http://www.abajournal.com/news/ en Copyright 2013 2013-05-25T06:07:15-06:00 http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/maryland_gov_signs_bill_abolishing_death_penalty_fate_of_5_men_on_death_row/ Maryland's governor on Thursday, as expected, signed into law a bill that abolishes the death penalty. The state is the first south of the Mason-Dixon line to end capital punishment, the Associated Press reports. However, still uncertain is the fate of the five men still on death… Constitutional Law, Criminal Justice, Death Penalty, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Legislation & Lobbying, States, Maryland Thu, 02 May 2013 12:35:04 -0500 44015.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_nixes_tickets_for_lack_of_evidence_as_city_and_red-light_camera_contr/ It isn't only those with trial skills, such as attorney Daniel Doty, who are getting Baltimore speeding and red-light camera tickets thrown out of court. The city plans to void approximately 6,000 tickets, amidst an ongoing dispute with the former contractor that oversaw the program, the Baltimore… Criminal Justice, Government Law, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, States, Maryland Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:30:57 -0500 43895.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/courts_closed_in_at_least_one_county_tuesday_after_boston_marathon_deaths_a/ All circuit and district court buildings in a county that is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area were closed Tuesday, as sheriff's officers in Carroll County, Md., investigated a bomb threat. The courts were evacuated after an anonymous call was made to the circuit court at about 8:30 a.m. claiming… Criminal Justice, Judiciary, Court Security, States, Maryland Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:42:16 -0500 43747.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/eeoc_sues_toys_r_us_says_company_failed_to_provide_interpreter_for_deaf_job/ Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers are required to provide reasonable accommodation to workers, unless doing so would be an undue hardship. What exactly is required, in a given case, can be open to interpretation. But for a big company like Toys "R" Us there's virtually no question that… Corporate Law, Disability Law, Labor & Employment, Trials & Litigation, 4th Circuit Court, States, Maryland Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:22:54 -0500 43371.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/maryland_lawmakers_abolish_death_penalty/ By a 82-56 vote, the Maryland House of Delegates voted Friday to eliminate the state's death penalty. The state's senators approved the abolition of capital punishment last week, by a 27-20 margin. Gov. Martin O'Malley must still sign the bill into law before it is final, but he has been… Constitutional Law, Criminal Justice, Death Penalty, Legal Ethics, Legislation & Lobbying, States, Maryland Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:22:22 -0500 43295.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/boy_7_suspended_for_chewing_pastry_into_shape_of_gun_pointing_it_and_saying/ In the latest example of a zero-tolerance policy concerning weapons brought to school that some see as having been taken to an extreme, a 7-year-old boy was suspended for two days over a breakfast pastry. The unidentified student at Park Elementary School in Baltimore, Md., is the son of William… Administrative Law, Education Law, States, Maryland Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:58:48 -0600 43118.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/states_top_court_tosses_1b_punitives_award_against_exxon_in_community_gas-s/ Maryland's top court has nixed a $1 billion punitive damages award against ExxonMobil Corp. in an environmental case brought over a 2006 gasoline spill in Jacksonville, finding that the fraud claims on which the 2011 verdict was based were not proven. In a 129-page opinion (PDF), the Maryland… Appellate Practice, Corporate Law, Environmental Law, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, Verdicts & Settlements, States, Maryland Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:29:58 -0600 43036.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/police_say_fired_johns_hopkins_doc_used_pencam_to_take_secret_photos_of_pat/ Raising the prospect of a major privacy issue for a leading medical center, authorities say a gynecologist and obstetrician believed to have committed suicide earlier this month after being fired by Johns Hopkins used personal equipment to take secret photos and videotapes of his patients. A sex crime investigation is… Criminal Justice, Health Law, Privacy Law, States, Maryland Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:22:19 -0600 42947.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/d.c._area_school_district_reverses_suspension_of_student_6_who_pointed_fing/ The parents of a Washington, D.C., area first-grader who was suspended for a day by his elementary school for reportedly pointing his finger as if it was a gun and saying "pow" have won a swift resolution of an administrative appeal. Attorney Robin Ficker, who represents the unidentified family, tells… Administrative Law, Education Law, States, Maryland Fri, 04 Jan 2013 17:39:57 -0600 42232.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/debt_collection_law_firm_settles_with_doj_over_alleged_bias_against_deaf_pe/ A Maryland law firm has agreed to pay $30,000 to resolve allegations that it discriminated against deaf people in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Peroutka & Peroutka, a debt collection law firm in Pasadena, Md., reached the agreement with the U.S. Justice Department, according to a Attorney General, Disability Law, Law Firms, States, Maryland Fri, 04 Jan 2013 13:04:14 -0600 42228.