Prosecutors

‘I Am the Prize’ Ex-DA: Civil Rights Law Doesn’t Protect Crime Victim from DA’s ‘Flirtatious’ Texts

Seeking to bring a swift conclusion to a civil rights lawsuit filed by a Wisconsin domestic abuse victim to whom former Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz admittedly sent flirtatious text messages as he was prosecuting her ex-boyfriend, a lawyer for the ex-DA filed a motion to dismiss in federal…

Apr 11, 2011 1:59 PM CDT

Hundreds of Wash. Convictions to Be Reversed, Due to Questioning of Prospective Jurors in Chambers

Already busy with existing cases, prosecutors and defense lawyers in Washington state are facing increased workloads due to a deluge of felony convictions, including in rape and murder cases, being reversed because of faulty jury selection practices. At least 17 convictions in Whatcom County have been reversed after prospective jurors…

Apr 11, 2011 11:56 AM CDT

DA Budget Woes: Job Threats in Wisconsin, and a Standoff Over Budget Cuts in Nevada

Standoffs between prosecutors and budget officials have reached new levels in Wisconsin and Nevada. In Nevada, Clark County District Attorney David Roger said he won’t comply with a request to cut 9 percent from his budget, according to the Las Vegas Sun and the Las Vegas Review Journal. Roger said…

Apr 8, 2011 1:14 PM CDT

Prosecutor Concerns About Defense Spur Reversal; Lawyer Accused of Calling Client ‘Toast’

A defense lawyer accused of smiling and calling her sexual abuse client “toast” after the verdict did not deliver effective assistance, the Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled. The court granted a new trial for defendant Jeffrey Gioglio in an appeal spurred by the prosecutor’s concerns, according to the Associated…

Apr 7, 2011 12:20 PM CDT

Judge OKs Prosecution Letters Saying Criminal Lawyers Can’t Use Madoff Money for Workers’ Defense

In a ruling that puts criminal defense lawyers for former employees of Bernard L. Madoff between a rock and a hard place, a federal judge has upheld the right of government prosecutors to warn counsel not to use money that might be associated with Madoff’s record-breaking Ponzi scheme as legal…

Apr 7, 2011 12:39 AM CDT

Northwestern Accuses J-School Prof of Misleading Prosecutors re Innocence Project Work

Ratcheting up a controversy that led to a popular journalism professor sitting on the sidelines rather than teaching at Northwestern University this spring, the school has just released a statement accusing former Medill Innocence Project Director David Protess of making false and misleading statements to Cook County prosecutors. It isn’t…

Apr 6, 2011 11:39 PM CDT

Defense Attorneys in Death Penalty Cases in Philadelphia File Court Challenge to Low Pay

Arguing that the state of Pennsylvania should either pay private defense attorneys adequately for taking on court-appointed capital cases or abolish the death penalty, a group of lawyers has filed suit in Philadelphia. Led by Marc Bookman, the group of lawyers says in its Common Pleas Court filing that Philadelphia…

Apr 6, 2011 9:44 PM CDT

Former Prosecutor and Chief City Judge Admits Arranging for Innocent Man to Make False Confession

A former New Jersey prosecutor and chief municipal judge in the state’s biggest city has pleaded guilty to accepting a $3,500 payment in exchange for arranging for an innocent man to make a false confession in a gun-possession case. In addition, Clifford Minor, 68, who runs a Newark criminal defense…

Apr 6, 2011 8:57 PM CDT

Judge Warns Casey Anthony Murder Case Lawyers: I’ll Fine You $100 Each Time You Talk to Each Other

Trying to put an end to the sniping between a prosecutor and a defense lawyer in a high-profile murder case, a Florida judge warned both on Friday that he would fine them $100, from this point forward, each time they spoke to each other rather than addressing their comments to…

Apr 4, 2011 6:48 PM CDT

Prosecutors and Judges to Join Police at DWI Checkpoints to Enforce New ‘No Refusal’ Law

In what is billed as a first-of-a-kind law enforcement effort in Jasper County, Mo., prosecutors and judges will be joining police at drunken-driving checkpoints, starting tonight, to enforce a new “no refusal” statute in the state. If motorists who seem to be driving while intoxicated refuse to take a breath…

Apr 1, 2011 10:21 PM CDT

Okla. Judge Denies DA’s Blanket Recusal Motion, Filed Under Seal

An Oklahoma judge swiftly denied yesterday a motion by a prosecutor seeking his recusal in all criminal cases in which the Cleveland County district attorney’s office is involved. Cleveland County District Judge Tom Lucas took less than a minute to make the ruling yesterday, in a courtroom packed with attorneys…

Apr 1, 2011 5:47 PM CDT

Judge OKs Some Claims in Lawsuit Over ‘Runaway Train’ Abuse Prosecution of Parents of Autistic Teen

Accused of abusing their autistic, mute, teen daughter, Julian Wendrow spent months in jail and he and his attorney wife, Thal, were separated from their children, who were put in foster homes. Eventually, authorities in Oakland County, Mich., admitted they were wrong and the alleged victim couldn’t communicate. The accusations…

Apr 1, 2011 12:19 AM CDT

Acquitted Prosecutor Can Identify with Defendants’ Frequent Complaint

A prosecutor in suburban Chicago can identify with a frequent complaint of the defendants he prosecutes after his own acquittal on charges that he asked public employees do campaign work on county time. McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis Bianchi tells the Chicago Tribune that he and his secretary were placed…

Mar 30, 2011 5:48 PM CDT

As Lawmakers Wield Budget Ax, Courts Struggle to Do More with Less, Plan Layoffs

As lawmakers throughout the country struggle to make ends meet in difficult economic times, many are seeing the courts and legal services as an area in which cuts can and must be made. The result is a growing list of jurisdictions in which services will be reduced and staff laid…

Mar 29, 2011 11:51 PM CDT

Supreme Court Rules Against Exonerated Inmate Awarded $14M in Damages

A death row inmate whose case may be portrayed in a film starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as his two lawyers has suffered a defeat in the U.S. Supreme Court. John Thompson was seeking to uphold a $14 million judgment obtained after the New Orleans District Attorney’s office withheld…

Mar 29, 2011 3:04 PM CDT