Local Government

233 ABA Journal Local Government articles.

District attorney ‘paid little attention to the five-alarm fire’ in high-profile case and should be disbarred, panel says

A Colorado district attorney should be disbarred mostly for her "absence at the helm" in a high-profile murder case in which prosecutors failed to turn over sufficient expert witness information to the defense, leading to the exclusion of experts, according to a Colorado disciplinary hearing board.

Sep 16, 2024 11:07 AM CDT

Judge not hearing cases after allegedly calling herself ‘a new racist’ in secret recordings

A probate judge in Michigan was removed from her docket following the release of recordings in which she allegedly called herself “a new racist,” made derogatory remarks about Black people and used a gay slur.

Sep 10, 2024 12:52 PM CDT

Judge who displayed Confederate-flag statue should be removed, judicial conduct commission says

A New York town justice who denigrated political candidates on Facebook and displayed a Confederate-flag statue should be removed from office, according to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

Aug 27, 2024 8:45 AM CDT

Wanted: Lawyers to help with this year’s election

The Task Force for American Democracy, formed by immediate-past ABA President Mary Smith last year, is on the front lines. In recent months, its members conducted a cross-country listening tour to discuss improving public trust in the electoral process. It also released an analysis outlining current threats to elections and ways lawyers and state and local bar associations can help protect the system.

Aug 26, 2024 10:52 AM CDT

Scam plea-bargain notice targets defendants and lawyers

Scammers in the Atlanta area are posing as prosecutors to target defendants and lawyers, according to a warning by the Cobb County, Georgia, district attorney’s office.

Aug 13, 2024 8:50 AM CDT

Lawyer caught on prison video is accused of smuggling contraband into jail

Bond has been set at $75,000 for a Mississippi lawyer accused of smuggling cellphones and other contraband into a correctional facility.

Aug 12, 2024 11:52 AM CDT

1st Circuit rules against Satanic Temple in challenge to city council snub

The Boston City Council’s failure to invite the Satanic Temple to deliver an invocation before its meetings did not violate the First Amendment, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

Aug 7, 2024 3:07 PM CDT

Overuse of involuntary civil commitment as approach to homelessness debated by ABA House

When addressing homelessness, governments should not expand their criteria for the involuntary civil commitment of people with mental disabilities, the ABA House of Delegates urged on Tuesday.

Aug 6, 2024 1:24 PM CDT

A resource center that combats judicial threats should be formed, ABA House says

The U.S. Congress should enact legislation that establishes a State Judicial Threat Intelligence and Resource Center, the House of Delegates said at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago on Monday.

Aug 5, 2024 6:27 PM CDT

California National Guard prosecutors will focus on county following ‘surge operations,’ bringing concern from PDs

Prosecutors with the California National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force will help prosecute state cases originating in Alameda County, California, according to an announcement Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Aug 5, 2024 1:56 PM CDT

Judge who socialized with police officers, used the F-word, agrees to removal from bench

A municipal court judge in New Jersey has agreed to permanent removal from office after admitting material facts in a misconduct complaint that accused him of using the F-word when frustrated with his computer and socializing with police officers.

Aug 1, 2024 9:27 AM CDT

Victim advocate fired for misdirected ‘panties’ email sues district attorney’s office for its comments

A victim witness advocate has sued for privacy invasion and defamation following his firing for mistakenly sending a “wacky email” to the entire San Francisco district attorney’s office that read, “What color panties you have on.”

Jul 24, 2024 2:47 PM CDT

As a prosecutor, Kamala Harris ‘tried to bridge the tricky divide’

Before she became a U.S. senator, the vice president and the potential Democratic nominee for president, Kamala Harris was a prosecutor in California who opposed the death penalty but defended capital punishment on behalf of the state. After graduating from the school formerly known as the University of California Hastings…

Jul 23, 2024 3:40 PM CDT

Ex-justice sought Holy Spirit compassion before sentencing of ‘land the tuna’ politician husband

Former Chicago Ald. Ed Burke was sentenced Monday to two years in prison and fined $2 million for pressuring developers to use his law firm and threatening to punish a museum that ignored his goddaughter’s internship application.

Jun 25, 2024 10:26 AM CDT

5th Circuit took ‘overly cramped view’ of precedent in retaliatory arrest suit, Supreme Court says

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday for a former city council member who claims that her arrest for placing her citizen petition into a binder stemmed from a retaliatory political vendetta.

Jun 20, 2024 11:30 AM CDT

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