10th Circuit Court

Supreme Court will decide whether web designer has free speech right to refuse service for same-sex weddings

The U.S. Supreme Court has taken up the case of a web designer who contends that she has a First Amendment right to refuse to provide online service for same-sex weddings.

Feb 22, 2022 2:16 PM CST

Need to sharpen your legal writing? 10th Circuit Court judge shares his tips

There's plenty of conventional wisdom about what makes a good legal brief or court opinion. Judge Robert E. Bacharach of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says when judges socialize, their conversations often devolve into discussions about language and pieces of writing that they enjoy or revile.

Jan 26, 2022 8:41 AM CST

Inmate convulses and vomits during lethal injection in state with history of problem executions

Oklahoma inmate John Marion Grant convulsed and vomited Thursday during an execution that happened after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a stay in a 5-3 vote.

Oct 29, 2021 10:17 AM CDT

In 2 summary reversals, Supreme Court rules for officers who kneed and shot suspects

In two summary reversals Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled for police officers who kneed a suspect with a knife and fatally shot another man wielding a hammer.

Oct 18, 2021 10:44 AM CDT

Litigants claiming GEICO auto policy covers STD from car sex can’t proceed anonymously, judge rules

A car owner and his sexual partner can’t keep their names secret in litigation over their claim that GEICO’s auto and umbrella policies cover damages for a sexually transmitted disease contracted during sex in the insured car.

Oct 5, 2021 4:18 PM CDT

Few federal courts report that they require COVID-19 vaccines for court employees

Few federal courts have reported that they are requiring COVID-19 vaccines for court workers, although an order this week requires the employees to report their vaccination status.

Sep 24, 2021 11:05 AM CDT

Ban on topless women doesn’t violate equal protection clause, 4th Circuit says; concurrence questions precedent

A ban on women going topless in public in Ocean City, Maryland, doesn’t violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Richmond, Virginia, has ruled.

Aug 5, 2021 9:37 AM CDT

Web designer who offers wedding websites can be compelled to serve same-sex couples, 10th Circuit says

A Colorado anti-discrimination law can be used to compel a website designer who wants to create wedding websites to offer her services to people celebrating same-sex marriages, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

Jul 28, 2021 2:10 PM CDT

Top state court is second to rule that gas stations can be liable for selling fuel to drunken drivers

Gasoline stations in New Mexico can be liable for selling fuel to drivers they know or have reason to know are intoxicated, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled Monday.

Jul 22, 2021 9:41 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: LSC could see $600M in 2022 funding; Netflix’s ‘Tiger King’ to receive shorter prison sentence

Legal Services Corp. could receive largest funding increase under new legislation The House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations approved on Thursday funding legislation that includes $600 million for the Legal Services Corp., the largest funder of civil legal aid to low-income Americans, in fiscal year 2022. The bill includes $135…

Jul 16, 2021 4:40 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Internet research is costly for juror; bar dues claim partly resurrected

Federal juror’s internet research cost over $11K A federal judge in New Jersey has held a juror in contempt and fined him more than $11,000 for conducting internet research on a case, despite warnings against such conduct. U.S. District Judge Robert Kugler of the District of New Jersey had declared…

Jun 30, 2021 4:35 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Trump-boosting fake lawyer sentenced; 3 of Biden’s new judicial picks have public defender experience

Trump-boosting fake lawyer sentenced to prison A Tennessee man who founded Students for Trump has been sentenced to 13 months in prison for posing as an elite lawyer and taking more than $46,000 from would-be clients. John Lambert had posed as a lawyer named Eric Pope and had created a…

May 13, 2021 4:19 PM CDT

No federal appeals court has more female than male judges; which one is evenly balanced?

Just one federal appeals court has an equal number of active male and female judges.

Feb 9, 2021 12:22 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: 2 well-known law firms shun merger idea; law firm of Biden’s brother touts connection

Quinn Emanuel and Boies Schiller shun merger idea Neither Boies Schiller Flexner nor Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan are embracing a legal recruiter’s suggestion that the two firms should merge. Boies Schiller told Thomson Reuters Legal that the report on options for the law firm, conducted by the founder of…

Feb 1, 2021 4:17 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Legal professionals stressed, surveys say; disbarred lawyer pleads guilty in 9/11 theft

Legal professionals are stressed and depressed, surveys say More than 85% of legal professionals surveyed by Law.com said the upcoming election has affected their mental health, leading to symptoms that include stress, irritability and depression. Law.com surveyed 150 legal professionals. Another survey found the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened stress among…

Oct 30, 2020 2:15 PM CDT