Lawyer complains that opposing counsel received ‘small slap on the wrist’ for alleged assault

A Houston attorney isn’t happy about a plea deal for a San Antonio lawyer she accused of grabbing her buttocks in a courthouse lobby. Lawyer Michelle Acosta told the Texas Lawyer that lawyer Allan Manka received only a “small slap on the wrist” for the alleged June assault at the…

Aug 20, 2019 10:59 AM CDT

DA can’t be sued for firing 4 higher-level employees who supported his opponent, 5th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has ruled that a Texas district attorney was partly protected from lawsuits by seven people who claim he fired them because they had supported his election opponent. In a 2-1 decision on Aug. 6, the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Hidalgo County…

Aug 8, 2019 12:42 PM CDT

Lawyer may seek sanctions after winning dismissal of suit filed against him by client’s ex-husband

A Texas lawyer may ask a trial court to award fees and sanctions after using the state’s anti-SLAPP law to win dismissal of a suit filed against him by a client’s ex-husband. The 1st District Texas Court of Appeals ruled for Houston lawyer Eric Lipper of Hirsch & Westheimer in…

Aug 7, 2019 12:38 PM CDT

Judge admonished for ‘deep-seated antagonism’ blames overzealous protection of child’s interests

A Texas judge has been publicly admonished for showing a “deep-seated antagonism” toward a father seeking to retain parental rights to a baby named Luke who was placed in a foster home.

Aug 6, 2019 1:21 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: First Step Act frees crack cocaine offender; judge vacates port-of-entry asylum rule

• A San Antonio man sentenced to life in prison for dealing crack cocaine has been freed under the First Step Act, the criminal justice reform measure that reduces the sentencing disparity for crack and powder cocaine offenses. Alta Lee Kemper, 62, had served 27 years in prison. (My San…

Aug 5, 2019 4:00 PM CDT

Stun belts are intended to keep control in courtroom, but some judges use them to inflict punishment

James Calvert had been a difficult defendant. On trial in 2015 on charges of murdering his wife and kidnapping his son, Calvert had chosen to represent himself, but was having trouble following the judge’s instructions to stand up when addressing the Smith County court in East Texas.

Jul 30, 2019 9:27 AM CDT

TV cameras roll as deputies pull over lawyer for failure to use turn signal and find drugs in his car

Sheriff’s police pulled over an Austin, Texas, lawyer for failing to signal a lane change last weekend and found drugs in his car in a search recorded for the cable TV show Live PD. Lawyer Victor Hardy, 50, was charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, the…

Jul 26, 2019 12:00 PM CDT

Texas lawyer takes down her marijuana-leaf sign after visit from city inspector

A Texas lawyer has taken down a sign for her criminal defense practice that pictured a large marijuana leaf and the scales of justice. Lawyer Harmony Schuerman erected her sign on her business property in Weatherford across from the Parker County Sheriff’s Office and jail, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.…

Jul 26, 2019 11:19 AM CDT

New ABA pro bono program gives Mary Ryan a firsthand look at immigration at the border

“Part of the whole point, I think, in the ABA making this opportunity available is so that people can talk about it to people who care what’s happening on the border but can’t go themselves,” says Mary Ryan, an environmental litigator at Nutter McClennen & Fish in Boston. “It will make you a better advocate.”

Jul 24, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Strangers in a strange land: ‘Metering’ makes asylum rights meaningless, immigrant advocates say

Metering has created further barriers of all kinds in the legal process, including barriers to finding a pro bono lawyer, to those lawyers’ ability to provide effective representation and even to notifying the immigrants of their hearings. Most concerning to immigrant rights advocates, it leaves immigrants so unsafe that they may be deterred from claiming asylum in the first place.

Jul 24, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

Judge’s decision overturned after he asks lawyers to hurry up and then abruptly rules for plaintiff

A Texas judge violated the due process rights of a homeowner litigant when he asked the lawyers during a bench trial whether they could hurry up and then abruptly ruled for the litigant’s opponent, a Texas appeals court has ruled. The 1st District Texas Court of Appeals reversed the decision…

Jul 16, 2019 1:20 PM CDT

Appeals court tosses med-mal suit because lawyer filed document about 18 minutes late

A Texas appeals court has dismissed a medical malpractice lawsuit because the lawyer for the plaintiff filed an expert report about 18 minutes late. The 5th District Court of Appeals ruled July 10 that Texas law requires an expert report to be filed 120 days after the med-mal defendant files…

Jul 16, 2019 12:14 PM CDT

Suspended Texas judge is convicted of taking bribes from lawyer who cooperated with feds

A Texas judge who had been elected to the state’s 13th Court of Appeals has been convicted for taking bribes while working as a lower court judge in Hidalgo County. Judge Rodolfo “Rudy” Delgado of Edinburg was convicted on charges of conspiracy, bribery and obstruction of justice Thursday following a…

Jul 12, 2019 12:09 PM CDT

Are you an attorney who wants to get involved at the border? The ABA offers ways to do it

Jul 3, 2019 10:14 AM CDT

Federal judge orders intervention in Texas detention centers holding immigrant children

After lawyers’ reports on conditions at a Texas detention center prompted a national outcry in June, a federal judge has ordered an independent monitor to improve health and sanitation at facilities holding unaccompanied immigrant children. In her order Friday, District Judge Dolly M. Gee of the Central District of California…

Jul 1, 2019 4:24 PM CDT