A Murder Defendant Goes Free, an Ethics Complaint Is Filed, and County Atty Blames Deputy

An Arizona county attorney accused of misconduct that resulted in the release of a murder defendant is pointing the finger of blame at his onetime chief deputy. Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting told the Arizona Republic that he believed investigators were allowed to contact a jailed defendant without notifying his…

Mar 9, 2011 5:53 PM CST

Davis Polk’s First Summer Associate, a ‘Work-Until-Death’ Litigator, Dies at 100

For hard-working litigator S. Hazard Gillespie, Erie Railroad v. Tompkins was more than a Supreme Court decision in a casebook. Gillespie worked on the case in 1938, soon after going to work full-time for the firm then known as Davis, Polk, Wardwell, Gardiner & Reed. He was the firm’s first…

Mar 9, 2011 1:54 PM CST

Disbar Ex-Federal Prosecutor for Alleged Ethics Issues in Criminal Cases, DC Appeals Court Is Urged

An unusual request to disbar a former federal prosecutor for his handling of criminal case work is before the Washington, D.C., Court of Appeals. It is being asked to punish former assistant U.S. attorney G. Paul Howes for his conduct in high-profile murder cases in the 1990s, reports USA Today.…

Mar 9, 2011 12:00 AM CST

‘Doctored’ Docs Create Mistrial for Lawmaker Accused of Illegally Helping Sis in Supreme Court Race

A Pennsylvania judge today declared a mistrial in the case of a state lawmaker and ex-prosecutor accused of conspiring with a sister to illegally use her staff to help another sister, who now sits on the state supreme court, with election campaign work. Contending, after prosecutors brought documents entered by…

Mar 3, 2011 9:56 PM CST

Retired Detroit-Area Drug Prosecutor Takes Plea in Trial-Testimony Case, Will Get 6 Months

A retired chief drug prosecutor in the Detroit area has taken a plea in a controversial perjury case, along with two police officers, leaving only a former Wayne County judge awaiting trial. Karen Plants pleaded guilty yesterday to misconduct in office, for which she will get a six-month jail sentence…

Mar 3, 2011 6:50 PM CST

Justices Give Solicitor General Some Leeway in Detained Citizen’s Suit Against John Ashcroft

Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal’s defense of former Attorney General John Ashcroft went so smoothly before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday that he ended his main oral argument 10 minutes early. The New York Times sees the lack of interruptions as an indication that Katyal will succeed in his…

Mar 3, 2011 1:44 PM CST

Former AG Blasts Kansas Supreme Court During Lunch Break in His Legal Ethics Trial

Former attorney general Phill Kline went on the offensive today during a lunch break in his legal ethics trial, blasting the Kansas Supreme Court for what he called obstruction of his own legitimate investigations of abortion clinics in years past when he served as AG and Johnson County district attorney.…

Mar 3, 2011 2:01 AM CST

Lawyer’s Attempt to Keep His Head Above Water Landed a Client on Death Row

Mar 1, 2011 11:49 AM CST

In Fla., Proposed Court Budget Cuts Raise Concerns of Big Slowdowns, Overwhelming Workloads

Court officials in South Florida fear that proposed budget cuts could overburden a system already reeling from a loss in income. The governor’s budget proposal calls for a $40 million cut in the budget for court administration, resulting in possibly 600 layoffs, including positions for staff attorneys and judicial assistants,…

Feb 28, 2011 3:23 PM CST

Sex-Crimes Prosecutor Accused of Raping Colleague Is Reinstated, Seeks AG’s Recusal

A former sex-crimes prosecutor in California’s Contra Costa County who was indicted on charges he raped a junior colleague has been reinstated to his job by an arbitrator and is now seeking the recusal of the state attorney general’s office. Michael Gressett, 54, was reinstated effective Feb. 1, although he…

Feb 25, 2011 11:57 PM CST

Retired Prof Indicted for Handing Out Jury Nullification Pamphlets Near Federal Courthouse

Since 2009, Julian Heicklen has been handing out material urging prospective jurors to vote their conscience at various courthouses. He says he often holds a “Jury Info” sign to help connect him to the right people, but has never sought to influence any specific case. Now the retired chemistry professor…

Feb 25, 2011 11:00 PM CST

Chicago Lawyer Couple Charged with Fraud, Accused of Lying to Clients Facing Foreclosure

Corrected: A Chicago lawyer is charged with deceiving clients who paid him to help save their homes from foreclosure, federal prosecutors said. Investigators say Philip Igoe pursued clients in financial turmoil and took money from them, promising that the money would go toward mortgage payments or repayments under Chapter 13…

Feb 25, 2011 8:34 PM CST

Prosecutor Says Suspect Killed 2 Officers in St. Petersburg Standoff, Rules His Death Justifiable

Reviewing a tragic crime scene in which two St. Petersburg police officers were killed and a deputy United States marshal was injured by an armed man hiding in the attic of city home, the Pinellas-Pasco state attorney has determined that the death of the suspect during an extended standoff involving…

Feb 25, 2011 1:15 AM CST

Abortion Doc’s Sensitive Patient Records Were Stored in Ex-AG Employee’s Home, Ethics Panel Is Told

Under fire for allegedly mishandling sensitive patient records from an abortion doctor in addition to other claimed violations of attorney ethics rules, a former attorney general of Kansas and district attorney has contended the disciplinary case against him is politically motivated. But the No. 2 man in the AG’s office…

Feb 24, 2011 8:34 PM CST

Indiana Deputy AG Loses Job After Live Ammo Tweet

A deputy attorney general in Indiana recently tweeted some advice for police facing pro-labor protesters in Wisconsin: “Use live ammunition.” The comment and others, made in response to a Feb. 19 tweet by a Mother Jones writer, have ended badly for the government lawyer, Jeffrey Cox. He is now out…

Feb 24, 2011 12:49 PM CST