States

Murder Defendant Sues Ga. Judge Over Change of Counsel

A defendant in a capital murder case who was represented for more than a year by private lawyers paid for by the state of Georgia has sued his trial judge for replacing the private attorneys with public defenders. Meanwhile, the salaried public defenders selected by Pike County Superior Court Judge…

Feb 11, 2008 8:56 PM CST

Record-Breaking Donor Ups Ante at UCLA’s Williams Institute

The leading donor to UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute has reportedly pledged another $2 million to its endowment. The groundbreaking think tank focuses its research on sexual orientation law and policy, with the goal of promoting fair and informed U.S. jurisprudence and public policy. With the latest $2 million…

Feb 11, 2008 7:22 PM CST

Outsourcing Alternative: Law Firm Sets Up Own Shop in India

Apparently weary of seeing clients defect to to low-cost companies in India and elsewhere when it came time to perform so-called legal process work, at least one major U.S. law firm reportedly is fighting back. Howrey is opening its own office in India, although outsourcing is not what it is…

Feb 11, 2008 6:06 PM CST

Fla. Appeals Judge Faces New Charges Over Critique of Fellow Jurist in Opinion

Asked to explain why he had criticized a fellow appellate court jurist in a written opinion, Judge Michael E. Allen reportedly told the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission that he had no personal animosity against Judge Charles J. Kahn Jr. But the commission apparently didn’t believe Allen, and has now filed…

Feb 11, 2008 4:10 PM CST

Lawyer Charged With Handshake Assault

A Florida lawyer whose husband was in court for a probation violation has been charged with assault for allegedly injuring the prosecutor’s shoulder in an over-the-top handshake. Kathy Brewer Rentas spent a night in jail and was ordered to get a psychological evaluation, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. The arrest…

Feb 11, 2008 4:00 PM CST

Peace Activists Questioned in Lawyer’s Shooting Death

Two peace activists have been questioned in connection with an investigation into the shooting death of a lawyer gunned down last week as he shoveled snow outside his home in Rockford, Ill. The lawyer, 60-year-old Gregory Clark of Rockford, Ill., practiced civil and criminal law. Witnesses said a gunman jumped…

Feb 11, 2008 2:59 PM CST

Bush Lawyer Imagines Déjà Vu Election Lawsuit—Between Democrats

The lawyer who represented President Bush in the battle over the 2000 election results raises the possibility of litigation, this time between Democrats, over the party’s rightful presidential nominee. Theodore Olson, a former solicitor general, writes in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal that the party’s “Rube Goldberg nominating…

Feb 11, 2008 2:29 PM CST

Lawyer Gets Five-Year Sentence for Smuggling Saw Blade to Jailed Client

An Atlanta lawyer has been sentenced to five years in prison for smuggling a 14-inch saw blade to a jailed client. Jurors convicted lawyer William Keenan last week of providing an inmate with a dangerous weapon, WALB News reports. However, a Fulton County Daily Report story on the sentence mentions…

Feb 11, 2008 1:55 PM CST

Client Commits Suicide Before Learning of Mistrial

A 47-year-old Washington state man apparently committed suicide this week while a jury was deliberating in a case over his alleged sexual abuse of a young relative. But, not knowing of this development, the judge declared a mistrial yesterday after a Clark County Superior Court jury deadlocked about whether to…

Feb 8, 2008 10:51 PM CST

Neb.‘s Top Court Bans Electric Chair, Ending Death Penalty ... For Now

In a 6-1 decision today, the Nebraska Supreme Court held that the use of the electric chair is unconstitutional under state law, effectively imposing a death penalty moratorium since this is the only execution method used there. The court ruled that the electric chair is cruel and unusual punishment prohibited…

Feb 8, 2008 10:09 PM CST

17-Year Traffic Ticket Saga Ends With Court Apology

For 17 years, a Philadelphia man has trekked to traffic court almost annually to explain that he is not his twin brother, after receiving threats that his Pennsylvania driver’s license would be suspended if he didn’t pay outstanding tickets. Each time, after reviewing the situation, officials agreed that the tickets…

Feb 8, 2008 8:03 PM CST

Judge Censured for Excessive Bail, Severe Attitude

The Michigan Supreme Court has publicly censured a judge for setting “grossly excessive” bail and showing a “severe attitude” toward witnesses and litigants. Judge Norene Redmond of Eastpointe was censured after the court reviewed her actions in three cases, according to the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News. The cases…

Feb 8, 2008 7:07 PM CST

3 Arrested in Alleged Ala. Plot to Kill Attorney & Judge

Three men reportedly have been arrested in an alleged plot to hire a hitman to kill an attorney and a judge in an Alabama divorce case. The targets of the plot, Buddy Williams, a lawyer in Ozark, and Dale County Circuit Court Judge Ken Quattlebaum, apparently were never attacked, but…

Feb 8, 2008 6:32 PM CST

Suit Against James Brown’s Lawyers and Greenberg Traurig as Wild as Singer’s Life

Several lawyers have been named in a lawsuit filed by new trustees for the estate of legendary singer James Brown. “Full of drama, the legal wrangling could be straight out of Mr. Brown’s turbulent life, reflected in songs that revolved around women, alcohol and the blues,” the New York Times…

Feb 8, 2008 5:21 PM CST

Defense Lawyer Shot and Killed While Shoveling Snow

A lawyer from Rockford, Ill., was shot and killed while shoveling snow from his driveway Wednesday. Witnesses said the gunman jumped from a blue minivan and fired several shots. The 60-year-old lawyer, Gregory Clark, practiced civil and criminal law. Police were questioning a defendant jailed after a judge revoked his…

Feb 8, 2008 3:43 PM CST