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_docked_5_days_pay_reportedly_threatened_jail_re_24_ringing_phones_jai/ A Maryland judge has been docked five days of pay for summarily holding defendants in his court in contempt, in a consent to discipline approved Friday by the state court of appeals. Baltimore County District Judge Norman R. Stone III, 54, must take the unpaid time off within 30 days,… Judiciary, Legal Ethics, States, Maryland Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:01:38 -0600 42075.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/city_dismisses_40_speeding_ticket_re_litigators_motionless_car_but_judge_ni/ Attorney Daniel P. Doty was looking forward to his day in traffic court in Baltimore on Friday. He was ready to go to trial to defend a $40 city speed-camera citation he was issued, concerning an idling vehicle reportedly shown in photos on the ticket to… Criminal Justice, Government Law, Trials & Litigation, States, Maryland Mon, 17 Dec 2012 12:50:22 -0600 42062.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_plans_court_challenge_to_40_speeding_ticket_says_camera_shows_his_ca/ A speed-camera program has brought in $48 million in ticket revenue for the city of Baltimore since it began three years ago. But it has also generated complaints that the tickets, which are supposed to be issued after multiple layers of review and only to motorists who are going at… Criminal Justice, Government Law, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, States, Maryland Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:28:16 -0600 42042.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_and_his_former_law_school_classmate_are_charged_with_insider_trading/ A Colorado lawyer and his former law school classmate have been charged with insider trading after allegedly acting on a tip that IBM was preparing to buy software maker SPSS Inc. Denver lawyer Thomas Conradt and former classmate David Weishaus of Baltimore are charged based on trades made in 2009… Criminal Justice, Law Students, Securities Law, States, Colorado, Maryland Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:09:40 -0600 41824.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/identical_twin/ Wael Ali's family and friends stood by him when he was accused of killing his identical twin brother, Wasel, by strangling him with his bare hands in a fit of anger. But investigators considered him a lead suspect as they mulled the location where the 19-year-old's body was found, in… Criminal Justice, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, Verdicts & Settlements, States, Maryland Fri, 09 Nov 2012 17:25:42 -0600 41557.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/a_fake_scalia_with_no_law_license_is_ordered_to_pay_261k_and_close_his_bank/ A federal bankruptcy judge has ordered a high school graduate who represented at least 50 bankruptcy clients to close his practice and pay $261,000 in fines and damages. Baltimore resident Michael Mancini often used the fake name "A. Michael Scalia” and decorated the offices of his Scalia & Seidel firm… Bankruptcy Law, Legal Ethics, States, Maryland Thu, 25 Oct 2012 07:26:38 -0500 41289.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/criminal_defense_associate_helps_create_new_cbs_legal_drama/ In all honesty, Creston P. Smith isn't much of a television watcher, except when the Baltimore Orioles are trying to make the playoffs. But he's planning to record a new legal drama that premieres Friday on CBS, to watch later and see if any of the… Criminal Justice, Law Firms, Associates, Midsize Firm, Law in Popular Culture, States, Maryland, New York Fri, 28 Sep 2012 08:35:19 -0500 40871.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_under_fire_for_comments_to_alleged_domestic_abuse_victim_decides_to_r/ A controversial Maryland judge has announced his retirement after he was criticized for his remarks to a woman seeking a protective order against her husband. Judge Bruce Lamdin, 64, of Baltimore County will retire on Oct. 1, the Baltimore Sun reports. At a December hearing, Lamdin chastised… Criminal Justice, Judiciary, States, Maryland Wed, 12 Sep 2012 10:06:05 -0500 40680.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/murder_defendant_claims_mri_scan_indicates_he_didnt_kill_judge_disallows/ A former Army Ranger accused of killing a colleague claims a functional MRI scan indicates he was telling the truth when he asserted his innocence. The defendant, Gary Smith, has long maintained that fellow Army Ranger Michael McQueen committed suicide, the Washington Post reports. Smith’s lawyer argued… Criminal Justice, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, States, Maryland Tue, 28 Aug 2012 05:30:27 -0500 40423.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/4th_circuit_agrees_to_hear_pregnancy_center_case_en_banc/ The Richmond, Va.-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to rehear en banc a case involving a law that requires anti-abortion pregnancy centers to post ads encouraging clients to consult with medical professionals. The court set a Dec. 6 oral argument date for the rehearing after a divided… Appellate Practice, Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Health Law, Religious Law, 4th Circuit Court, States, Maryland Thu, 16 Aug 2012 12:28:51 -0500 40283.abajournal.com