http://www.abajournal.com/news/ en Copyright 2013 2013-05-25T10:21:40-06:00 http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/ex-da_testifies_in_own_defense_at_federal_criminal_trial_says/ A former Texas district attorney is expected to continue testifying Thursday in his federal trial over allegedly operating the DA's office as a criminal racketeering enterprise. However, ex-Cameron County DA Armando R. Villalobos already laid out his defense in testimony Wednesday—prosecutorial discretion, the Valley Morning Star reports. Contradicting… Criminal Justice, Prosecutors, White Collar Crime, Government Law, Trials & Litigation, 5th Circuit Court, States, Texas Thu, 23 May 2013 12:10:12 -0500 44336.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_is_criminally_charged_accused_of_misusing_office_to_hold_lawyers/ A Texas judge has been criminally charged after allegedly misusing his official powers against lawyers. In an action-packed day on Wednesday, a civil lawsuit was initially filed by a local lawyer accusing Galveston County-Court-at-Law Judge Christopher Dupuy of incompetence and oppression and petitioning for his removal from office, reports the… Constitutional Law, Criminal Justice, Judiciary, Trials & Litigation, States, Texas Thu, 23 May 2013 06:35:49 -0500 44326.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lesbian_couple_can_no_longer_live_together_or_divorced_woman_risks_losing/ Texas couple Carolyn Compton and Page Price can no longer live together because of a morality clause in the 2011 divorce papers Compton signed. A Collin County, Texas judge gave Price 30 days to move out of the home she shares with Compton and her two daughters, ages 10 and… ABA Journal Production, Weekly Newsletter Stories, Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Family Law, States, Texas Wed, 22 May 2013 17:17:04 -0500 44316.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/successful_tyrannosaurus_suit_by_texas_lawyer_earns_him_mongolias_top_civil/ A victory in civil and criminal litigation over the New York City auction of a smuggled Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton last year hasn't just earned legal fees for Texas attorney Robert Painter. It's taken him to Mongolia, where evidence was collected in the Gobi desert, and from his Houston law office… ABA Journal Production, Weekly Newsletter Stories, Civil Procedure, Corporate Law, Criminal Justice, Criminal Procedure, International Law, Real Estate & Property Law, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, 2nd Circuit Court, States, Texas Wed, 22 May 2013 09:05:29 -0500 44276.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/reward_money_for_info_on_texas_prosecutor_murders_will_go_unpaid/ Reward money for information in the slayings of two Texas prosecutors will not be paid because police made arrests based on their own work rather than tips by the public, according to the group that raised the cash. The Kaufman County, Texas, Crime Stoppers will return money from the fund… Criminal Justice, Prosecutors, States, Texas Fri, 17 May 2013 05:45:30 -0500 44220.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/inmate_indicted_in_claimed_murder-for-hire_plot_against_federal_judge/ Phillip Monroe Ballard still hasn't been tried on the federal charges he faces for allegedly holding himself out as a lawyer and advising others that they don't have to pay income tax. But on the front burner, it appears, is the murder-solicitation prosecution the Texas inmate is facing for allegedly… Criminal Justice, Judiciary, Court Security, Tax Law, 5th Circuit Court, States, Texas Wed, 15 May 2013 17:40:00 -0500 44209.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/man_found_dead_in_courthouse_parking_lot_may_be_defendant_who_committed_sui/ An unidentified man in his late 60s was found dead Monday morning in a parking lot near a Texas courthouse. Authorities and witnesses said it appears that the man was a defendant in a criminal case at the Bexar County Courthouse who walked out during a break in jury selection… Criminal Justice, Judiciary, Court Security, Trials & Litigation, States, Texas Mon, 13 May 2013 16:28:15 -0500 44159.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/trial_begins_for_former_da_accused_in_cash-for-court-favors_case/ A convicted former judge, Abel Limas, was the first witness Monday as a trial began for a former Texas district attorney accused in a nine-count federal indictment of running the prosecutor's office as a criminal racketeering enterprise. Limas testified that he once considered himself a father figure, mentor and friend… Criminal Justice, Prosecutors, White Collar Crime, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, 5th Circuit Court, States, Texas Mon, 13 May 2013 14:30:24 -0500 44155.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/arrested_paramedic_had_nothing_to_do_with_texas_plant_explosion_lawyer_says/ A volunteer paramedic who responded to the deadly April explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant has been arrested for possessing components of a pipe bomb. The arrest of Bryce Reed, 31, spurred his lawyer to release a statement denying his client's involvement in the blast, report the Criminal Justice, States, Texas Mon, 13 May 2013 07:08:54 -0500 44140.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/state_dept._tells_texas_law_student_to_take_down_web_blueprints_for_3-d_pri/ A University of Texas law student says he has complied but is reviewing his legal options after being ordered by the U.S. State Department to take down blueprints posted online that show how a 3-D printer can be used to create a plastic gun. Cody Wilson is a founder of… Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Executive Branch, Internet Law, Law Schools, States, Texas Fri, 10 May 2013 15:08:51 -0500 44136.