Government

8th Circuit Considers Whether Little Rock Schools Are Still Entitled to Desegregation ‘Carrot’

A federal appeals court will hear arguments today on whether three Arkansas schools districts are entitled to continue collecting money for desegregation. The state pays the school districts about $70 million a year under a 1989 desegregation settlement, report the Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog. The…

Sep 19, 2011 2:53 PM CDT

Federal Judge Slams Mastermind of $205M Health Care Racket with Record 50-Year Sentence

Citing “a critical need for deterrence against health care fraud,” a federal judge in South Florida today sentenced the convicted mastermind of a $205 million health care racket to a 50-year prison term. The sentence given to Lawrence Duran, 49, by U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King following a three-day…

Sep 16, 2011 8:42 PM CDT

May the US Kill Rank-and-File Terrorists in Yemen and Somalia? Administration Lawyers Are Split

Administration lawyers are split on whether it is legally permissible to kill rank-and-file terrorists in Yemen and Somalia. The original al-Qaida based in Pakistan and Afghanistan is growing weaker, the New York Times reports. But an al-Qaida affiliate in the Arabian Peninsula and a group called Shabab in Somalia are…

Sep 16, 2011 12:06 PM CDT

‘Notoriously Cranky’ Lawyers Stay Content in Jobs at DOJ, But Not at SEC

The U.S. Justice Department ranks only 16th in a new report on the satisfaction levels of younger government workers. But there is some good news for the department in the report by Deloitte and the Partnership for Public Service: Employees there tend to stay content. The satisfaction score of new…

Sep 16, 2011 11:31 AM CDT

SEC Officials Hire Lawyers Amid Ethics Scrutiny

Several current and former officials with the Securities and Exchange Commission are hiring lawyers amid increased scrutiny by Congress and the agency’s inspector general. Even SEC chairman Mary Schapiro has legal representation, the Washington Post reports. Lawyer Richard Sauber accompanied Schapiro when she met in April with SEC Inspector General…

Sep 15, 2011 2:05 PM CDT

Gunman Who Fired Assault Rifle in Ark. Courthouse May Have Targeted Judge in His Divorce Case

A man who fired at least 70 rounds from an assault rifle and three semi-automatic handguns yesterday at an Arkansas courthouse may have targeted the Crawford County judge who presided over his divorce and child custody case, reports the Times Record. After James Ray Palmer, 48, asked to speak to…

Sep 14, 2011 7:47 PM CDT

Oops. Mom Used Her Home to Secure Now-Fugitive Son’s $100K Bond, But She’s Not On the Deed

It isn’t just some lenders seeking to foreclose on delinquent homeowners who are struggling to figure out where to find the right real estate records. A bail bond business and a federal court in Florida likely will have a tough time collecting on the home that a now-fugitive defendant’s mom…

Sep 14, 2011 6:24 PM CDT

Fla. Lawyer Pursues Class Action for Drivers Ticketed After Warning Others of Speed Traps

Ever flash your lights at an oncoming driver to warn him or her of a speed trap on the other side of the road? Hundreds of those who did so in Florida in recent years reportedly were ticketed. But the statute cited on the tickets had a dubious connection to…

Sep 14, 2011 12:14 AM CDT

Accused by Cal. AG of Misleading Clients, Lawyer Fires Back with Federal Civil Rights Suit

Accused by the California attorney general of misleading clients into paying to participate in mass joinder litigation against major banks that isn’t likely to benefit them, at least one attorney in a group of targeted lawyers is fighting back with a civil rights suit. Mitchell Stein filed suit on behalf…

Sep 7, 2011 6:21 PM CDT

Institute for Justice Fights for Street Vendors Battling Restrictive Laws

The public interest law firm that has challenged laws on behalf of hair braiders and casket-selling monks has taken up the cause of a new group of clients: street vendors. The Institute for Justice launched its new National Street Vending Initiative early this year, the Washington Post reports. The law…

Sep 7, 2011 1:10 PM CDT

Top Calif. Court May Be Poised to OK Standing for Prop 8 Backers to Appeal Walker Ruling

If a ballot measure is approved by voters and then declared by a court to be unconstitutional, what happens if top state officials decline to appeal that ruling? This is a key question that must be decided in an ongoing appeal of a federal judge’s ruling last year that the…

Sep 6, 2011 9:54 PM CDT

Tolerant of Public Nudity, San Francisco to Mull Possible Law Requiring Towel Under Seated Posterior

Although tolerant of public nudity, San Francisco does expect those who opt to stroll about in the buff to adhere to a few standards of protocol. And, to ensure that those standards are met, Supervisor Scott Wiener, who represents the Castro District, where the sight of men wearing nothing but…

Sep 6, 2011 8:47 PM CDT

Maricopa Paid Former Ariz Judge $100K to Settle Claim re Ex-County Attorney, Sheriff Arpaio

In the first settlement of some $125 million in claims made by Maricopa County, Ariz., officials who say they suffered damages because of alleged off-the-rails prosecution and litigation by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and ex-County Attorney Andrew Thomas, the county has agreed to pay $100,000 to a retired judge. Former Superior…

Sep 2, 2011 6:48 PM CDT

US Readies Suit Against Big Banks over Bad Bundled Mortgages

The federal agency that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is prepared to file lawsuits against more than a dozen big banks over troubled mortgage securities. The suits will allege the banks misrepresented the quality of mortgages that were bundled and sold to investors, sources tell the New York Times.…

Sep 2, 2011 11:22 AM CDT

Former Maricopa County Attorney Won’t Sue Ethics Investigators After All

Former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas took an aggressive tack earlier this year when he signaled an intent to sue Arizona ethics investigators who recommended he be disbarred and county officials he believed to be retaliating against him. Thomas filed notices of intent to sue for damages totaling $47 million,…

Sep 1, 2011 4:46 PM CDT