10th Circuit Court

Facial recognition database leads feds to fugitive 37 years after prison escape

A man who escaped from federal prison in Kansas in 1977 while serving a 23-year sentence for a premeditated murder and aggravated assault committed while he was a U.S. Army private was arrested in Florida on Thursday. James Robert Jones was tracked down, nearly 37 years later, after the Army…

Mar 14, 2014 4:45 PM CDT

Jailed based on mistaken identity, some who did nothing wrong are held days, weeks or months

At least 100 people have been wrongfully jailed in St. Louis over the past seven years, sometimes for lengthy periods, based on mistaken identities. Yet, through the use of technology, such as fingerprinting, it should have been relatively easy to verify the claims of those wrongfully incarcerated that they were…

Oct 29, 2013 7:05 PM CDT

Swiss bank exec faces US extradition in $20B tax case, due to vacation in Italy

After he was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2008 in a $20 billion U.S. tax fraud conspiracy case, Swiss banking executive Raoul Weil declined to be extradited and his legal counsel said he had done nothing wrong. That put the criminal case against him on hold, since Switzerland…

Oct 22, 2013 4:15 PM CDT

Appeals court rules for Abercrombie in headscarf case

A federal appeals court has vacated a lower court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on its claim that Abercrombie & Fitch failed to provide a reasonable religious accommodation for a prospective employee who wears a hijab, or headscarf, for religious reasons. The…

Oct 4, 2013 9:57 PM CDT

10th Circuit says judge erred in denying payment to lawyer who challenged execution method

An Oklahoma lawyer who mounted an unsuccessful legal challenge to the method of execution eventually used on his client in a death-penalty case is entitled to be paid for his time, a federal appeals court has ruled. Reversing a federal district court’s decision not to award attorney fees to James…

Sep 4, 2013 7:55 PM CDT

Judge says 2 cities can maintain pit bull bans that accommodate service animals

Two Colorado cities have done enough to accommodate the disabled owners of pit bull dogs that are also service animals, a federal judge in Denver has ruled. After a 2011 federal court decision that found flat-out bans of the entire breed violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, the city of…

Aug 5, 2013 8:45 PM CDT

Law prof files discrimination charge, alleges ‘stark inequality’ in pay for men and women

A law professor has filed a federal administrative complaint against the University of Denver, contending that she has been a victim of gender discrimination and is paid less than comparable male faculty. Lucy Marsh alleges in her Tuesday complaint that the university’s Sturm College of Law pays full professors who…

Jul 10, 2013 11:30 AM CDT

Federal judge sequesters 19 lawyers in jury room, tells them to ‘identify genuine issues’ by 2 pm

A federal judge put 19 lawyers in his Salt Lake City jury room on Monday morning and told them he hoped they would “identify genuine issues” in a nearly 40-year-old case over the prosecution of crimes on an Indian reservation by the time he returns to the bench at 2…

Jun 24, 2013 6:50 PM CDT

Federal judge OKs suit over ‘shocking’ claim 911 operator told harassed man to return to crime scene

Disagreeing with a recommendation by a magistrate that a civil rights case should be dismissed, a federal judge in Denver gave a green light on Monday to a family’s lawsuit over the death of a Sudanese refugee. Soon-to-be victim Jimma Reat, 25, and others called 911 in April 2012 reporting…

Jun 18, 2013 10:15 PM CDT

Man can challenge constitutionality of state’s ‘rain god’ license plate, 10th Circuit

An Oklahoma man can sue the state over its Indian ‘rain god’ license plate on First Amendment grounds, a federal appeals court has held. Keith Cressman, a Bethany pastor, claims that the license plate violates his religious rights as a Christian. U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton had dismissed the suit…

Jun 14, 2013 8:18 PM CDT

Along with political speech, many companies also claim they have religious liberty rights

Corporations, like individuals, have the right to engage in political speech, the U.S. Supreme Court said three years ago. The “corporate identity” of a speaker did not justify a reduced level of free speech protection, wrote Justice Anthony M. Kennedy in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. “No sufficient governmental…

Jun 1, 2013 8:30 AM CDT

Pro se homeowner wins rare federal stay of sale in foreclosure case

Representing herself in federal court without the help of a lawyer, a Colorado homeowner has won a rare ruling staying the auction sale of her home after she lost a state-court mortgage foreclosure case. U.S. District Judge William Martinez on Monday issued an order temporarily staying the sale of Lisa…

May 7, 2013 4:08 PM CDT

Former defense lawyer gets 5 years in Secret Service money-laundering sting

Once a prominent criminal defense attorney, Ronald E. Partee, 66, had little to say as he was sentenced Monday by a federal judge in Kansas City to five years in prison. He will serve the time at a prison camp in South Dakota, to minimize contact with his former clients.…

Apr 30, 2013 5:08 PM CDT

School’s use of ‘timeout room’ didn’t violate Constitution, 10th Circuit rules

An Oklahoma school district that placed a special education student in a “timeout room” to stop his unruly behavior did not violate his constitutional rights, a federal appeals court has ruled. In an opinion (PDF) issued on Tuesday, the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the civil rights…

Apr 24, 2013 4:09 PM CDT

Longtime defense lawyer takes plea in Secret Service money-laundering sting

A prominent Missouri criminal defense lawyer has taken a plea in a federal money-laundering conspiracy case that arose from a Secret Service sting, effectively ending his legal career. Ronald E. Partee admitted in federal court in Kansas on Wednesday that he agreed to help hide the source of what he…

Jan 30, 2013 9:02 PM CST