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/cheerleaders_bible_banners_dont_violate_establishment_clause_judge_rules/ Bible-themed banners displayed by high-school cheerleaders do not violate the establishment clause, a Texas state judge has ruled. Judge Steven Thomas ruled on behalf of the Kountze High School cheerleaders on Wednesday, report the Associated Press, Reuters, the Houston Chronicle and a… Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Education Law, Religious Law, States, Texas Thu, 09 May 2013 07:30:31 -0500 44100.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/convicted_courthouse_shooter_accurately_predicts_his_death_sentence/ During the penalty phase of his trial for a fatal courthouse shooting, Bartholomew Granger scribbled a message on a legal pad and held it up for jurors to see. The message read, “Death,” report the Associated Press, the Criminal Justice, Death Penalty, States, Texas Wed, 08 May 2013 07:36:11 -0500 44083.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/convicted_in_courthouse_slaying_defendant_during_sentencing_phase/ As the penalty phase of his capital murder case continued Monday, it appeared that a convicted courthouse shooter may have been given good advice by his defense counsel not to testify. But it also appeared that Bartholomew Granger might be intentionally seeking a capital sentence, which he indicated he would… Criminal Justice, Death Penalty, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, States, Texas Mon, 06 May 2013 17:59:45 -0500 44060.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/fatal_fertilizer_plant_where_explosion_caused_100m_in_damage_had_pathetic/ As state and federal officials look into an apparent lack of regulatory scrutiny of a Texas fertilizer facility that exploded in a fiery blast last month, killing 15 people and injuring another 200, a further issue has come to the attention of outside lawyers representing victims of the disaster. The… Environmental Law, Insurance Law, Real Estate & Property Law, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, States, Texas Mon, 06 May 2013 12:15:46 -0500 44036.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/criminal_defense_lawyer_says_clients_can_pay_him_in_bitcoins/ A Houston criminal defense lawyer has announced that he will accept bitcoins from clients in payment of legal bills, saying that he is one of the first attorneys in the state of Texas to do so. However, being willing to accept cash alternatives in payment of legal fees is standard… Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Criminal Justice, Law Firms, Partners, Solos/Small Firms, States, Texas Wed, 01 May 2013 15:52:00 -0500 43997.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/convicted_in_courthouse_slaying_suspect_shouts_that_his_daughter_not_the_vi/ Convicted Tuesday of capital murder over the death of a 79-year-old woman who was a bystander during Texas courthouse shooting spree last year directed at one or more witnesses in a sexual assault case, defendant Bartholomew Granger erupted Wednesday in court at the outset… Criminal Justice, Death Penalty, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Judiciary, Court Security, Trials & Litigation, States, Texas Wed, 01 May 2013 13:21:07 -0500 43996.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/sex-case_defendant_who_killed_bystander_in_mid-trial_shooting_spree_is_conv/ A Texas jury deliberated for less than two hours Tuesday before convicting Bartholomew Granger, 42, of capital murder in the slaying of a 79-year-old woman outside the Jefferson County courthouse last year. The defendant showed no emotion as the verdict was announced, but the victim's daughter smiled, the Criminal Justice, Death Penalty, Judiciary, Court Security, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, Verdicts & Settlements, States, Texas Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:45:27 -0500 43976.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/katten_muchin_opens_new_houston_office_with_pillsbury_enviro_leader_hires_7/ The leader of the environmental practice group at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman is leaving the firm to open a new Houston office for Katten Muchin Rosenman. Mark Farley will be in charge of a five-lawyer Houston office, serve as a co-chair of his new firm's environmental practice and lead its… Business of Law, Energy Law, Law Firms, Associates, Large Firm, Partners, States, Texas Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:19:56 -0500 43963.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/friends_of_rosemary_file_amicus_brief_seeking_to_keep_da_in_office_after_45/ Nearly 200 lawyers have signed a "Friends of Rosemary" petition seeking to keep a Texas district attorney in office after she completes a 45-day sentence for driving while intoxicated. A spokeswoman for the group said during a Thursday press conference that Travis County DA Rosemary Lehmberg does not plan to… Criminal Justice, Prosecutors, Trials & Litigation, States, Texas Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:40:23 -0500 43938.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/stamp_on_letter_led_cops_to_tattooed_man_who_said_he_was_judges_son_took_pa/ Although he has several tattoos on his face, Mark David Leal nonetheless convinced several individuals that he was the son of one of two prominent Texas women: Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed or District Judge Juanita Vasquez-Gardner. Then, according to court documents, he convinced these individuals to give him… Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Judiciary, Court Security, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, States, Texas Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:30:40 -0500 43897.abajournal.com