States

New York can’t ban concealed carry by default on private property open to public, 2nd Circuit says

A federal appeals court has ruled that many restrictions in New York’s revised concealed-carry law are likely constitutional, including a requirement that applicants be of good moral character.

Dec 13, 2023 8:50 AM CST

Gone-fishing lawyer told ethics investigators ‘it’s a matter of priorities and you are not one of them’

Updated: A Connecticut lawyer accused of two overdrafts to his attorney trust account, leaving a negative balance of more than $1,000, allegedly told ethics officials that he was too busy on his fishing trip to respond to their inquiries.

Dec 12, 2023 2:34 PM CST

Judges can’t expand narrow exception to abortion ban ‘under the guise of interpreting it,’ Texas Supreme Court says

A woman whose fetus has a genetic abnormality that is nearly always fatal cannot get an abortion in Texas because her doctor did not allege that the risks of her pregnancy met the state’s standard for an exception to its ban on abortions, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Monday.

Dec 12, 2023 11:13 AM CST

Meet Peter Park, possibly youngest person to pass California bar

At 18 years old, Peter Park is already working as an assistant district attorney in Tulare County, California. Park was only 17 years old when he passed the California bar exam on his first try.

Dec 12, 2023 9:21 AM CST

Supreme Court declines to consider challenge to conversion-therapy ban; 3 justices would have heard case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider a challenge to ban in Washington on conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors, prompting dissents from three justices.

Dec 11, 2023 2:05 PM CST

K&L Gates reportedly cuts associates in at least 4 cities

Some associates at K&L Gates are reportedly out of a job, despite a continued increase in revenue at the law firm.

Dec 11, 2023 12:31 PM CST

Judge approves settlement banning immigrant family separations at border for 8 years

The type of zero-tolerance immigration policy that led to family separations can’t be reinstated by the federal government for the next eight years under a settlement approved Friday by a judge in California.

Dec 11, 2023 11:38 AM CST

ACLU represents NRA in this Supreme Court case

Updated: The American Civil Liberties Union doesn’t support the National Rifle Association or its mission. But the ACLU is representing the gun-rights group as co-counsel in a free speech case before the U.S. Supreme Court, the New York Times reports.

Dec 11, 2023 9:20 AM CST

‘Nuclear verdicts’ and ‘litigation tourism’ are partly why these state courts are top ‘judicial hellholes,’ report says

Courts in Georgia and Pennsylvania are named as top "judicial hellholes" for their friendliness to tort plaintiffs in a report by the American Tort Reform Foundation.

Dec 8, 2023 2:13 PM CST

Holland & Knight accused of mistakenly sending over $3M to hackers

Holland & Knight is citing a lack of jurisdiction in a motion to dismiss a lawsuit accusing it of mistakenly sending $3.1 million to hackers using a Hong Kong account for a furniture store.

Dec 8, 2023 10:19 AM CST

Lawyer’s copied website material, statements about experience weren’t false or misleading, top state court rules

A part-time lawyer didn’t violate a disciplinary rule banning false or misleading communications by posting copied material on her website, along with statements such as “experience counts,” the Kansas Supreme Court ruled Dec. 1.

Dec 7, 2023 3:35 PM CST

George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School hit with noncompliance notice

The George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School has received a public notice of being out of compliance with ABA accreditation standards.

Dec 7, 2023 1:48 PM CST

Murder conviction overturned because eyewitness was legally blind

A judge in Chicago overturned a murder conviction Tuesday after defense lawyers produced evidence that an eyewitness who testified during the 2014 trial was legally blind.

Dec 7, 2023 9:57 AM CST

Merger will create ‘super-regional’ Midwestern firm

Ulmer & Berne and Greensfelder Hemker & Gale announced Tuesday that they are merging effective Feb. 1, a combination that will produce a “super-regional firm” with about 275 lawyers in nine offices.

Dec 7, 2023 9:08 AM CST

Private criminal defense lawyers failed to show up for their cases more often than defendants, Philly study finds

Some lawyers are less reliable than defendants when it comes to showing up in court, according to a study of criminal cases in Philadelphia courts during a 10-year span.

Dec 6, 2023 4:12 PM CST