States

School district’s ‘equity training’ didn’t constitute First Amendment injury, appeals court says

A public school district can’t be sued for violating the First Amendment rights of two employees who stopped speaking or pretended to agree with presenters during required “equity training,” a federal appeals court has ruled.

Sep 17, 2024 12:24 PM CDT

2 federal judges who boycotted Columbia law grads didn’t commit misconduct, review panel says

Two federal judges who said they wouldn’t hire future law grads from Columbia University did not commit misconduct, according to a review panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Atlanta's judicial council.

Sep 17, 2024 10:10 AM CDT

Disbarred lawyer is sentenced for alleged forgery that facilitated deed thefts

A disbarred attorney accused of impersonating a practicing lawyer to forge legal documents in a deed theft scheme was sentenced last week to 18 months to three years in prison for her actions.

Sep 17, 2024 9:12 AM CDT

Chief Justice Roberts steered rulings benefiting Trump, report says, citing internal information

A confidential memo and disclosures about internal deliberations show how Chief Justice John Roberts took an active role in three U.S. Supreme Court decisions that benefited former President Donald Trump, according to a story by the New York Times.

Sep 16, 2024 3:52 PM CDT

It’s ‘past time to proceed to the merits’ in fired BigLaw associate’s bias case, judge says

A federal judge in California last week refused to toss an amended gender-bias and retaliation lawsuit filed against Kirkland & Ellis by a fired associate, saying “it is past time to proceed to the merits.”

Sep 16, 2024 12:26 PM CDT

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

Judge’s advocacy for domestic violence survivors changed Arizona laws

“When I first became a judge, law enforcement and judges basically had the same attitude for domestic violence,” says Judge Elizabeth Finn. “They were quote unquote ‘family disputes,’ and we just wanted them to go away.”

Sep 12, 2024 3:15 PM CDT

Nevada green-lights three-pronged plan to licensure

Nevada will move forward on its proposal for a unique three-stage assessment for bar licensure that does not include using the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ new NextGen bar exam—but might include the test being developed by Kaplan Exam Services for the State Bar of California.

Sep 12, 2024 2:24 PM CDT

9th Circuit allows 2 transgender girls to play on sports teams that align with their gender identity

A federal appeals court on Monday ruled that two transgender girls in Arizona should be allowed to play on school sports teams that are consistent with their gender identity.

Sep 12, 2024 11:07 AM CDT

States can’t ban guns in banks, hospitals and churches, but property owners can, 9th Circuit says

A federal appeals court on Friday refused to allow two states to ban guns in some locations but limited the impact of its decision when it ruled that property owners can reject firearms.

Sep 12, 2024 9:23 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

Judge settles suit accusing lawyer of threatening to release her intimate photos in bid to scuttle deposition

A Florida judge has settled her lawsuit against a lawyer she sued for allegedly trying to blackmail her with nude photos chronicling her pregnancy.

Sep 11, 2024 10:46 AM CDT

Judge not hearing cases after allegedly calling herself ‘a new racist’ in secret recordings

A probate judge in Michigan was removed from her docket following the release of recordings in which she allegedly called herself “a new racist,” made derogatory remarks about Black people and used a gay slur.

Sep 10, 2024 12:52 PM CDT

Ballard Spahr announces merger that ‘is just the tip of the next iceberg’ in Pacific Northwest

Ballard Spahr is expanding into the Pacific Northwest through a merger with Lane Powell, the law firms announced Monday.

Sep 10, 2024 9:32 AM 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