Election Law

Supreme Court Upholds Indiana Voter ID Law

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld Indiana’s voter ID law against a facial challenge. The law requires voters to show photo identification before they vote. Challengers had contended the law improperly interferes with the right of poor people and minorities to vote. Three justices said the evidence did not support…

Apr 28, 2008 2:27 PM CDT

Fieger’s Dream Team Debuts This Week

The big-name plaintiffs lawyer Jeffry Fieger has called in a couple of other recognizable legal eagles to help defend himself against allegations that he and a partner illegally contributed $127,000 to Democrat John Edwards’ failed 2004 presidential campaign. Representing Fieger will be celebrated Wyoming criminal lawyer Gerry Spence, whose website…

Apr 21, 2008 2:23 PM CDT

Nasty Race for Wisconsin Supreme Court Ends With Upset

An expensive, bitter supreme court race in Wisconsin ended Tuesday with the first unseating of a justice since 1967, when Chief Justice George Currie was ousted after he allowed the Milwaukee Braves to relocate to Atlanta. Burnett County Circuit Judge Michael Gableman succeeded in his bid for the high court,…

Apr 2, 2008 6:25 PM CDT

Supreme Court Rejects Appeal Involving Anti-Clinton Movie

The U.S. Supreme Court has summarily rejected an appeal by a group that wants to buy ads promoting an anti-Hillary Clinton movie without complying with campaign finance laws. The decision lets stand a ruling by a federal district court that requires the group, Citizens United, to attach a disclaimer and…

Mar 24, 2008 2:51 PM CDT

Wisconsin Justice Dubbed ‘Loophole Louis’ in TV Ads

When Wisconsin voters decide whether to retain Justice Louis Butler on the state’s top court in the April 1 election, they may be swayed by a critical TV ad. It dubs the justice “Loophole Louis” for rulings favoring defendants in criminal cases. Not to be outdone, Butler supporters are running…

Mar 24, 2008 2:27 PM CDT

Legal Thriller Author Bashes Judicial Elections, to Chagrin of Newspaper

An editorial writer at the Wall Street Journal is taking legal thriller writer John Grisham to task for supporting merit selection of judges over judicial elections. Grisham backs merit selection of judges, as do retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and the American Bar Association (PDF). The method,…

Mar 20, 2008 1:02 PM CDT

Scalia Uses Oscar the Grouch Analogy to Support Political Party Rights

Justice Antonin Scalia showed his familiarity with Oscar the Grouch in a dissenting opinion on Tuesday that supported the right of political parties to affiliate with candidates of their choosing. Tony Mauro of Legal Times did a database check and found Scalia’s mention of the Sesame Street character was the…

Mar 20, 2008 12:31 PM CDT

Supreme Court Upholds Washington Primary System

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to Washington state’s primary system, SCOTUSblog reports. The system allows the two candidates who get the most votes to face each other in the general election, even if they are from the same party, the Associated Press reports. In the primary, candidates…

Mar 18, 2008 3:12 PM CDT

Obama Lawyer Dials in to Clinton Conference Call

Barack Obama’s campaign lawyer, Bob Bauer, found an unusual way to get some free press yesterday evening: Crash a conference call for the media convened by the Clinton camp. Bauer dialed in and called on his primary opponent to stop attacking the caucus process in Texas, clashing with Clinton communications…

Mar 5, 2008 1:13 PM CST

Ruling on Lawyer’s Nazi Comparison Ads Expected This Week

Embattled Michigan trial lawyer Geoffrey Fieger will learn this week whether a Detroit federal judge views his television ads as prejudicial pretrial publicity. The ad getting the most scrutiny compares the Bush administration to Nazis, the National Law Journal reports. It says: “They came for the Communists … the unionists…

Mar 3, 2008 2:03 PM CST

Lawyer Promotes Candidacy, Pokes Fun at His Disability, in YouTube Ads

Portland lawyer Steve Novick is taking a humorous look at his disabilities and his looks in YouTube ads seeking support for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate in Oregon. Novick was born without a left hand and is missing one of the two major bones between the knee and…

Feb 29, 2008 3:40 PM CST

Report Criticizes N.J. Law Firm and its Developer Client

A politically connected law firm and its developer client were criticized in a report issued yesterday by New Jersey’s inspector general detailing the failure of a project to clean up and build houses on landfills. The New York Times said sections of the report “amounted to a sweeping indictment of…

Feb 29, 2008 2:59 PM CST

O’Connor Decries Political Pressures on Judges

Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has taken her quest for merit selection of state judges to the pages of Parade magazine. In an article headlined “How to Save Our Courts,” O’Connor said groups that spend big money in judicial elections distort the issues and leave the impression…

Feb 25, 2008 1:04 PM CST

Bush Lawyer Imagines Déjà Vu Election Lawsuit—Between Democrats

The lawyer who represented President Bush in the battle over the 2000 election results raises the possibility of litigation, this time between Democrats, over the party’s rightful presidential nominee. Theodore Olson, a former solicitor general, writes in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal that the party’s “Rube Goldberg nominating…

Feb 11, 2008 2:29 PM CST

Lawyer-Lawmaker Celebrates Conviction Reversal

A Florida lawyer/lawmaker celebrated a state appeals court ruling that overturned his 2006 conviction for grand theft. Surrounded by supporters, state Sen. Gary Siplin spoke to reporters Monday, saying he felt “refreshed, re-energized and ready,” the Orlando Sentinel reports. “Glory, sweet glory be to God,” Siplin is quoted saying. “The…

Jan 4, 2008 7:49 PM CST