http://www.abajournal.com/news/ en Copyright 2013 2013-05-19T18:39:26-06:00 http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/man_jailed_for_10th_dui_is_convicted_in_murder_plot_against_judge_prosecuto/ Corrected: Sentenced to an additional 16-year prison term after being convicted–for the 10th time–of driving under the influence, Gordon Vanderark allegedly tried to get back at the Illinois prosecutor and judge who put him there. He tried to arrange with a fellow inmate for them to be killed, along with… Criminal Justice, Prosecutors, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Judiciary, Court Security, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, States, Illinois Thu, 16 May 2013 11:20:20 -0500 44216.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/cuffed_client_decks_lawyer_with_baseball_bat_fashion_punch/ A handcuffed client decked his defense lawyer Monday in a Blair County, Pa., courtroom, in front of the judge who was hearing his post-conviction argument that he should not be sentenced to the death penalty. Andre Staton, 50, slammed the blow in a "baseball bat fashion" squarely in the forehead… Appellate Practice, Criminal Justice, Prosecutors, Public Defenders, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Judiciary, Court Security, States, Pennsylvania Tue, 14 May 2013 11:30:24 -0500 44169.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/immigration_lawyer_conned_clients_and_courts_for_years_35-count_indictment_/ Although Michael Schorr is not a lawyer, he practiced in immigration courts in New York and New Jersey for four years by simply borrowing other attorneys' bar registration numbers or using a fake number, authorities allege. Arrested Friday and held without bail, he is accused of stealing tens of thousands… Criminal Justice, Immigration Law, Judiciary, Court Security, Trials & Litigation, 2nd Circuit Court, 3rd Circuit Court, States, New Jersey, New York Tue, 07 May 2013 14:00:22 -0500 44072.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/daughter_of_delaware_courthouse_shooter_seeks_custody_of_slain_moms_3_kids/ The daughter of a man who shot two women to death at a Delaware courthouse earlier this year is seeking custody of the three daughters of one of the slain women. In Delaware, relatives usually receive preference when courts are considering the permanent guardianship of children in foster care, the… Administrative Law, Criminal Justice, Family Law, Government Law, Judiciary, Court Security, Trials & Litigation, States, Delaware Tue, 07 May 2013 12:52:05 -0500 44069.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/accidental_gun_discharge_injures_security_officer_at_federal_courthouse/ A security officer suffered a non-life-threatening arm injury in accidental gun discharge Monday at a federal courthouse on New York's Long Island, WABC reports. The unidentified officer was injured between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., in an area of the Central Islip courthouse that is not open to… Judiciary, Court Security, 2nd Circuit Court, States, New York Mon, 06 May 2013 15:32:22 -0500 44051.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/judge_boots_both_bickering_attorneys_from_civil_case_sends_copy_of_order_to/ For months, attorneys Joel Brodsky and Michael Meschino just couldn't seem to get along as they litigated a civil matter over a failed business deal. So on Wednesday a Chicago judge booted them both off the case, finding that their "deplorable behavior"—which continued despite warnings and the use of courthouse… Corporate Law, Judiciary, Court Security, Legal Ethics, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, States, Illinois Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:30:11 -0500 43926.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/scared_to_death_of_snakes_clerk_is_not_happy_to_discover_them_in_courthouse/ No matter how tight the security system is at a courthouse, it can be tough to keep out a snake. That's something Circuit Clerk Barbara Dunn and her employees know from personal experience—they have found five snakes in their office in the basement of the Hinds County, Miss., courthouse during… Judiciary, Court Security, States, Mississippi Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:52:14 -0500 43925.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 http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/son_of_dead_shooter_in_del._courthouse_slayings_gets_six_months_for_probati/ The son of a man who killed two women at a Delaware courthouse earlier this year as they arrived for a child-support hearing was sentenced Tuesday to two months in federal prison for violating his probation in a child-kidnapping and fraud case. David Matusiewicz was also present at the Delaware… Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Family Law, Judiciary, Court Security, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, 3rd Circuit Court, States, Delaware Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:06:57 -0500 43882.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_and_defendants_ex-lawyer_are_first_witnesses_in_murder_trial_over_cou/ A judge was the first witness on Monday as the government began its presentation in the capital murder case of a man accused of shooting a woman to death at a Texas courthouse last year. Bartholomew Granger is accused of fatally shooting a bystander, Minnie Ray Sebolt, 79, in March… Criminal Justice, Death Penalty, Judiciary, Court Security, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, States, Texas Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:27:08 -0500 43860.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/ex-prosecutor_recalls_screaming_fit_by_ricin_suspect_family_cites_history_o/ A lawyer for the man accused of sending letters containing suspected ricin to President Obama, a judge and a U.S. senator says her client maintains his innocence. The suspect, Paul Kevin Curtis, said little during a court hearing on Thursday and did not enter a plea, the Criminal Justice, Judiciary, Court Security Fri, 19 Apr 2013 07:59:59 -0500 43819.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/fired_justice_of_peace_charged_with_capital_murder_in_deaths_of_texas_prose/ A fired former justice of the peace in Kaufman County, Texas, has been charged with capital murder in the recent slayings of county prosecutor Mark Hasse, county district attorney Mike McLelland and McLelland's wife, Cynthia. Eric Lyle Williams was arrested Thursday and is being held in lieu of $23 million… Criminal Justice, Prosecutors, Judiciary, Court Security, States, Texas Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:32:19 -0500 43816.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/in_court_for_probation_violation_case_man_is_accused_of_taking_judges_photo/ A defendant who apparently didn't get the memo about not using cellphones in court was taken into custody Wednesday at a suburban Chicago courthouse after allegedly snapping photos of the judge. Already in court to defend a probation violation case, Calvin Woods, 25, told deputies that he was bored and… Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Judiciary, Court Security, Trials & Litigation, States, Illinois Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:10:09 -0500 43811.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/claimed_fake_lawyer_in_theft_case_accused_of_plotting_copycat_prosecutor_sl/ Dorothy Canfield, 84, had been facing merely a theft case, accused of bilking clients by posing as an immigration lawyer, when she is in fact not an attorney. But now she's charged as well with solicitation of capital murder and solicitation to commit aggravated assault on a public servant over… Criminal Justice, Prosecutors, Judiciary, Court Security, States, Texas Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:39:21 -0500 43735.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/courthouse_screeners_enforce_ban_on_cellphones_..._and_a_pet_duck/ In Chicago on Monday, security guards at the criminal courthouse at 26th Street and California Avenue, billed as the nation's busiest, were implementing a new policy against cellphones and other electronic devices. The ban was imposed because of concerns that individuals taking cellphone photos were intimidating witnesses, according to the… Animal Law, Judiciary, Court Security, States, Hawaii, Illinois Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:27:07 -0500 43734.abajournal.com