Judiciary

8761 ABA Journal Judiciary articles.

Judge Says Defense Lawyer Didn’t Disclose Psych Eval, Refers Him for Criminal Contempt Case

In a highly unusual trial development, a Michigan defense attorney is personally facing a potential criminal contempt charge at the same time that he attempts to defend his client in a related murder case. Edward M. Czuprynski was targeted for potential prosecution by Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran…

Sep 28, 2011 9:25 PM CDT

Judge Who Wrote ‘Kindergarten’ Order Says He Won’t Change His Style

U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks doesn’t plan to change his writing style, despite an email chastising his “demeaning and gratuitous” rhetoric from the chief judge of the appeals court that hears cases from his state. Sparks was in Italy for two weeks and unaware of the controversy caused by the…

Sep 28, 2011 11:27 AM CDT

Battle Brews in Calif. as AG Mulls: Can Judges Who OK’d Own Lavish Perks Be Disciplined?

After only part of a series of planned financial reform laws was enacted by lawmakers in California, state-court judges wound up with the power to oversee their own benefits. And some reportedly may have taken advantage of that situation. In San Luis Obispo County, for instance, judges granted themselves perks…

Sep 28, 2011 12:04 AM CDT

Police Chief in City in Which Murdered Brazil Judge Worked Is Arrested, Along with 7 Officers

The head of the police department in Sao Goncalo, Brazil, has been arrested along with seven officers in connection with the murder last month of a judge, the Associated Press reports. Patricia Acioli, who worked as a judge in Sao Goncalo, was shot to death in front of her home…

Sep 27, 2011 9:01 PM CDT

Former Illinois Appeals Judge Complains About Unsolved Burglaries at His Family Farm

A former Illinois appeals judge is complaining that police aren’t doing enough to solve a series of burglaries at his family farm in Collinsville in which thieves made off with his late uncle’s Purple Heart and other valuables. Former Judge Gordon Maag says burglars broke into the home at least…

Sep 27, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Unions That Criticized Citizens United Now Embrace the Campaign Finance Ruling

Unions initially criticized the U.S. Supreme Court decision finding that corporations have a First Amendment right to expressly support political candidates for Congress and the White House. But now the unions are following the lead of corporations and taking advantage of the 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election…

Sep 26, 2011 3:41 PM CDT

Pennsylvania Judge Gets 17.5 Year Sentence in Kids-for-Cash Scandal

A former Pennsylvania judge has been sentenced to 17½ years in prison after his guilty plea in the Luzerne County kids-for-cash case. Former President Judge Michael Conahan, 59, was sentenced Friday, report the Legal Intelligencer and the Associated Press. He also was ordered to pay $874,000 in restitution, the Legal…

Sep 26, 2011 2:06 PM CDT

In Her First Year on the Court, Kagan Shows Her Friendly Side and Her Sarcastic Side

Justice Elena Kagan has reached out to her colleagues during her first year on the U.S. Supreme Court. The Washington Post offers several examples. “She’s been skeet-shooting with Antonin Scalia,” the story says, “to the opera with [Ruth Bader] Ginsburg, to dinner with Sonia Sotomayor, shared the stage at a…

Sep 26, 2011 12:29 PM CDT

Denver Judge Who Left Granddaughter in Car Gets Deferred Prosecution Agreement

A Denver judge accused of leaving her 6-year-old granddaughter in the car while she shopped at Sam’s Club will be able to win dismissal of her case under a six-month deferred prosecution agreement. Judge Mary Celeste was accused of violating a city ordinance after the girl was found in the…

Sep 26, 2011 11:56 AM CDT

Scalia Defends Moral Judgment and Law Schools That Embrace It

Justice Antonin Scalia thinks moral judgment has a place in education. Speaking to law students at Duquesne University on Saturday, Scalia urged the school to retain its Catholic identity, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. “I hope this place will not yield—as some Catholic institutions have—to this politically correct insistence upon suppression…

Sep 26, 2011 11:33 AM CDT

5th Circuit Oral Arguments Turn Contentious When Chief Judge Tells Colleague to Shut Up

How long should one judge monopolize oral arguments? Seven minutes is too long for Chief Judge Edith Jones of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. During en banc oral arguments on Sept. 21, Jones was so perturbed by a colleague’s lengthy questioning that she told him to…

Sep 26, 2011 11:00 AM CDT

Court-Funding Crisis Is About Politics, Not Just Money, Erwin Chemerinsky Says

The growing financial crisis facing state court systems has coincided with the economic doldrums that have existed in the United States since at least 2008. But at least one expert in law and government warned today that politics may be having just as much impact on legislative funding decisions for…

Sep 23, 2011 10:46 PM CDT

Drug Court Group Blasts New ‘Last Shot with Judge Gunn’ Reality TV Program

A trade group is blasting a new reality television program set to premiere in national syndication Monday on Fox. The program Last Shot With Judge Gunn, which is distributed by Trifecta Entertainment, is misleading and potentially detrimental to real drug courts, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals contends in…

Sep 23, 2011 9:37 PM CDT

In Frenzied Free-for-All Judges Use Exploding Offers to Vie for Clerks; Efforts Start ‘At Birth’

When it comes to competing for law clerks, the rules are optional for a number of arbiters of the law in well-regarded courts. Vying to lock up the best and the brightest law students, some judges shamelessly violate the Sept. 15 deadline for starting the interview process, for instance, reports…

Sep 23, 2011 6:41 PM CDT

9th Circuit Judge Pamela Rymer Dies

Corrected: Judge Pamela Rymer of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has died. Rymer, 70, died after battling cancer, report the Associated Press and the Recorder. She continued to work after her diagnosis in 2009 and last heard oral arguments in July. Chief Judge Alex Kozinski praised…

Sep 23, 2011 10:52 AM CDT

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Judiciary

Judge Says Defense Lawyer Didn’t Disclose Psych Eval, Refers Him for Criminal Contempt Case

Judge Who Wrote ‘Kindergarten’ Order Says He Won’t Change His Style

Battle Brews in Calif. as AG Mulls: Can Judges Who OK’d Own Lavish Perks Be Disciplined?

Police Chief in City in Which Murdered Brazil Judge Worked Is Arrested, Along with 7 Officers

Former Illinois Appeals Judge Complains About Unsolved Burglaries at His Family Farm

Unions That Criticized Citizens United Now Embrace the Campaign Finance Ruling

Pennsylvania Judge Gets 17.5 Year Sentence in Kids-for-Cash Scandal

In Her First Year on the Court, Kagan Shows Her Friendly Side and Her Sarcastic Side

Denver Judge Who Left Granddaughter in Car Gets Deferred Prosecution Agreement

Scalia Defends Moral Judgment and Law Schools That Embrace It

5th Circuit Oral Arguments Turn Contentious When Chief Judge Tells Colleague to Shut Up

Court-Funding Crisis Is About Politics, Not Just Money, Erwin Chemerinsky Says

Drug Court Group Blasts New ‘Last Shot with Judge Gunn’ Reality TV Program

In Frenzied Free-for-All Judges Use Exploding Offers to Vie for Clerks; Efforts Start ‘At Birth’

9th Circuit Judge Pamela Rymer Dies

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