States

Duke Lacrosse Prosecutor Disbarred

The Durham, N.C., prosecutor who came under intense fire for his rape prosecution of three former Duke University lacrosse players was disbarred today after a state ethics panel found he violated numerous professional conduct rules. Mike Nifong tearfully testified during disciplinary proceedings on Friday that he intended to resign no…

Jun 17, 2007 12:19 AM CDT

Judge: Scruggs in Criminal Contempt

A federal judge in Alabama is asking the U.S. Justice Department to prosecute a high-profile trial lawyer for criminal contempt, contending that Richard Scruggs brazenly violated a court injunction by sharing documents concerning Hurricane Katrina-related insurance claims with the Mississippi attorney general. In an order, Dist. Judge William Acker asks…

Jun 16, 2007 1:16 AM CDT

Chadbourne, London Firm to Merge?

A New York City-based law firm known for its insurance coverage work is in merger talks with a London counterpart. Chadbourne & Parke’s managing partner says the firm is discussing a possible combination with Watson, Farley & Williams, reports American Lawyer. The two firms have about 400 and 200 attorneys…

Jun 16, 2007 12:51 AM CDT

Foreclosures Explode in South Florida; Poor, Minorities Hit Hardest

Although South Florida is still a bit below the national average for the total percentage of mortgages in foreclosure, that may not be true much longer. The number of foreclosure lawsuits filed to force non-mortgage-paying owners from their properties has doubled and tripled in some counties, compared to last year.…

Jun 15, 2007 11:20 PM CDT

Duke Lacrosse Rape Case DA to Resign

Regardless of what happens at his ongoing trial for allegedly violating attorney ethics rules, the Durham, N.C., district attorney who prosecuted the rape case against three former Duke University lacrosse team members says he is going to resign from office. “It is my intention,” testified a teary-eyed Mike Nifong today,…

Jun 15, 2007 9:54 PM CDT

Second Lead-Paint Suit Fails

State supreme courts handed paint manufacturers two victories this week in lawsuits seeking cleanup costs for lead paint used before it was banned as a health hazard in 1978. Today the New Jersey Supreme Court dismissed a public nuisance suit filed against lead paint makers by 26 towns and counties,…

Jun 15, 2007 8:42 PM CDT

Georgia Supremes Accept Teen-Sex Case

The Georgia Supreme Court has agreed to hear prosecutors’ appeal of a tossed sentence in a teen-sex case. On June 11, a state judge overturned a 10-year sentence for Genarlow Wilson, convicted for having consensual sex with a 15-year-old girl when he was 17. The court will hear the case…

Jun 15, 2007 3:28 PM CDT

Same-Sex Marriage Wins Big MA Battle; Legislature Bans Ballot Issue

In a pendulum swing from another vote taken earlier this year, legislators in Massachusetts voted today not to put a hotly contested proposed state constitutional amendment on the November ballot – whether the state should ban same-sex marriage by defining matrimony solely as a union between a man and a…

Jun 14, 2007 10:52 PM CDT

Va. Tech Gets Gunman’s Mental File

Frustrated by federal privacy law that protects student mental health records from disclosure even after the subject’s death, a Virginia Tech advisory panel reviewing the on-campus massacre of more than 30 people won permission from the family of the student gunman to get his records. Seung-Hui Cho, who shot himself…

Jun 14, 2007 9:11 PM CDT

Proffered Pants Serve as Evidence

A lawyer for a dry cleaners sued for millions of dollars introduced a pair of proffered pants into evidence yesterday, saying the plaintiff was abusing the legal system. Custom Dry Cleaners contends the pants, found after they were initially lost, belong to plaintiff Roy Pearson, the New York Times reports.…

Jun 14, 2007 2:27 PM CDT

Paris Hilton Out of Medical Ward

Paris Hilton has been released from the medical ward at the Los Angeles County jail. Hilton was released from the treatment center around 11 p.m. yesterday, Associated Press reports. A judge who disagreed with Hilton’s home detention sent her to the treatment center for evaluation on Friday. Critics claimed Hilton…

Jun 14, 2007 2:06 PM CDT

Precedent Favors State in Teen-Sex Case

The youth whose 10-year sentence for consensual oral sex was tossed out may face an uphill battle on appeal. A Georgia judge granted a habeas corpus petition for Genarlow Wilson on June 11, saying his sentence for sex with a 15-year-old girl when he was age 17 was a “grave…

Jun 14, 2007 12:55 PM CDT

No Line for Hilton’s Parents at Jail Visit

Despite worldwide publicity critical of the special treatment Paris Hilton has already received, those in charge of the hotel heiress’ California incarceration for probation violation reportedly continue to bend the rules on her behalf. Family members of fellow inmates complained that their visits were delayed by several hours or cut…

Jun 13, 2007 11:26 PM CDT

‘Mockingbird’ Legacy: Remembrance of Racist Times Past

Although it is a novel, rather than non-fiction, Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” has, perhaps more than any other book, impressed into the minds of many a consciousness of the racist justice system that characterized the segregated American south for much of the last century. An instant best-seller after…

Jun 13, 2007 9:53 PM CDT

Wisconsin Supreme Court: Officials Must Specify Subject of Public Meetings

Government officials must specify the subject of public meetings, particularly when they know the subject is likely to be controversial, the Wisconsin Supreme Court says. Ruling today on a parent’s protest that the state’s 30-year-old open meetings law had not been followed when the Tomah Area School District noticed an…

Jun 13, 2007 8:56 PM CDT