States

Drag show ban at Texas university left intact by Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to let a student group host a charity drag show at a public university in Texas, siding with a school official who banned the performance as “derisive, divisive and demoralizing.”

Mar 15, 2024 3:15 PM CDT

Fani Willis can remain on Trump Georgia case if special prosecutor steps aside, judge rules

In a 23-page ruling issued Friday, the judge wrote that defendants “failed to meet their burden” in proving Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade was a “conflict of interest” enough to merit her removal from the case. But the judge also found an appearance of “impropriety” and said either Willis and her office must fully leave the case or Wade must withdraw from the proceeding.

Mar 15, 2024 9:02 AM CDT

Biden recalls time he bluffed knowledge of torts case and why he changed his mind about civil-trial work

President Joe Biden digressed when answering questions last fall about documents stored at his vice presidential residence to remember his tough torts class at the Syracuse University College of Law and the first job that he got after graduation.

Mar 14, 2024 2:34 PM CDT

Lawyers’ ‘barrage of personal attacks’ on opponents started with tissue-box toss, appeals court says

Updated: A federal appeals court saw a need for a civility lesson when it granted a new trial to a civil-fraud plaintiff because of a “barrage of personal attacks” made by opposing lawyers in a closing argument.

Mar 14, 2024 12:02 PM CDT

Longtime prosecutor resigns after judge tosses him from case, citing Perry Mason-type revelations

A longtime Miami-Dade County, Florida, prosecutor has resigned after a judge disqualified him and a colleague from the resentencing of an alleged gang leader convicted of four murders.

Mar 14, 2024 10:09 AM CDT

Lawyer’s joint sex with boyfriend and his daughter was ‘tantamount to rape,’ despite plea deal, disbarment order says

An Ohio lawyer has been permanently disbarred for repeatedly joining with her boyfriend to abuse his 13-year-old daughter.

Mar 13, 2024 11:51 AM CDT

Georgia judge dismisses six charges in Trump election interference case

The judge overseeing the election interference case against former president Donald Trump and several of his allies dismissed six counts in the sweeping 41-count criminal racketeering indictment, ruling that the charges lacked specific detail, but declined to dismiss the case.

Mar 13, 2024 10:00 AM CDT

Judge’s plan to decide traffic cases before hearing date ‘was not evil in nature,’ disciplinary court says

A Philadelphia municipal judge who ruled on 95 traffic citations one day before the hearing date violated just one ethics rule requiring diligent and competent performance of duties, the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline has ruled.

Mar 13, 2024 9:56 AM CDT

Apology sanctions for misleading court were ‘mild and fitting,’ 3rd Circuit rules in appeal by DA’s office

A federal judge did not abuse his discretion when he imposed “mild and fitting” sanctions on lawyers in the Philadelphia district attorney’s office for misleading statements made when they sought to vacate the death penalty in a double murder case.

Mar 12, 2024 3:55 PM CDT

The fate of billable hours is in the hands of artificial intelligence

The billable hour has long been the subject of much debate. Whether you love it or hate it, the billable hour could face an existential crisis, thanks to the rapid introduction of generative artificial intelligence tools.

Mar 12, 2024 2:11 PM CDT

Warrant required for overhead zoom-lens search that could reveal ‘intimate’ and ‘unflattering’ details, top state court says

The Alaska Constitution requires police to get a warrant if they use binoculars or cameras with zoom lenses to look into a yard from a plane, the Alaska Supreme Court has ruled.

Mar 12, 2024 1:29 PM CDT

Convicted alderman keeps law license after recusals prevent state supreme court from acting

A convicted former alderman from Chicago remains licensed to practice law after recusals prevented the Illinois Supreme Court from acting on a petition for an interim suspension.

Mar 12, 2024 10:46 AM CDT

Settlement in Florida ‘don’t say gay’ lawsuit says it’s okay to say gay

A lawsuit settlement over Florida’s “don’t say gay” statute announced Monday affirms that teachers and students can discuss LGBTQ issues and have access to related library books, largely canceling many of the impacts of the signature legislation from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

Mar 12, 2024 8:45 AM CDT

Themis legal practice group represents female clients and their allies

Two Chicago lawyers have created a practice group with a female focus.

Mar 11, 2024 1:54 PM CDT

Lawyer accused of filing class action suit at behest of litigation opponent

A California lawyer has been accused of filing a class action lawsuit that had been prepared by a lawyer working for his litigation opponent and then collecting attorney fees when the case settled on terms advantageous to the opponent.

Mar 11, 2024 1:10 PM CDT