Both Sides Fire Parting Salvos as Runaway Grand Jury Probe of Texas DA’s Office Fizzles

After months of speculation, a runaway Texas grand jury that decided on its own to launch an investigation of the local district attorney’s office has issued a brief report blasting prosecutors but no indictments. It criticized the Harris County District Attorney’s office for allegedly investigating grand jurors and “unexpected resistance,”…

Feb 2, 2012 6:32 PM CST

A Law and Order Campaign: Lawyer, 29, Unseats Long-Term DA in Luzerne County, Pa.

Feb 1, 2012 10:10 AM CST

Judge Benches Embattled DA, Finds Probable Cause She Should Be Permanently Removed From Office

A judge brought in to hear a lawyer’s petition for removal of a North Carolina district attorney has suspended her from office, finding probable cause that she should be permanently removed from her elected office. A hearing on whether Durham DA Tracey Cline should be permanently removed will be held…

Jan 28, 2012 12:30 AM CST

Around the Blawgosphere: Takes on Apple’s iBook Author; Volunteer Job Requiring 5 Years Experience?

Launch’s Legal Fallout A big tech story this week was the Apple’s launch of iBooks Author, a free tool allowing users to create textbooks, which the company says will “reinvent textbooks” by allowing iPad users to access texts that are interactive and constantly updated and available at a relatively low…

Jan 27, 2012 2:30 PM CST

Former Death Row Inmate Charged with Threatening Judge Who Once Prosecuted Him

A man who spent 21 years on Ohio’s death row before his conviction was overturned in 2008 has been charged with leaving a threatening telephone message for the judge who prosecuted the death penalty case against him. Ken Richey, 47, is accused of calling the Putnam County, Ohio, courthouse on…

Jan 26, 2012 10:13 PM CST

Law Prof Takes Sabbatical as Unpaid Rookie Prosecutor

When Patricia Bradford went to law school, she thought she might be headed to a job as a prosecutor. And she was right, as it turns out, except that it took her just a bit longer to land the job than she expected—more than three decades after her 1981 graduation.…

Jan 25, 2012 10:07 PM CST

Prosecutors Claim Federal Judge Bias in Lawyer’s Racketeering Case, Ask 3rd Circuit for New Judge

Prosecutors are seeking the recusal of the federal judge assigned to hear a criminal racketeering case against a prominent New Jersey defense attorney, contending that U.S. District Judge William Martini is biased against the government. Among other issues, they have contended that Martini erred by severing witness murder conspiracy charges…

Jan 25, 2012 8:37 PM CST

Ex-Prosecutor Told Cops She Fired 9mm ‘Barbie Gun’ to Show Local Teen It Wasn’t a Toy

A former New York prosecutor who is now in private practice reportedly told police she fired a pink 9mm pistol into a ground to show a neighborhood teen it wasn’t a toy “Barbie gun” after becoming exasperated when somebody repeatedly rang her doorbell and disappeared. “I shot that gun yesterday…

Jan 25, 2012 6:13 PM CST

Will Death of Joe Paterno Weaken Prosecution of Former School Officials?

Prosecutors won’t be able to rely on the grand jury testimony of Joe Paterno in the prosecution of two former Penn State officials accused of failing to forward reports of alleged child sexual abuse to law enforcement. Paterno testified before a grand jury that he met with former Penn State…

Jan 25, 2012 4:33 PM CST

Ex-Prosecutor Who Took 200 Oxycodone Pills as Legal Fee Agrees to 3-Year Plea Deal

A former Florida prosecutor has agreed to a plea deal concerning more than 200 oxycodone pills he admittedly took as a legal fee while working as a private practitioner in Largo. The supposed client who gave him the prescription narcotic turned out to be a police informer. Aaron Slavin, 34,…

Jan 23, 2012 6:34 PM CST

Federal Prosecutor Will Take the Fifth in Congressional Fast and Furious Probe

A federal prosecutor subpoenaed to testify in the congressional probe of Operation Fast and Furious will assert has Fifth Amendment rights and decline to testify. Lawyers for Patrick Cunningham, chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona, notified the House Oversight Committee about the decision not…

Jan 20, 2012 2:11 PM CST

Disbarred Ex-DA Who Pressured Workers in His Office for Sex Gets 1 Year, Apologizes for ‘Flirting’

A former Colorado district attorney who was disbarred last month over his mistreatment of multiple women was sentenced today to one year in prison after pleading guilty to criminal charges related to the sexual demands he made on three women working in his office. Former Montrose County DA Myrl Serra…

Jan 19, 2012 10:08 PM CST

Federal Prosecutor’s Tech-Savvy Son, 14, Helps Cops Track Down Items Taken in Home Burglary

When a federal prosecutor in Seattle started his day on Saturday morning and discovered his home had been burglarized, he knew what to do. In addition to calling 911, assistant U.S. Attorney Harold Malkin awakened his 14-year-old son, Max. Working with the responding police officer, who suggested that they try…

Jan 19, 2012 7:04 PM CST

State’s Attorney Sues Special Prosecutors Who Pursued Misconduct Charges Against Him

The state’s attorney in McHenry County northwest of Chicago has filed a $15 million lawsuit against special prosecutors who unsuccessfully pursued misconduct charges against him. State’s Attorney Louis Bianchi claims the prosecution was part of a conspiracy initiated by political enemies, report the Chicago Tribune, the Daily Herald and the…

Jan 19, 2012 2:14 PM CST

2 Lawyers Seek Removal From Office of DA Who Sought Top Judge’s Recusal in Multiple Cases

Turning the tables on a North Carolina district attorney who has repeatedly sought in recent months to disqualify a top Durham County judge from multiple cases, two local attorneys are asking that same judge to remove Durham County DA Tracey Cline from office for cause. Under state law, a lawyer’s…

Jan 18, 2012 10:00 PM CST