ABA Journal

Appellate Practice

2018 ABA Journal Appellate Practice articles.

Joel Steinberg Wants $15 M Award Tossed

Disbarred lawyer Joel Steinberg, convicted of manslaughter for killing his adopted daughter with a blow to the head, is asking New York’s highest court to overturn a $15 million civil…

Fed’l Judge: Execute Inmates Efficiently

California’s death row is not only the biggest in the nation but perhaps the most backlogged. The average prisoner waits nearly 20 years to be executed, and, since capital punishment…

Canadian Cleared in 1959 Murder

Concluding a case that has fascinated Canadians for decades, an Ontario appeals court yesterday acquitted Steven Truscott of a 48-year-old crime that originally resulted in a death sentence for him…

Who Will Close in Spector Murder Trial?

At the conclusion of five months of testimony in Phil Spector’s murder trial and with closing arguments scheduled to begin on Sept. 5, observers are asking an unusual question. Who…

Two SG Lawyers Step Into Fray

U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement’s appointment to serve as acting attorney general has resulted in a temporary promotion for his deputy Gregory Garre, who…

Lawyer not ‘Client’s Puppet,’ Court Says

A federal appeals court has ruled a lawyer need not file an appeal that was waived by his client in a voluntary plea bargain, despite rulings to the contrary by…

Secret-Case Strategy: Guess US Argument

In 27 years of practice, Jon Eisenberg has never had a more difficult case than Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation v. George W. Bush. One reason why is the extraordinary secrecy imposed…

Secrecy Shrouds Wiretap Case

A pending appeal in a wiretaps case is so secret that the lawyer for the plaintiffs wasn’t permitted to see the government’s full brief and had to write his own…

NRA Had High Court Misgivings

The National Rifle Association may be a reluctant Supreme Court suitor in a Washington, D.C., case that challenges the district’s handgun ban.

The lawyer who won a federal appeals court…

Are New Justices Rewriting Case Law?

Two new members of the U.S. Supreme Court reportedly have lost no time in overturning a number of settled precedents. And among those taking note of the situation are members…

Fla. Judge: No Execution; It’s Too Cruel

A Florida judge has refused to impose the death penalty on a specific prisoner, following a botched 30-minute execution of another inmate on Dec. 13.

Ruling Sunday in Ocala, after…

Bigger En Banc Panels Ditched

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has decided that bigger is not necessarily better.

The San Francisco-based federal appeals court had tried using 15-judge en banc panels, but is…

KPMG Lawyers: Unchain Us from Clients!

Representing a high-profile client in a major white-collar case can be both a blessing and a curse for a criminal defense attorney. Such cases can bring in big bucks and…

Amicus Reporting Scaled Back

The U.S. Supreme Court has listened to the critics and scaled back a proposed rule that would have required groups filing amicus briefs to reveal whether parties in the case…

‘Part-Time’ Partner Works 9 Hours a Day

Virginia Seitz is living proof that women lawyers can do it all, balancing a high-powered career with a family life.

The Washington, D.C., appellate practitioner, 50, is a partner at…

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