Afternoon Briefs: Arizona bans photos outside top courts; lawyer’s pretrial detention upheld
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Arizona bans photos and broadcasts outside appellate-level courts
Arizona’s chief justice has banned photos, videos and live broadcasting outside appellate-level courts in the state, including the state supreme court. The order makes an exception for those who get advance approval from the chief justice and the people being photographed. The ban is intended to protect the privacy of people attending court hearings, including people who appear before a foster care review board in one of the buildings, according to a court spokesperson. But First Amendment lawyer Dan Barr sees a constitutional violation. (The Arizona Capitol Times, the Associated Press)
5th Circuit upholds pretrial detention of lawyer accused in tax scheme
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New Orleans has upheld the pretrial detention of a Texas lawyer accused of paying kickbacks to case runners who illegally solicited clients and then deducting the payments as business expenses. The 5th Circuit cited evidence that the lawyer, Jeffrey Stern, had hid law firm files in a storage unit under a different person’s name, told case runners to destroy records, and said he “would do whatever it took to protect himself.” Stern is charged with filing false tax returns, witness tampering and obstruction. Stern was previously in the news when he was charged with soliciting the murder of his wife; prosecutors later dropped the case for lack of evidence. (Bloomberg Law, the 5th Circuit Oct. 24 opinion)
NCAA plans to allow college athletes to benefit from their names and likenesses
The NCAA’s governing board voted Tuesday to allow college athletes to benefit from their names, images and likenesses. The details still have to be ironed out, and the rules will have to be “consistent with the collegiate model,” according to a press release. (ESPN, USA Today, NCAA statement)
