4th Circuit Court

Full 4th Circuit Hears ‘Enemy Combatant’ Case

Whether the president has the power to hold a legal U.S. resident in military custody as a so-called enemy combatant is being argued today before the full 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A three-judge panel of the Richmond, Va.-based 4th Circuit ruled in June that the president does not,…

Oct 31, 2007 7:23 PM CDT

Church on Trial for ‘Thank God For Dead Soldiers’ Funeral Protest

The father of a marine killed in Iraq is seeking damages from a church that sponsored a protest at his son’s funeral in a federal trial now under way in Baltimore. Albert Snyder’s suit claims invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress, the New York Times reports. The…

Oct 26, 2007 2:36 PM CDT

Judge Dismisses Privacy Suit Against Banking Co-op

A federal judge in Virginia has dismissed a privacy lawsuit against a Belgian banking cooperative accused of divulging private information to help the United States track terrorist funding. Judge T. S. Ellis III of Alexandria ruled Friday that the plaintiffs had no standing to bring the suit against the cooperative,…

Oct 22, 2007 6:24 PM CDT

Lawyer Likely to Turn Witness in Ex-Client’s Stock Fraud Trial

The ex-lawyer for a former dot-com billionaire is expected to testify against him in his stock-fraud trial. Lawyer Preston Burton is expected to testify about allegations that Charles “Junior” Johnson pushed him to introduce fake e-mails as evidence, the Washington Post reports. Prosecutors have added a charge of obstruction of…

Oct 10, 2007 11:52 AM CDT

Costly Error Linked to 4th Circuit Nominee

A lawyer nominated to a federal appeals court was lead attorney on an $8 million appeal that got tossed because the trial transcript was not filed by the deadline. E. Duncan Getchell Jr. of McGuireWoods asked the Virginia Supreme Court to hear the appeal anyway, but the judges refused, the…

Oct 10, 2007 11:00 AM CDT

Will Double Jeopardy Help QB?

The lawyer for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick says he will fight new state dogfighting charges filed against his client, who has already pleaded guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy for a dogfighting operation. Vick’s Washington, D.C., lawyer, William “Billy” Martin, said in a statement that he will examine…

Sep 26, 2007 12:07 PM CDT

Lawyer ‘Totally Taken Aback’ by Missing Money

A former assistant for a Virginia lawyer faces federal accusations that she embezzled thousands of dollars from an estate he was handling. Shelia Mae Boone is accused of forging checks for more than $270,000 from estate funds, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. She is charged with two counts of bank…

Sep 21, 2007 11:38 AM CDT

Hearing Transcripts to Go Online

The policy-making arm of the nation’s federal courts voted today to make it easier for both lawyers and the public to access court materials. For lawyers, the big news is the plan approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States to put transcripts of district and bankruptcy court proceedings…

Sep 18, 2007 7:01 PM CDT

Nursing Homes Sue Over PI Firm’s Ad

A personal injury law firm has been sued by the owners of a nursing home chain prominently mentioned in the law firm’s Web site advertising. Genesis Healthcare Corp. contends McHugh Fuller Law Group misappropriated its trademark and logo by including these brands on a Web page seeking plaintiffs interested in…

Sep 7, 2007 5:27 PM CDT

4th Circuit Nomination Criticized

One of President Bush’s two new nominees for the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is under fire because he wasn’t on a recommended list drawn up by Virginia’s two senators. The nominee, E. Duncan Getchell Jr., chair of the appellate practice group at McGuireWoods, has represented the Virginia Republican…

Sep 7, 2007 4:23 PM CDT

No Courtroom Jihad in Moussaoui Trial

The judge and the lawyers wanted a fair trial. Terrorism defendant Zacarias Moussaoui wanted something different: a courtroom jihad against the United States. “He fought with the judge. He fought with his lawyers. Eventually, he fought with the prosecutors in a riveting cross-examination. But all of those battles were in…

Sep 7, 2007 9:59 AM CDT

Moussaoui v. The United States

How due process thwarted a courtroom jihad

Sep 1, 2007 8:00 AM CDT

Bad Closing Doc Puts Va. Lawyer in Jail

A former president of the Northern Virginia Bankruptcy Bar Association reportedly has been sentenced by a federal judge to a year and a day in jail for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The sentence yesterday concerned a closing document that Leslie W. Lickstein, 54, of Fairfax, prepared in 2002 for…

Aug 31, 2007 4:22 PM CDT

State Secrets Often Cited to Crush Suits

The Bush administration is apparently relying on the state secrets privilege in a motion seeking dismissal of a lawsuit claiming a Belgian banking cooperative gave customers’ records to the United States without a warrant. The Justice Department says in a July 25 motion that the suit should be dismissed to…

Aug 31, 2007 3:54 PM CDT

4th Circuit to Rehear Detainee Case

A federal appeals court has granted en banc review in a case challenging the indefinite military detention of a civilian who is suspected of terrorist ties. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will rehear the case at its Oct. 31 session, SCOTUSblog reports. Its en banc order vacates a…

Aug 23, 2007 6:33 PM CDT