Melanie Kalmanson dedicates pro bono work to death penalty education

When the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in the death penalty case Hurst v. Florida in January 2016, it effectively changed the course of Melanie Kalmanson’s career. “That’s when my passion for these issues started, when I was seeing it in real life, living these cases, working on these cases, seeing how it affected Florida,” Kalmanson says. “The thing that really hit me was how little society knows about the reality of the death penalty.”

Oct 1, 2024 1:00 AM CDT

Justice for Survivors: ABA Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence marks 30 years of advocacy

Oct 1, 2024 12:20 AM CDT

No Small Matter

An unfortunate case of mistaken identity has had years of repercussions for one man and inspired a group of law students to try to correct what they see as a miscarriage of justice. It was a long shot. Innocence clinics usually don’t work with clients convicted of minor offenses.

Oct 1, 2024 12:00 AM CDT

Suspect in custody after courthouse explosion that injured 2 people

Police were questioning a suspect Wednesday afternoon after he was arrested following an explosion at the Santa Maria Courthouse in California.

Sep 25, 2024 4:05 PM CDT

Judge’s tactics of ‘overzealous collection’ lead to unpaid suspension

The Ohio Supreme Court has suspended an Ohio judge who deemed it to be impractical to comply with a law setting procedural safeguards for jailing people for failure to pay fines.

Sep 25, 2024 2:47 PM CDT

Client convicted for murdering Tiananmen Square ‘hero’ lawyer who refused to continue representation

A New York woman was convicted of murder Friday for fatally stabbing her immigration lawyer in March 2022, three days after police escorted her from the law office for a choking attack.

Sep 24, 2024 11:19 AM CDT

Man gets prison time for attorney-fraud scheme that targeted some BigLaw firms

A North Carolina man convicted in an attorney-fraud scheme has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay more than $22.5 million in restitution to 73 victims, including four BigLaw firms.

Sep 24, 2024 10:13 AM CDT

Ex-prosecutor indicted for alleged bribery conspiracy is ‘honorable man,’ his lawyer says

A former Louisiana prosecutor accused in a kickback scheme is an “honorable man” who will “stand tall and fight these false allegations,” according to his lawyer.

Sep 23, 2024 1:32 PM CDT

Dechert, 2 ex-partners settle RICO suit alleging scheme to steal data from client’s opponent

An airline executive who alleged that a former Dechert partner conspired to hack and release his emails in a campaign to silence him has settled his civil RICO lawsuit against the law firm defendants.

Sep 23, 2024 9:33 AM CDT

Alaska man charged with threatening to kill six Supreme Court justices

An Alaska man has been arrested after allegedly threatening to torture and assassinate six Supreme Court justices and their relatives, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

Sep 19, 2024 10:40 AM CDT

Teen shooters and their parents’ responsibilities examined in Fox’s ‘Accused’

School shootings by youths have risen frequently over the last quarter century, and the past five years reflect a substantially higher number of incidents, according to a recent article published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Sep 19, 2024 8:52 AM CDT

Aspiring nurse convicted in ‘utterly bonkers’ trial can’t sue for damages, full appeals court says

A would-be nurse convicted of cocaine possession in a trial in which the prosecutor moonlighted as a law clerk for the presiding judge can’t sue for damages, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Sep 19, 2024 8:47 AM CDT

Murder trial delayed for slain law prof’s mother-in-law after her lead lawyer resigns

A Florida woman accused in the July 2014 murder of her son-in-law, a professor at the Florida State University College of Law, won’t be going to trial in Tallahassee, Florida, this week because of the resignation of her lead attorney.

Sep 18, 2024 1:21 PM CDT

Disbarred lawyer is sentenced for alleged forgery that facilitated deed thefts

A disbarred attorney accused of impersonating a practicing lawyer to forge legal documents in a deed theft scheme was sentenced last week to 18 months to three years in prison for her actions.

Sep 17, 2024 9:12 AM CDT

Americans’ trust in government and elections differs by party affiliation, new report finds

With the November 2024 presidential election less than two months away, a new report by the World Justice Project is ringing alarm bells about American skepticism in the election process, political polarization and an overall lack of faith in government accountability.

Sep 17, 2024 12:01 AM CDT