Court Security

Man is accused of sending hundreds of threatening emails and voicemails to judges, public officials

A Los Angeles man is facing a federal charge for allegedly threatening and harassing New Jersey judges and public officials in hundreds of emails and voicemails.

Sep 28, 2023 4:45 PM CDT

Religious act may protect Jehovah’s Witness who refused psychiatric meds before trial, 5th Circuit says

A federal judge should consider the religious claims of a defendant who has refused to take psychiatric medications to become competent for trial on a charge of threatening a New Orleans judge, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Aug 15, 2023 2:09 PM CDT

Impact of trauma on judges, their families and court staff should be studied, ABA House says

At the ABA Annual Meeting in Denver on Tuesday, the House of Delegates supported a resolution encouraging judicial leaders to study the impact of trauma on judges, their families and staff and recommend steps to improve their safety and mental wellness.

Aug 8, 2023 4:37 PM CDT

Montana judge gets unpaid suspension for courthouse hallway comments

A Montana judge is getting a public reprimand and a 30-day unpaid suspension as a result of remarks that he made about a witness while in a courthouse hallway.

May 11, 2023 9:13 AM CDT

Alito says he has ‘a pretty good idea’ who leaked Dobbs, complains that organized bar isn’t defending justices

Justice Samuel Alito says he personally has “a pretty good idea who is responsible” for the May 2, 2022, leak of the U.S. Supreme Court’s abortion decision, “but that’s different from the level of proof that is needed to name somebody.”

May 1, 2023 9:54 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Legal sector continues to gain jobs; Roe v. Wade archive auctioned

Legal sector adds 1,500 jobs The legal services sector continues to add jobs, despite reports of layoffs at some BigLaw firms. The sector gained 1,500 jobs in February, according to preliminary and seasonally adjusted figures released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In January, the industry gained 800…

Mar 10, 2023 11:57 AM CST

Pro tips for using Zoom in virtual courtroom proceedings

Three years into a pandemic full of uncertainties, one thing is clear—virtual legal proceedings are here to stay. Now, attorneys are expected to control the nuances of Zoom to create the most impact.

Mar 3, 2023 8:57 AM CST

Colorado man faces $300K bond after suing, threatening multiple judges

A Colorado man still faces a $300,000 bond after being indicted by a grand jury on 24 counts, including criminal extortion, conspiracy and retaliation against a judge.

Feb 23, 2023 12:52 PM CST

SCOTUS justices were questioned but not implicated in Dobbs leak probe; some are concerned about double standard

Investigators questioned U.S. Supreme Court justices as they probed the leak of a draft opinion overturning the right to abortion, but the justices were not required to sign affidavits, the official who oversaw the probe said Friday.

Jan 23, 2023 10:09 AM CST

Who leaked Dobbs? SCOTUS investigators don’t know, despite 97 employee interviews and forensic sleuthing

The U.S. Supreme Court can’t identify who leaked Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion overturning the right to abortion to Politico in May 2022, according to a report released Thursday.

Jan 19, 2023 3:11 PM CST

Security officer shoots armed man outside federal courthouse

A security officer shot and wounded a man who approached him with sharp objects outside the federal courthouse in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Jan 18, 2023 11:23 AM CST

Congress passes bills to protect judges, remove statue of Dred Scott decision author

ABA President Deborah Enix-Ross is applauding Congress for passing a bill intended to keep federal judges safe by banning disclosure of their personal information.

Dec 19, 2022 8:46 AM CST

Lawyer’s testimony about client’s threat to ‘bust a cap’ in prosecutor warrants reversal, appeals court says

A trial court erred when it allowed a lawyer to testify about a client’s alleged threats against a prosecutor during two private conversations in the courthouse hallway, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals has ruled.

Nov 22, 2022 2:04 PM CST

Law firms, courts deal with aftermath of Hurricane Ian

Law firms and courthouses are dealing with Hurricane Ian and its aftermath.

Sep 30, 2022 1:21 PM CDT

Town justice who brandished gun at defendant should be ousted, judicial conduct commission says

A town and village justice in Whitehall, New York, should be removed from office for brandishing or pointing a handgun at a defendant and then apparently bragging about it in racial terms, according to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

Sep 22, 2022 2:32 PM CDT