D.C. Circuit Court

Judge Won’t Block Whole Foods Deal

A D.C. federal judge has refused to issue an injunction barring Whole Foods from buying competitor Wild Oats for $565 million. Judge Paul Friedman didn’t agree with government claims that the two chains dominated a distinct market for natural and organic foods, a lawyer who read his sealed opinion told…

Aug 17, 2007 12:51 PM CDT

Reporters Ordered to Reveal Sources

A federal judge has ordered five reporters to reveal their law enforcement sources in a lawsuit filed by a bioterrorism expert once identified as a person of interest in the 2001 anthrax attacks. Steven J. Hatfill claims the government violated the Privacy Act by leaking information about him. He has…

Aug 14, 2007 12:04 PM CDT

Fight Over Drug Access Continues

The founder of a group fighting for access to unapproved drugs vows to seek an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled in an 8-2 en banc opinion yesterday that there is no constitutional right of access to experimental drugs. (See…

Aug 8, 2007 1:14 PM CDT

No Right of Access to Drugs, Court Rules

An en banc federal appeals court ruled today that patients don’t have a constitutional right of access to experimental drugs that have passed limited safety trials. The ruling (PDF) by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit found no due process right of access, How Appealing reports.…

Aug 7, 2007 3:50 PM CDT

Raid of Congressman’s Office Improper

A federal appeals court ruled today that the FBI must return privileged legislative documents seized in a raid of U.S. Rep. William Jefferson’s office last year. Jefferson was indicted after the raid on charges he solicited more than $500,000 in bribes. He has pleaded not guilty. The U.S. Court of…

Aug 3, 2007 4:31 PM CDT

Whole Foods Hearing to Begin

In a two-day hearing that begins tomorrow, a federal judge will consider whether Whole Foods Market Inc. may gobble up its competitor, Wild Oats Markets Inc. The Federal Trade Commission contends the two grocers will dominate the market for premium organic groceries if the merger proceeds. To defeat the merger,…

Jul 30, 2007 8:14 PM CDT

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 ruling striking down the ban says the NRA has joined him “ever so grudgingly” in the case, Legal Times reports.…

Jul 30, 2007 1:12 PM CDT

IRS E-Mail Advice to Be Disclosed

A federal appeals court has ruled that the Internal Revenue Service must release e-mail advice prepared by the Office of Chief Counsel for field personnel. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit disagreed with the IRS, which contended that e-mails prepared in less than two hours…

Jul 25, 2007 7:52 PM CDT

Court Bars Longer Trucker Hours

A federal appeals court has struck down a rule that allowed truckers to drive 11 consecutive hours a day. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled yesterday that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration failed to provide an adequate explanation for the 2005 rule, the Associated Press…

Jul 25, 2007 2:32 PM CDT

Court to Review Classified Gitmo Evidence

A federal appeals court has ordered the government to disclose classified evidence against Guantanamo detainees to the court and the lawyers who are defending them. The ruling on Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit indicates the court intends to conduct full reviews of…

Jul 23, 2007 2:31 PM CDT

The Day the Internet Music Dies

Playing music on the Internet gets more expensive on Sunday—in some cases prohibitively so—because of inaction by a federal appeals court. Sunday is the day that broadcast royalty rates will increase because of a decision by an obscure group of federal judges called the Copyright Royalty Board, the Los Angeles…

Jul 13, 2007 5:05 PM CDT

Irked Judge Upholds Libby Commutation

In what a well-known U.S. Supreme Court blog describes as “a 10-page opinion bristling with actual and implied criticism” of President George W. Bush’s commutation of the 30-month prison term imposed on I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the federal judge who sentenced the former top vice presidential aide held today that…

Jul 13, 2007 2:57 AM CDT

SEC Asserts Hedge-Fund Authority

The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted a new anti-fraud rule that clarifies its ability to sue hedge-fund managers who mislead investors. The new rule, which takes effect 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register, covers account managers who make false or misleading reports to investors, the…

Jul 11, 2007 6:58 PM CDT

Libby Probation OK, Briefs Say

I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby may be sentenced to two years of supervised release in spite of President Bush’s commutation of his prison sentence, prosecutors and defense lawyers agreed in court papers filed yesterday. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton of the District of Columbia had questioned whether Libby could receive probation…

Jul 10, 2007 2:41 PM CDT

Alleged Madam May Reveal Records

The alleged D.C. madam has offered the media phone records that could identify customers after a federal judge’s decision to allow their release. Deborah Jeane Palfrey originally wanted to charge for the records, but now says they are available for free through her Web site, according to Reuters. “Jeane has…

Jul 6, 2007 4:30 PM CDT