ABA hosts first-ever cannabis and hemp law conference

Sep 25, 2019 12:40 PM CDT

Police officers subpoena former governor to testify about commuted sentence

Lawyers for 11 Chicago police officers have subpoenaed former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn to testify about his reasons for commuting the sentence of a man who has sued them for allegedly railroading the case against him.

Sep 24, 2019 10:31 AM CDT

Arkansas AG seeks removal of judge from state matters; he is already banned from capital cases

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge on Tuesday asked the state supreme court to remove a Pulaski County judge from all cases involving her office. Rutledge claimed that Judge Wendell Griffen “routinely erupts in anger” when state attorneys are trying to do their jobs and “routinely bullies” the lawyers by threatening…

Sep 20, 2019 10:15 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Judge says state violated ADA; Notorious B.I.G.’s sampling is fair use, court says

Mississippi violated ADA in its treatment of people with mental illness, judge says U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ruled this week that Mississippi’s failure to provide community-based mental health care violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reeves will appoint a special master to oversee changes. He ruled in a suit…

Sep 5, 2019 4:49 PM CDT

Theists-only policy for legislative prayers is constitutional, 3rd Circuit rules

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives didn’t violate the Constitution when it barred nonbelievers from delivering prayers before legislative sessions, a federal appeals court has ruled. The Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the “theists-only” policy in a 2-1 decision on Friday. How Appealing links to the opinion and…

Aug 28, 2019 11:01 AM CDT

Cellphone use in courthouses is an ‘access-to-justice issue,’ ABA House says

The ABA House of Delegates on Tuesday approved a resolution encouraging courts and bar associations to review their policies on the use and admittance of cellphones in courthouses.

Aug 13, 2019 2:31 PM CDT

Contentious resolution seeking to redefine consent in sexual assault cases is postponed

The ABA House of Delegates has postponed indefinitely a resolution that would call on legislatures and courts to redefine the consent standard in sexual assault cases, after contentious debate Monday at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

Aug 12, 2019 10:20 PM CDT

Federal judge appears likely to certify unusual ‘negotiation’ class for nation’s cities in massive opioid case

A federal judge in Cleveland appears ready to approve a “negotiation” class representing the nation’s 33,000 cities, towns and counties to try to achieve a settlement in opioid litigation.

Aug 7, 2019 10:03 AM CDT

ACLU sues after Alaska governor cuts court budget to protest abortion ruling

The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska contends that the state’s governor violated the separation of powers when he used a line-item veto to cut the court budget to protest abortion-related rulings. The ACLU filed a lawsuit last Wednesday seeking an injunction to prevent the budget cut by Alaska Gov.…

Jul 24, 2019 12:50 PM CDT

Police officers illegally use information from arrests that have been sealed, lawsuit says

When a man named J.J. was arrested in the Bronx in 2016, the public defenders assigned to represent him assumed he’d get a good plea deal. After all, it appeared to be a low-level case. J.J. had been a passenger in his friend’s car when police had pulled them over for allegedly failing to signal a turn; the officers then searched the vehicle and found an unlicensed gun inside.

Jul 19, 2019 5:00 PM CDT

ACLU sues state police, alleging they’re acting as immigration authorities

Pennsylvania State Police troopers have routinely violated the law by stopping and holding people based solely on their Latino appearance, terrifying drivers and passengers while usurping federal authority to investigate supposed immigration violations, the ACLU claims in a federal lawsuit filed recently.

Jul 9, 2019 1:29 PM CDT

Criminal cases that involved lawyers’ spitting and shoving match are resolved

Two cases brought by a personal injury lawyer and the father of another attorney after they got into a spitting and shoving match are no longer sitting in criminal court in Providence, Rhode Island. Last week, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha filed the assault case against attorney Stephen J.…

Jul 3, 2019 2:51 PM CDT

Lawyer charged after smuggling binders of drugs to client in prison

A Baltimore lawyer has been arrested and charged with smuggling drugs to a client in a Maryland prison. Steven Thurman Mitchell brought two binders to his client, Mandel Brown, during a visit to the Roxbury Correctional Institution on Friday and attempted to leave without them, according to a Maryland Department…

Jul 2, 2019 3:01 PM CDT

Ongoing lawsuits delay start date for health care ‘conscience rights’ rule

A new federal rule that will allow health care workers to refuse to provide medical care based on religious or moral grounds will go into effect in November instead of July as initially scheduled. The Department of Health and Human Services, which issued the Protecting Statutory Conscience Rights in Health…

Jul 2, 2019 12:18 PM CDT

This state is set to expunge nearly 800,000 marijuana convictions in 2020

Illinois residents will automatically receive clemency for convictions of up to 30 grams of cannabis after a new state law goes into effect in 2020. The Cannabis Regulation & Tax Act, signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week, makes cannabis legal for people age 21 and older and offers relief…

Jul 1, 2019 3:54 PM CDT