutor discussed evidence in the 2014 fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old Black man, by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.

Aug 19, 2020 2:36 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Actor Jussie Smollett’s prosecutors are reviewed; enhanced protection is recommended for judges

No crimes by prosecutors found in Jussie Smollett case Special prosecutor Dan Webb has found “substantial abuses of discretion” but no criminal wrongdoing by prosecutors who dropped charges against actor Jussie Smollett, who was on the TV show Empire. He was accused of orchestrating a hate crime attack on himself.…

Aug 17, 2020 4:51 PM CDT

Macy’s uses facial recognition software to identify customers on security cameras, lawsuit claims

A would-be class action lawsuit alleges that the Macy’s department store chain violates Illinois law when it identifies customers recorded on its surveillance cameras by using facial recognition software.

Aug 12, 2020 3:36 PM CDT

New Jersey federal judge: ‘Monster’ who killed my son had dossier on us; we need judicial privacy

Federal judges should not have to live in fear, U.S. District Judge Esther Salas of the District of New Jersey said in a video statement Monday.

Aug 3, 2020 12:19 PM CDT

Would a government-backed social credit scoring system like China’s ever fly in the US?

Aug 1, 2020 12:45 AM CDT

US brief opposes lawyer who objected to border searches of his cellphone

The federal government is opposing a Texas immigration lawyer’s request for an injunction to prevent warrantless border searches of his electronic devices.

Jul 28, 2020 3:30 PM CDT