Alabama

After defense lawyer dies during trial, judge convicted for using public funds for vacations, personal purchases

A former Alabama judge accused of using his office for personal gain and lying about it was convicted last week on 17 of 18 counts against him.

Nov 13, 2025 10:54 AM CST

Federal courts furlough some staff as money runs out; Supreme Court will close to the public

The federal judiciary ran out of money for full, paid operations Monday, according to an announcement by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

Oct 20, 2025 10:02 AM CDT

LGBTQ rights lawyer faces federal indictment for testimony in ‘judge shopping’ probe

A lawyer working for an advocacy organization for the LGBTQ+ community is facing a federal indictment alleging that he made false statements while testifying in an inquiry into "judge shopping."

Sep 11, 2025 12:15 PM CDT

Delcianna Winders has woven a web of animal law clinics and programs

“Becoming a lawyer was a good pathway to channel my animal advocacy, and the law plays a really important role in the status of animals,” says ABA member Delcianna Winders. “It’s an important lever that I could have an impact on.”

Sep 2, 2025 11:55 AM CDT

5 hallucinated cases lead federal judge to kick 3 Butler Snow lawyers off case

Three Butler Snow lawyers may no longer represent a former corrections commissioner in Alabama because they filed two motions with five “completely made up” case citations produced by ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence application, a federal judge ruled last week.

Jul 30, 2025 9:13 AM CDT

SCOTUS will consider impact of death row inmate’s multiple IQ tests in determining execution eligibility

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether and how courts can consider multiple IQ tests when considering whether a death row inmate is intellectually disabled and ineligible for execution.

Jun 12, 2025 3:51 PM CDT

Did Trump violate law by deploying National Guard troops? Commentators see issues as California sues

The state of California is filing a lawsuit that seeks to set aside President Donald Trump’s order sending at least 2,000 state National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to protests there over immigration raids, the state announced Monday.

Jun 10, 2025 9:15 AM CDT

Coco Su helps expand access to justice throughout California

Coco Su has worked with the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s lawyer referral service, SmartLaw, for more than a decade and is now its director. She has been the driving force behind many of its efforts to increase access to justice for underserved communities and low-to-moderate income consumers.

Jun 9, 2025 9:12 AM CDT

AI-hallucinated cases end up in more court filings, and Butler Snow issues apology for ‘inexcusable’ lapse

Butler Snow is asking a federal judge to exempt its government client from sanctions for the law firm's use of incorrect citations generated by artificial intelligence in two documents filed with the court.

May 27, 2025 2:37 PM CDT

Inmate executed with nitrogen gas after Supreme Court declines to intervene, with 4 dissents

A Louisiana death row inmate was executed Tuesday by nitrogen gas, the first time that the execution method was used in Louisiana and the fifth time that it was used in the United States.

Mar 19, 2025 10:02 AM CDT

Federal judge sanctions 3 LGBTQ rights lawyers for ‘malignant practice’ of ‘judge shopping’

A federal judge in Alabama has sanctioned three lawyers for trying to get their cases challenging an Alabama transgender law assigned to a judge deemed more hospitable to their arguments.

Mar 3, 2025 9:44 AM CST

Federal judge fed up with ‘fiddle-faddle’ requires lawyers to meet for lunch; how did it go?

Lawyers who met for lunch upon the orders of a federal judge have submitted their report as directed.

Jan 21, 2025 2:17 PM CST

‘Jailbreak: Love on the Run’ misses chance to examine staff sexual misconduct at detention centers

Many states including Oklahoma, where I practice, have laws that create strict liability crimes when a person in power engages in a sexual relationship with someone subject to that authority. The underlying theory is someone cannot legally consent in those situations because of the power imbalance.

Nov 7, 2024 2:31 PM CST

Meet Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias, who wears GOP scorn ‘like a badge of honor’

Even his detractors call Democratic lawyer Marc Elias one of the toughest election lawyers in the country. “In his three-decade career,” the New York Times reports, he “has arguably done more than any single person outside government to shape … the rules.”

Nov 4, 2024 11:23 AM CST

Vanderbilt’s goal post teardown follows a football tradition that’s led to litigation from injured fans

Serious injuries have occurred when exuberant football fans engaged in the time-honored revelry of making goal posts a trophy of a significant or improbable win. Some of those harmed have sought to lay blame and seek compensation. In several such cases, it took referees in black robes to sort it out.

Oct 8, 2024 3:06 PM CDT