Administrative Law

Ex-Obama Aide Remained a Chicago Resident, Stays on Ballot for Mayor’s Race, Judge Rules

Asked to overturn an administrative ruling that determined the former White House chief of staff for President Barack Obama remained a resident of Chicago while he worked in the nation’s capital and hence is qualified to run for election as the city’s mayor, a state-court judge in Illinois has instead…

Jan 4, 2011 9:19 PM CST

New Accusers Sue Favre & Jets, Alleging Team Didn’t Address Known Sexual Harassment

Reportedly irked by what they saw as a slap-on-the-wrist $50,000 fine imposed on former New York Jets quarterback Brett Favre concerning allegations that he sexually harassed sideline team reporter Jenn Sterger and sent her an explicit photo, two more women have stepped up to the plate. In a lawsuit filed…

Jan 4, 2011 1:06 AM CST

Lawyer is Suspended Over Hit-and-Run for Which He Initially Blamed His Wife and ‘Road Raged’ Bikers

A Vermont lawyer who reportedly is a former traffic court judge caused an accident in September 2007 by braking abruptly after passing two bikers. Then he blamed the crash on his wife—falsely claiming that she had been the driver—and the “road raged” bikers for the fact that he didn’t stop…

Jan 3, 2011 8:26 PM CST

His Town: Firefighter, Lawyer, Now Mayor of the City He Helped Incorporate

Lawyer Arturo Martínez de Vara’s hometown of Von Ormy, Texas, is a community where people talk about the Texas Revolution as if it were yesterday. Settled before the Alamo fell, Von Ormy, population 1,300 and 15 miles southwest of downtown San Antonio, is rich in history but short on amenities.…

Jan 1, 2011 8:09 AM CST

Judge Clears 6 Verrill Dana Lawyers on All Ethics Charges re Ex-Partner’s $300K Theft

Tried on ethics charges in an attorney disciplinary case because they allegedly didn’t act quickly enough to investigate a then-partner’s theft of some $300,000 from clients and the firm and notify Maine authorities in 2007, six Verrill Dana lawyers have been cleared. The lawyers, who were targeted for discipline because…

Dec 30, 2010 12:41 PM CST

Lawyer Suspended for Giving ‘Certain Items of Value’ to Judge

A Pennsylvania lawyer who cooperated with federal authorities in a criminal case against a former state-court judge reportedly won’t face any criminal charges himself. But Harry Cardoni has been temporarily suspended from law practice by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court based on his admission that he provided “certain items of value”…

Dec 29, 2010 6:06 PM CST

Stuck on Snowy Airport Tarmac Nearly 12 Hours, Passengers Weren’t Covered by New Deplaning Rule

After airline passengers complained about sometimes being stranded for hours on the tarmac without food and other amenities, due to unusual weather conditions, new federal regulations were adopted holding carriers responsible for such delays and requiring that passengers be able to deplane after three hours. But they don’t apply to…

Dec 29, 2010 3:55 PM CST

Dispute Over $5 Municipal Meeting CD Costs Township $17K, All But $4.04 for Attorney’s Fees

Charged a $5 fee for a compact disc recording of a 2008 municipal meeting in Bridgewater, N.J., resident Tom Coulter thought the fee, which is set by a municipal ordinance, was excessive. So he complained to the New Jersey Government Records Council, which agreed. The township now offers a CD…

Dec 23, 2010 5:16 PM CST

Lawyer Represents Convicted Boyfriend, Gets Into Battle of Wills With Probation Dept., is Suspended

An Arizona criminal defense lawyer has been suspended from practice for six months by a state supreme court order (PDF), followed by two years of probation, for representing a man with whom she already had a relationship. In addition to damaging his case during a battle of wills with his…

Dec 21, 2010 7:38 PM CST

Probate Judge Can’t Moonlight at a Funeral Home, Says Ethics Panel

Adding another gig to the list of jobs forbidden to moonlighting jurists, a South Carolina ethics panel has ruled that a newly elected probate judge who happens to be a licensed funeral director can’t continue to work weekends at a funeral home. “[A] judge should not engage in business or…

Dec 20, 2010 10:09 PM CST

Commerce Dept. Panel’s Report Calls For Internet ‘Privacy Bill of Rights’ and New Oversight Office

In a report (PDF) released today, an Internet policy task force at the U.S. Department of Commerce calls for the creation of a “Privacy Bill of Rights” as well as an oversight office to help enforce it. Although it made little mention of a “do not track” option suggested last…

Dec 17, 2010 12:12 AM CST

Secretary: I Told Managing Partner He Was Out of His Mind As He Defended Thieving Colleague

In an ongoing legal ethics trial of six attorneys from a prominent Maine law firm, a former secretary there has now given her account of what was said after she blew the whistle on a trust and estates partner who had stolen from Verrill Dana and its clients. In an…

Dec 16, 2010 12:39 AM CST

After Babies’ Deaths, Feds Ban Drop-Side Cribs, OK ‘Strongest Crib Standard in the World’

Following the deaths of at least 32 babies since 2000 from falls or strangulation, the Federal Product Safety Commission today adopted new crib-safety specifications that one observer called the “strongest crib standard in the word.” The new rules ban all drop-side cribs and impose tougher rules for crib slats and…

Dec 15, 2010 8:05 PM CST

At Issue in Ethics Trial: Did Verrill Dana Try to Cover Up in $300K Partner Theft Matter?

After hearing on June 13, 2007 that a secretary had blown the whistle on a longtime Verrill Dana senior partner, then-managing partner David Warren asked to see check copies, bank records and a spreadsheet and confronted his accused colleague, John Duncan, on June 28. Duncan looked him the eye, Warren…

Dec 14, 2010 7:07 PM CST

Legal Reformer Has Deficit Solution: Sunset Provisions in Every Law

Legal reform activist Philip K. Howard has a proposal to cut the deficit: All laws should automatically expire after 10 to 15 years. Howard, a Covington & Burling partner, says laws are nearly impossible to repeal after their adoption, “bogging the country down” in regulations that result in higher taxes…

Dec 14, 2010 12:00 PM CST