Virginia

Afternoon Briefs: Alex Kozinski returns as litigator; judge blocks firm’s defamation suit against ex-partner

Alex Kozinski returns to the 9th Circuit on the other side of the bench After retiring in 2017 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, former Judge Alex Kozinski is returning to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco to argue a copyright case. Kozinski will contend that the…

Dec 6, 2019 4:20 PM CST

Federal judge grants lawyer’s deadline extension so he can ‘stay up late watching baseball’ with his son

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has granted a lawyer’s request to push back a briefing deadline for two days, so he and his son could watch the Washington Nationals in the playoffs.

Oct 18, 2019 10:44 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: FBI probes slaying of US lawyer overseas; liberal group’s SCOTUS short list released

FBI to aid probe into slaying of US lawyer in Micronesia The FBI is aiding the investigation into the Monday shooting death of U.S. lawyer Rachelle Bergeron, who was acting attorney general of Yap State in the Pacific nation of Micronesia. A friend, Amos Collins, said he doesn’t know who…

Oct 16, 2019 4:11 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Lawyer convicted in conspiracy involving fake law firms; legal jobs fall

Lawyer convicted in conspiracy that involved creation of fake law firms Virginia lawyer David H. Miller, 70, of Fairfax was convicted Friday on charges of conspiring to defraud and to launder fraud proceeds totaling more than $1.5 million. Miller was accused of helping set up fake law firms to bill…

Oct 7, 2019 3:48 PM CDT

‘Gate money’ for released prisoners is usually chump change

Some formerly incarcerated people say it’s often not enough to meet their basic needs

Sep 11, 2019 2:49 PM CDT

Habitual drunkard law is struck down by full appeals court in closely divided opinion

An en banc appeals court has struck down Virginia’s habitual drunkard law in a closely divided opinion. The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the law is unconstitutionally vague in an 8-7 opinion on Tuesday. The appeals court also said the law raised Eighth Amendment concerns that…

Jul 17, 2019 4:10 PM CDT

Man who sent lynching imagery to Muslim lawyer via Twitter faces up to 5 years in prison

A North Carolina man has been charged with issuing a threat via interstate commerce—and faces up to five years in prison—after sending an image of a man who had been lynched and the words “view your destiny” to a Muslim lawyer on Twitter. Qasim Rashid, who is also a Democratic…

Jul 2, 2019 4:10 PM CDT

4th Circuit allows trial judge to consider new evidence in challenge to census citizenship question

A federal appeals court is allowing a Maryland federal judge to consider new evidence of an alleged discriminatory motive in the Commerce Department’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.

Jun 25, 2019 4:31 PM CDT

In unusual split, SCOTUS finds no standing in racial gerrymandering case

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that Virginia’s House of Delegates did not have standing to represent the state’s interests in a racial redistricting case.

Jun 17, 2019 9:50 AM CDT

In states where inmates can vote, few exercise their right to cast ballots

When Sen. Bernie Sanders championed voting rights for prisoners during a CNN town hall, he spotlighted an intensifying national debate about why going to prison means losing the right to vote.

Jun 14, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

Federal judge dismisses charges against 3 white supremacists

A federal judge last week dismissed charges against three members of a white supremacist gang indicted for their roles in violent rallies across California in 2017, saying the federal statute used to prosecute them was unconstitutional.

Jun 10, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Lawyer faces contempt charges for alleged failure to show up for client hearings

A DUI lawyer in Virginia says he plans to reduce his caseload after he was accused of contempt of court for missing client hearings and failing to produce a client’s driving record. Blacksburg lawyer Jonathan P. Fisher, 42, told the Roanoke Times that the scheduling problems led him to reach…

May 14, 2019 12:06 PM CDT

Do soldiers face double jeopardy in military courts?

When Austin Greening shot and killed his friend and fellow sailor in 2013, he was charged with murder in a Virginia court and pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to serve three years, with two and a half years suspended.

May 6, 2019 12:23 PM CDT

Neo-Nazi who plowed car into crowd in Charlottesville, killing paralegal, pleads guilty to hate crimes

The neo-Nazi who killed a paralegal after plowing his car into a crowd of racism protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes Wednesday after Attorney General William Barr agreed to drop the only charge carrying the death penalty. James Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio, pleaded guilty…

Mar 28, 2019 9:30 AM CDT

Can Justin Fairfax be impeached? Virginia official is also a BigLaw partner; firm probes sexual assault claims

Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, a partner at Morrison & Foerster, has taken a leave of absence from the firm as it investigates claims by two women that he sexually assaulted them. Morrison & Foerster chairman Larren Nashelsky told the National Law Journal that Fairfax is cooperating in the investigation.…

Feb 11, 2019 9:30 AM CST