State Government

District attorney ‘paid little attention to the five-alarm fire’ in high-profile case and should be disbarred, panel says

A Colorado district attorney should be disbarred mostly for her "absence at the helm" in a high-profile murder case in which prosecutors failed to turn over sufficient expert witness information to the defense, leading to the exclusion of experts, according to a Colorado disciplinary hearing board.

Sep 16, 2024 11:07 AM CDT

Nonlawyer entities could provide legal services in Washington in proposed pilot program

Nonlawyer-owned entities would be allowed to deliver legal services in Washington under a pilot program proposed by the Washington State Bar Association and a board created by the Washington Supreme Court.

Sep 11, 2024 2:36 PM CDT

42 state AGs endorse federal plan to add warning labels on social media

A coalition of over 40 state attorneys general urged Congress on Tuesday to place labels on social media platforms warning of their potential risks to children, rallying substantial bipartisan support behind a proposal championed by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy.

Sep 10, 2024 1:50 PM CDT

Lawyer chooses lethal injection for inmate who didn’t want to make decision

A South Carolina lawyer has picked lethal injection as the execution method for a client who didn’t want to make the decision because of religious qualms.

Sep 10, 2024 8:50 AM CDT

State rep displays middle finger during online court hearing, leading to show-cause orders

A Florida state representative who appeared to be displaying his middle finger and making other gestures during an online court appearance is facing an Oct. 1 contempt hearing.

Sep 5, 2024 3:20 PM CDT

Kids create video, write law journal article about Texas Supreme Court

Two siblings whose mother is an appellate lawyer decided to make a video in which they interviewed Texas Supreme Court justices about their daily lives, their work and how they reach decisions in the cases that come before them.

Sep 5, 2024 2:17 PM CDT

GOP states sue to end Biden’s student loan forgiveness rule

Seven Republican-led states sued on Tuesday to block President Joe Biden’s new policy to reduce or eliminate the student loan balances of millions of borrowers, claiming the Education Department is illegally preparing to start debt cancellation before the rule is finalized.

Sep 5, 2024 12:00 PM CDT

Supreme Court allows HHS to divert funds over abortion referrals

The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for the Biden administration to strip millions of health care dollars from Oklahoma over its refusal to direct patients to information about abortions—a federal requirement that the state says would be at odds with its strict ban on terminating pregnancies.

Sep 5, 2024 10:30 AM CDT

Maryland Supreme Court upholds decision to reinstate Adnan Syed murder conviction

The Maryland Supreme Court on Friday upheld an appellate court’s decision to reinstate the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, a blow to the “Serial” podcast subject but one that probably does not conclude his legal fight.

Aug 30, 2024 10:05 AM CDT

Switchblades are protected by Second Amendment, top Massachusetts court rules

A Massachusetts law banning the possession of switchblades violates the Second Amendment, the state’s top court ruled Tuesday.

Aug 28, 2024 10:58 AM CDT

To address lawyer shortage, Indiana could fund scholarships, approve allied professionals, commission says

Indiana could help address an attorney shortage in underserved communities through law student scholarships and loan-repayment assistance, according to initial recommendations by the Indiana Supreme Court’s Commission on Indiana’s Legal Future.

Aug 28, 2024 9:04 AM CDT

Federal court upholds Maryland training, background checks for handguns

A federal appeals court has upheld Maryland’s requirement that gun owners first go through firearms training and pass a background check—a ruling issued Friday that crossed ideological lines.

Aug 26, 2024 1:27 PM CDT

Wanted: Lawyers to help with this year’s election

The Task Force for American Democracy, formed by immediate-past ABA President Mary Smith last year, is on the front lines. In recent months, its members conducted a cross-country listening tour to discuss improving public trust in the electoral process. It also released an analysis outlining current threats to elections and ways lawyers and state and local bar associations can help protect the system.

Aug 26, 2024 10:52 AM CDT

Lawyer gets stayed suspension for fake blog comments

Updated: A Colorado lawyer has received a stayed 60-day suspension for posing as a judge and a former deputy district attorney in blog comments last year.

Aug 26, 2024 9:29 AM CDT

Assistant pleads guilty to embezzling more than $50K from criminal court judge

A former judicial assistant pleaded guilty Tuesday to embezzling more than $50,000 from a Michigan criminal court judge who supervised him. Steven Allen, 43, of Detroit pleaded guilty after he was accused of using the Wayne County, Michigan, judge’s ATM card to make withdrawals and purchases totaling more than $60,000.…

Aug 22, 2024 8:45 AM CDT