5th Circuit Court

Appeals court upholds lawyers’ convictions in internet-paramour money scheme

A federal appeals court has upheld the convictions of two formerly married lawyers who were accused of wrangling money from men who answered internet ads for sex. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the habeas appeals of Ted and Mary Roberts on Wednesday in an unpublished,…

Jun 30, 2016 10:52 AM CDT

After $35M Chadbourne settlement, second law firm faces litigation over Stanford Ponzi scheme

Terms of a settlement reached earlier this year between Chadbourne & Parke and victims of R. Allen Stanford’s $7 billion Ponzi scheme have been revealed. The law firm agreed to pay $35 million to resolve claims by both investors and a court-appointed receiver, in separate lawsuits, the plaintiffs say in…

May 9, 2016 10:45 AM CDT

5 ex-police officers admit guilt, get greatly reduced sentences in Katrina bridge-slayings plea deal

At their first sentencing, four New Orleans police officers involved in shooting a group of unarmed civilians on Danziger Bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina got prison terms of between 38 and 65 years. A fifth officer who reportedly played a key role in a cover-up of their crimes…

Apr 25, 2016 12:50 PM CDT

Lawyer who spoke out after fellow lawyer shot himself during trial gets suspension overturned

A Louisiana lawyer who criticized the prosecution of another lawyer who shot himself during trial should not have been suspended from federal court practice for speaking out, a federal appeals court has ruled. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit ruled (PDF) in a First Amendment challenge on Monday that a…

Apr 20, 2016 9:07 AM CDT

Texas immunity law protects BigLaw firms that represented Ponzi schemer, 5th Circuit rules

Law firms that represented convicted Ponzi schemer R. Allen Stanford are immune from a lawsuit by defrauded investors as a result of Texas law on attorney immunity, a federal appeals court has ruled. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (PDF) on Thursday in a suit against…

Mar 11, 2016 8:51 AM CST

Supreme Court blocks enforcement of Louisiana abortion clinic restrictions

Last month, a federal appeals court in New Orleans refused to block a Louisiana law that could close three of the state’s four abortion clinics, staying an injunction issued by a trial court. But on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively reversed that 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling…

Mar 4, 2016 4:55 PM CST

5th Circuit allows Louisiana abortion law to take effect; three of state’s four clinics could close

A federal appeals court on Wednesday refused to block a Louisiana law that requires abortion doctors to have admission privileges at hospitals within 30 miles from abortion clinics. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a judge’s injunction that had prevented the law from taking effect. The…

Feb 25, 2016 11:22 AM CST

Reprimand of federal judge for conduct toward court worker ‘far too lenient,’ lawyer says in appeal

A disciplinary group for a federal appeals court was “far too lenient” on a longtime federal judge reprimanded last month for making unwanted sexual advances toward a court employee in 1998, the attorney who made the ethics complaint says. U.S. District Judge Walter S. Smith Jr., who sits in Waco,…

Jan 19, 2016 10:45 AM CST

As execution looms, appellate lawyers fight client’s effort to get new counsel and seek clemency

Scheduled to be executed on Wednesday for setting a house fire that killed three children almost 15 years ago, a 36-year-old death row inmate in Texas has effectively been abandoned by his court-appointed appellate counsel, some observers say. Raphael Deon Holiday sent letter after letter from prison seeking to find…

Nov 17, 2015 2:00 PM CST

5th Circuit upholds injunction blocking Obama’s executive action on immigration

Updated: In a 2-1 opinion, a federal appeals court on Monday upheld a federal judge’s injunction blocking President Barack Obama’s executive action that would block deportation for up to 5 million immigrants. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Andrew…

Nov 10, 2015 11:52 AM CST

‘Angola Three’ prisoner to be tried a third time in guard’s death, despite district judge’s order

A Louisiana state judge on Monday ruled that a third trial will proceed against the final remaining Angola Three defendant still in prison for the 1972 death of a prison guard, the Associated Press reports. Judge William Carmichael also rejected defense attempts to prevent transcript testimony from a deceased prison-inmate…

Sep 22, 2015 11:05 AM CDT

Student suspended for posting rap song loses appeal; court sees blurred lines in Internet age

An en banc federal appeals court has upheld the suspension of a Mississippi high-school student who posted a rap song outside of school that threatened two coaches he accused of having sex with students. The student, a senior who called himself “T-Bizzle” in the rap song, had claimed in his…

Aug 21, 2015 7:42 AM CDT

Anonymous ‘cyberbullying’ by prosecutors deprived cops of fair trial, 5th Circuit says

Five New Orleans police officers convicted in connection with the shooting of unarmed civilians during the chaos after Hurricane Katrina deserve a new trial because of online “cyberbullying” by government lawyers, a federal appeals court has ruled. The 2-1 decision (PDF) by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of…

Aug 20, 2015 10:48 AM CDT

5th Circuit says strict Texas voter ID law violates Voting Rights Act

In what was described by the Dallas Morning News’ Trail Blazers Blog as a “narrow win” for opponents of a Texas voter identification law, a federal appeals court on Wednesday agreed with a federal district court judge that the law has a discriminatory impact and violates the U.S. Voting Rights…

Aug 5, 2015 4:15 PM CDT

Process server criminally charged for ‘slapped’ lawsuit gets civil rights case OK

A last-minute decision to have his wife and nephew take cellphone videos as he served a police brutality lawsuit outside a Louisiana courthouse may have saved Douglas Dendinger from a hefty prison term. Now Dendinger is hoping the videos will also play a significant role in his ongoing federal civil…

Jul 24, 2015 12:20 PM CDT