Texas

DA Admits Deleting E-Mail, Making Errors in Testimony

District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal of Harris County, Texas, acknowledged in a Friday hearing that he deleted more than 2,500 e-mails he had been ordered to produce in a civil suit. Rosenthal also told U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt of Houston that he made some errors in previous sworn statements about…

Feb 4, 2008 3:19 PM CST

Lawyer Apologizes for ‘Beans in a Jar’ Comment

A Texas lawyer defending a voting rights lawsuit has apologized for writing a brief that said the plaintiffs’ method of estimating Hispanic voter numbers is like guessing the number of “beans in a jar.” Some Hispanics took issue with the comment, noting that “beaner” is a derogatory term for people…

Feb 1, 2008 6:08 PM CST

Texas DA to Testify About Deleted E-Mail

A Texas district attorney goes to court today to answer questions about the deletion of more than 2,500 subpoenaed e-mails in a civil rights suit. Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal could be fined or jailed if he is held in contempt of court for destroying the documents, the Associated…

Jan 31, 2008 4:59 PM CST

Dallas DA Hires Defense Lawyer to Help Free Wrongly Convicted

The district attorney of Dallas County, the first African-American to be elected prosecutor in Texas, is focusing on freeing the wrongly convicted. D.A. Craig Watkins is only a year into the job, but he is already changing the culture of an office that had a national reputation for playing hardball,…

Jan 28, 2008 1:14 PM CST

Texas Bar Awards Three $2,500 Prizes in 10-Entry Video Contest

The odds of winning the State Bar of Texas’ YouTube video contest were fairly good. The bar got 10 entries and awarded three prizes of $2,500 each. The bar required the videos to be less than three minutes in length, on the topic of the importance and value of the…

Jan 25, 2008 4:14 PM CST

Campaign Spending of Three Texas Justices Scrutinized

Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht has acknowledged that he used campaign cash to pay for trips to his hometown. He is the third member of the state supreme court this week to be scrutinized for campaign spending on travel, the Houston Chronicle reports. The Texas Ethics Commission issued an…

Jan 24, 2008 3:59 PM CST

Judge Sends Combative Grand Jurors Home; Voids Indictments

A Texas judge has dismissed a grand jury that indicted Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina and his wife over the objection of prosecutors. Judge Jim Wallace ruled the district attorney’s office had made procedural errors when it extended the grand jury’s term last November, invalidating all the indictments issued…

Jan 23, 2008 12:05 PM CST

Probe Broadens into Federal Judge Accused of Harassment

A federal judge reprimanded after a sexual harassment complaint is being investigated for his social interactions with lawyers who appeared before him. The FBI is talking to Galveston restaurateurs to learn who ate and drank with U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent and who picked up the tab, the Galveston Daily…

Jan 22, 2008 2:02 PM CST

Texas Justice Indicted, Prosecutor to Seek Dismissal of Charges

The district attorney in Houston says he will ask a court to dismiss charges against Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina and his wife, indicted yesterday in connection with an arson fire that destroyed their home. Medina was charged with evidence tampering and his wife with arson under the grand…

Jan 18, 2008 11:47 AM CST

Bonuses Bigger for Hardest-Working Patton Boggs Associates

Associates at the busiest Patton Boggs offices reportedly have been working harder than their counterparts where business is a bit slower. So the firm decided to recognize their extra work with supersize bonuses, reports Texas Lawyer in an article reprinted by New York Lawyer (reg. req.). Those in the Washington,…

Jan 17, 2008 10:47 PM CST

Associate Claims Houston Firm Retaliated for Reporting Racist Directive

A former associate with a Houston law firm alleges in a lawsuit that she was fired for reporting the comments of a top partner who told her not to hire any more black lawyers. The former associate, Sandra Perez Ard, is suing Forman Perry Watkins Krutz & Tardy, Texas Lawyer…

Jan 15, 2008 5:00 PM CST

Court Won’t Hear Sentencing Confrontation Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to decide whether the Sixth Amendment’s confrontation clause applies during sentencing. Defendant Sherman Lamont Fields had contended the right to confrontation should apply in sentencing hearings when capital punishment is an option, SCOTUSblog reports. The U.S. solicitor general had urged the court to decline…

Jan 14, 2008 4:08 PM CST

Bankruptcy Judges Question Countrywide Errors, Evidence

Bankruptcy judges are criticizing the business practices of Countrywide Financial, part of the legal headaches that Bank of America Corp. will be taking on when it acquires the troubled lender. Improper charges and suspect evidence have gotten the attention of judges overseeing the bankruptcies of Countrywide borrowers. The company is…

Jan 14, 2008 12:48 PM CST

Almost-Grand Champion Owner Has Cow Over Competition Counterclaim

A youth whose grand champion steer and goat lost their competition titles thinks the livestock association countersuit against him is, well, a lot of bull. The Pasadena Livestock Show and Rodeo pulled the 2004 title from the steer because of an anti-inflammatory medication administered for a rash and from the…

Jan 7, 2008 3:12 PM CST

DA Who Wrote Amorous E-Mail Won’t Run for Re-Election

The most powerful prosecutor in Texas has decided he won’t run for re-election in what appeared to be a last-minute deal with political leaders, the New York Times reports. District Attorney Charles Rosenthal of Harris County withdrew his name yesterday after the disclosure last week of intimate e-mail exchanges with…

Jan 3, 2008 3:10 PM CST