Government

6517 ABA Journal Government articles.

Mass. Clerk Accused of Courtoom Sex, Promising Leniency to Defendant

A state-court clerk in Massachusetts has been accused of having courtroom sex with a defendant and promising her leniency in exchange. James “Jim” Burke, 41, was arrested this morning by federal agents and is accused in a federal criminal case with having sex with an accused defendant in an empty…

Feb 27, 2009 8:54 PM CST

Feds Ignored Loan Problems at Failing IndyMac, Treasury Report Says

The federal Office of Thrift Supervision ignored inflated appraisals and lax lending standards that led to the failure of California-based IndyMac Bancorp, according to a report by the U.S. Treasury Department’s inspector general. And that failure cost the taxpayer-funded Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. $10.7 billion, writes the Los Angeles Times.…

Feb 27, 2009 1:42 AM CST

Philadelphia DA’s Office Revokes Offers to All 12 Incoming Attorneys

In an unprecedented move, the 300-lawyer Philadelphia district attorney’s office has revoked its earlier offers to all 12 of the new attorneys who were scheduled to start work there this fall. Hiring committee chair Kathleen McDonnell said reduced attrition–only two lawyers left last year, compared to the usual 30 or…

Feb 27, 2009 1:20 AM CST

‘Enemy Combatant’ Al-Marri To Be Charged in Civilian Criminal Case

A U.S. prisoner who has been held without trial for more than five years as an alleged “enemy combatant” is now reportedly about to be charged by the Department of Justice in a civilian criminal case. The expected indictment against Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, a legal resident and citizen of…

Feb 26, 2009 10:23 PM CST

Philly to Pay $7M Legal Bill; It’s Hard to Hire In-House Lawyers for Only $49K

Philadelphia’s top in-house lawyer had hoped to cut outside counsel costs significantly this year, to about $566,000. But that didn’t happen. Instead, when the current fiscal year ends on June 30, it looks like the city law department will have spent about $7.1 million on outside counsel, the most in…

Feb 26, 2009 7:17 PM CST

British Lord Gets 12 Weeks for Text-Messaging Behind the Wheel

A member of the British House of Lords has been given a 12-week jail term for dangerous driving after sending text-messages while behind the wheel. Although a solicitor for Lord Nazir Ahmed, 51, says he will appeal the sentence, the peer was sent straight to jail today after a judge…

Feb 25, 2009 8:22 PM CST

Durbin to Burris: You Should Resign; Burris: I Won’t

Upping the ante in a likely U.S. Senate showdown, Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) suggested to his junior colleague, newly appointed Sen. Roland Burris (D.-Ill.) in a one-on-one meeting today that he should resign. But Burris refused, reports the Washington Post in its Capitol Briefing blog. “I told him, ‘If…

Feb 24, 2009 10:09 PM CST

ACLU Backs Florida Bait Shop Ticketed for Displaying US Constitution

Updated: At first, it was a painting of game fish on an exterior wall of a Florida bait and tackle shop that drew adverse attention from sign code enforcement officials of the city of Clearwater, who said it violates a ban on a business displaying a depiction of the product…

Feb 24, 2009 9:31 PM CST

Never Mind: Texas City Nixes Plan to Pay Personal Credit Bills with Public Funds

In an effort to increase the pool of potential homeowners, the city council of Houston was considering paying some personal credit card bills with taxpayer funds. But a public outcry has persuaded the city’s governing body to remove the proposal from its agenda, reports the Houston Chronicle. By giving individuals…

Feb 24, 2009 8:55 PM CST

Top Cop Resigns Over Death Threats; Mexican Official’s Bodyguard is Slain

In the wake of news last week that the police chief of a major Mexican city in Chihuahua had resigned rather than face the threat of another police officer being slain every 48 hours, a bodyguard for the state’s leader was murdered Sunday as he traveled in a convoy with…

Feb 24, 2009 12:48 AM CST

Continuing Luzerne, Pa., Court Probe: Were Auto Accident Cases Fixed?

Was the deck stacked against defense attorneys in uninsured and underinsured motorists cases in Luzerne County, Pa.? That is the issue on which investigators are now focusing in the latest chapter of an ongoing federal probe of court corruption there, reports the Legal Intelligencer. A pro-plaintiff arbitration system has been…

Feb 23, 2009 8:04 PM CST

Why Didn’t SEC Move Faster in Stanford Case, Law Prof Wonders

What did the feds know about the operations of R. Allen Stanford, and when did the feds know it? That is essentially the question on the mind of law professor Peter Henning of Wayne State University. Writing in the DealBook blog of the New York Times today, he ponders parallels…

Feb 23, 2009 7:14 PM CST

Appeals Court Revives Suit Against Katrina Insurers

A federal appeals court based in New Orleans has revived a whistle-blower suit claiming several insurance companies tried to shift the burden of paying for Hurricane Katrina damages onto the federal government. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Louisiana suit may continue against all but two insurers,…

Feb 20, 2009 6:17 PM CST

US Clients of UBS Mull Options as Feds Press Swiss Bank to Name More Names

Contending that a Swiss bank’s plan to name client names to U.S. regulators as part of a $780 million settlement of a criminal tax probe violates Switzerland law requiring secrecy, American depositors are mulling their options. Attorney Andreas Rued of the Rued Winkler law firm in Zurich said unnamed UBS…

Feb 19, 2009 6:53 PM CST

SEC Looked Into Stanford CDs in 2005; Why Didn’t Feds Act Sooner in $8B Case?

In 2005, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sent letters to holders of certificates of deposit at Stanford International Bank of Antigua, seeking information about how the instruments had been marketed. And, as two former brokers for R. Allen Stanford contend in a lawsuit they filed in January 2008, they…

Feb 19, 2009 12:38 AM CST

Read more ...

Government

Mass. Clerk Accused of Courtoom Sex, Promising Leniency to Defendant

Feds Ignored Loan Problems at Failing IndyMac, Treasury Report Says

Philadelphia DA’s Office Revokes Offers to All 12 Incoming Attorneys

‘Enemy Combatant’ Al-Marri To Be Charged in Civilian Criminal Case

Philly to Pay $7M Legal Bill; It’s Hard to Hire In-House Lawyers for Only $49K

British Lord Gets 12 Weeks for Text-Messaging Behind the Wheel

Durbin to Burris: You Should Resign; Burris: I Won’t

ACLU Backs Florida Bait Shop Ticketed for Displaying US Constitution

Never Mind: Texas City Nixes Plan to Pay Personal Credit Bills with Public Funds

Top Cop Resigns Over Death Threats; Mexican Official’s Bodyguard is Slain

Continuing Luzerne, Pa., Court Probe: Were Auto Accident Cases Fixed?

Why Didn’t SEC Move Faster in Stanford Case, Law Prof Wonders

Appeals Court Revives Suit Against Katrina Insurers

US Clients of UBS Mull Options as Feds Press Swiss Bank to Name More Names

SEC Looked Into Stanford CDs in 2005; Why Didn’t Feds Act Sooner in $8B Case?

Topics: Career & Practice

Judge's advocacy for domestic violence survivors changed Arizona laws

Your Voice

Lawyers must lead in efforts to preserve accessible, equitable and transparent rule-of-law system

Podcasts

Legal thriller author David Ellis' day job? Appellate court justice

Government

Most Read

Topics: Career & Practice

Your Voice

Podcasts