States

Texas Halts Lethal Injection

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has halted the execution of a death-row inmate scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection today. The Texas court issued a stay late last night for Heliberto Chi after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision a week ago to consider the constitutionality of…

Oct 3, 2007 10:57 AM CDT

Lawyer Defends Use of Opponent’s Notes

Should a lawyer who obtains an opponent’s privileged notes of an interview with expert witnesses be able to use them to his advantage in trial? Justices of the California Supreme Court and students watching oral arguments both appeared to favor arguments that the lawyer should have checked with the trial…

Oct 3, 2007 10:42 AM CDT

‘Bar-Certified Sane Lawyer’ in New Judge Dispute

Anti-porn crusader Jack Thompson has had his share of disputes with judges. The South Florida lawyer is vocal in his criticism—so vocal that The Florida Bar is considering two complaints that contend his statements about two judges violated ethics rules. Now Thompson’s lawsuit (PDF) attempting to put a stop to…

Oct 3, 2007 12:10 AM CDT

Recruiting Rampage Part II: Alston Aces to Join DLA Piper

The managing partner of Alston & Bird’s Washington, D.C. office and the head of the firm’s legislative and public policy practice group are reportedly joining megafirm DLA Piper along with three corporate partners. Plus, other Alston attorneys are likely to follow them there, too. Alston & Bird says that Frank…

Oct 3, 2007 12:05 AM CDT

Latest ID Theft Target: Mayor Bloomberg

Someone at the bank noticed when two fraudulent checks for a total of more than $400,000 were drawn against New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s personal account. But an earlier fraudulent Internet withdrawal for a mere $10,000 reportedly went undetected until the subsequent scam was investigated. Two New Jersey men have…

Oct 2, 2007 11:06 PM CDT

20-Year CA Judge Removed from Bench

A former prosecutor who was appointed a California state court judge nearly 20 years ago has been removed from the bench for “misconduct” and “gross neglect” of his judicial duties. Superior Court Judge Robert Spitzer, who sits in Riverside County, was removed from the bench today by the California Commission…

Oct 2, 2007 10:20 PM CDT

Mayer Brown Loses Another Partner

In the latest partner defection from Mayer Brown’s office in Los Angeles, corporate and securities practitioner Kenneth Kohler has joined the Los Angeles office of Morrison & Foerster. A number of other partners also have left Mayer Brown’s Los Angeles office in recent months, including Louis Eatman, the former national…

Oct 2, 2007 9:41 PM CDT

Judge to Simpson: Hand Over Rolex

O.J. Simpson doesn’t have to give the shirt off his back to satisfy a $38 million wrongful-death judgment. But he does have to hand over an expensive Rolex wristwatch the family of murder victim Ron Goldman saw the former football superstar wearing on the Internet, a Los Angeles judge ruled…

Oct 2, 2007 8:31 PM CDT

In-House DuPont Lawyers Post Profit

Like many corporations, DuPont Co. spends a lot of money on its in-house law department. The department’s annual budget was about $230 million last year. However, unlike most corporations, the Wilmington, Del.-based chemical giant has been getting more than it pays for. The company’s in-house counsel brought in $290 million…

Oct 2, 2007 7:50 PM CDT

Loeffler Leaves Loeffler, Keeps Lobby Arm

Lobbyist and former Texas Congressman Tom Loeffler has left the law firm he founded. But he has retained his national lobbying firm, the Loeffler Group, and will continue to be housed in the same office building with his now-former partners at Loeffler Tuggey Pauerstein Rosenthal, reports the San Antonio Express-News.…

Oct 2, 2007 7:07 PM CDT

Opinionated Judge Wins Ethics Case

Arkansas appeals judge Wendell Griffen has won his battle with a state judicial conduct commission over comments he made criticizing the Bush administration. The Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission ruled Griffen had a First Amendment right to discuss “disputed political or legal issues” in public speeches, the New York…

Oct 2, 2007 6:26 PM CDT

Isiah Thomas Liable for Harassment, But Not Punitives

Updated: A federal jury has found that New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas sexually harassed a team executive. Jurors also found that Madison Square Garden was liable for the harassment and will have to pay punitive damages, the New York Times reports. Jurors could not decide whether Thomas should pay…

Oct 2, 2007 5:50 PM CDT

Judge to Britney: No License, No Kids

Britney Spears lost custody of her two young sons at least in part because she didn’t have a valid driver’s license. Because the 25-year-old pop diva didn’t comply with a court order to get a driver’s license by Monday, and allegedly didn’t comply with an earlier court order to take…

Oct 2, 2007 5:27 PM CDT

Accused File-Sharer Won’t Back Down

Jammie Thomas is among 26,000 or so people who were sued by the music industry as part of a campaign to stop the illegal sharing of online music files. But the 30-year-old single mother from Brainerd, Minn., is the only defendant whose case has made it to trial, Wired reports.…

Oct 2, 2007 2:57 PM CDT

Court Declines Tobacco Appeal

Tobacco companies lost a bid for U.S. Supreme Court review of a decision that will aid Florida smoking plaintiffs in future lawsuits. The court refused to hear the case yesterday, Bloomberg News reports. The Florida Supreme Court had ruled that smoking plaintiffs may rely on a 1999 jury finding that…

Oct 2, 2007 2:11 PM CDT