Family Law

SCOTUS refuses another stay in a same-sex marriage case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday refused to grant a stay that would have blocked same-sex marriages in South Carolina. The order (PDF) said Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas would have granted the stay, report the National Law Journal (sub. req.), the New York Times and SCOTUSblog. Those justices…

Nov 21, 2014 7:42 AM CST

Adrian Peterson of Vikings suspended without pay for rest of season after plea in child-abuse case

Citing “no meaningful remorse,” among other factors, Commissioner Roger Goodell of the NFL has suspended star Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, without pay, for at least the rest of the regular football season. Peterson pleaded no contest earlier this month to reckless assault for repeatedly striking his 4-year-old son…

Nov 18, 2014 10:25 AM CST

Girl, 2, on life support as court decides dispute between mom and dad about donating her organs

A judge has ordered a Brooklyn hospital to keep a 2-year-old girl on life support as he decides a dispute between her mother and father about whether her organs should be donated. The girl, Thaiya Spruill-Smith, was declared brain-dead Friday, the New York Times (reg. req.) reports. Her stepfather, David…

Nov 17, 2014 5:45 PM CST

Judge orders parents to pay estranged daughter’s $16K annual college tuition

Caitlyn Ricci is no long on speaking terms with her parents. However, the 21-year-old not only wants them to pay her college tuition but has won a New Jersey court judgment requiring them to do so. Their share of her educational costs is $16,000 per year, the Daily Caller and…

Nov 14, 2014 4:30 PM CST

Scalia and Thomas criticize inconsistent cert denials, cite gay-marriage cases

Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia are citing cert denials in gay-marriage cases as an example of the Supreme Court’s inconsistency in deciding when to review state laws struck down as unconstitutional. Thomas and Scalia referred to the same-sex marriage cases in an immigration case that had “nothing to do…

Nov 14, 2014 7:54 AM CST

US Supreme Court allows Kansas same-sex marriages to proceed; two justices dissent

The U.S. Supreme Court has lifted a temporary stay and allowed same-sex marriages to proceed in Kansas. The court acted Wednesday night, the New York Times, the Washington Post and SCOTUSblog report. The order vacates a stay issued Monday evening by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who handles emergency appeals from the…

Nov 13, 2014 8:36 AM CST

Did 9th Circuit deviate from random panels in gay marriage cases? Group seizes on Kozinski remarks

A Nevada group supporting a ban on gay marriages is seizing on remarks by Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to support its claim that panels hearing gay-rights cases are not selected in a neutral way. The Coalition for Protection of Marriage sent a…

Nov 12, 2014 7:36 AM CST

Supreme Court temporarily blocks same-sex marriage in Kansas

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has temporarily blocked same-sex marriages in Kansas in response to a stay application that cites a newly developed circuit split. Sotomayor, who handles emergency appeals from the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, granted the stay Monday evening, the New York Times, the…

Nov 11, 2014 7:12 AM CST

CEO must pay $995M in divorce case; analyst calls ‘rather small’ award good news for shareholders

In one of the largest divorce-court awards ever, an Oklahoma court has ruled that oil magnate Harold Hamm, 68, must pay his ex-wife more than $995 million. But Sue Ann Hamm, 58, had sought more, and observers say the award in the Oklahoma County case is good news for shareholders…

Nov 10, 2014 2:50 PM CST

6th Circuit upholds same-sex marriage bans in 4 states; will issue now go to US Supreme Court?

For the first time, a federal appeals court has refused to recognize a constitution-based right of same-sex couples to marry, creating a circuit split and setting the issue up for likely U.S. Supreme Court review. In a 2-1 decision (PDF) on Thursday, the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals…

Nov 6, 2014 4:45 PM CST

Inmate on death row for fatal 1992 divorce-court shooting rampage dies of natural causes

Kenneth Baumruk wasn’t able to overturn his death sentence for fatally shooting his wife and firing at the judge, lawyers for both sides and others in the vicinity of a Missouri divorce court hearing more than 20 years ago. But the former aerospace technician has avoided capital punishment by dying…

Nov 4, 2014 1:35 PM CST

Prosecutor removed from office over domestic case will go into private practice

A West Virginia prosecutor who faces misdemeanor charges over alleged domestic incidents involving his ex-wife and 11-year-old son has opted not to appeal a judicial panel’s determination that he should be removed from office. “My family and I have been attacked for almost a year. I love being a prosecutor,…

Nov 4, 2014 10:50 AM CST

On Forbes 400 list before 2008 business bankruptcy, ex-billionaire has paid $141.07 to trustee

Less than a decade ago, real estate entrepreneur Tim Blixseth was on the Forbes 400 list, with an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion. Now, after a divorce, the Yellowstone Club developer is dealing with its bankruptcy. A closed-door hearing is scheduled Monday in federal court in Butte, Montana, at…

Nov 3, 2014 1:15 PM CST

Couple who championed Hannah’s Law after daughter’s death are charged in felony benefits case

After their 4-year-old daughter choked on a grape at a day care center and died, Justin and Jennifer Kozitza were credited with getting a Minnesota law enacted that requires child-care workers to get CPR training. Now the two Hannah’s Law champions are facing a felony case, standing accused of illegally…

Nov 3, 2014 6:15 AM CST

Man who died after driving flaming truck into law firm had dated one of its clients

A Virginia man who died last Friday after lighting his pickup on fire and driving it into a North Carolina law firm had dated one of its clients. The driver, Alan Boyd Lanier, 56, of Amelia Court House, Virginia, near Richmond, was unemployed and depressed before the incident, his brother,…

Oct 24, 2014 7:15 AM CDT