Government

Testimony: Former Pa. Senator Funneled Work to Law Firms

A longtime Pennsylvania senator wielded his power, in part, by pressuring companies to send legal work to certain law firms, including his own, according to testimony yesterday at his federal corruption trial. Former state senator Vincent Fumo, 65, is charged with defrauding the Citizens’ Alliance for Better Neighborhoods, by getting…

Jan 6, 2009 10:02 PM CST

Fla. Prosecutor’s Office Disqualified for Listening to Lawyer Phone Calls

A Florida judge has disqualified the entire Broward State Attorney’s Office from trying a murder case after learning that two prosecutors had listened to recordings of the jailed defendant’s phone calls to his attorney. Defendant Luis Martinez’s right to a fair trial was violated by the eavesdropping, Circuit Judge Susan…

Jan 6, 2009 7:59 PM CST

School Board Posts Transcript to Settle Open Meeting Complaint

So-called open meeting laws requiring governmental bodies to deliberate in public about official business, instead of behind closed doors, are common throughout the U.S. And so are violations, perhaps because it can be difficult to enforce such laws. Members of one suburban Chicago school board, however, are reminded of one…

Jan 6, 2009 1:14 AM CST

Pa. Judge in Ethics Case Over Landlord Activities

A Philadelphia judge is facing a misconduct charge based on his alleged use of his judicial office resources during his sideline real estate activities. Willis Berry, who was a candidate for the state supreme court several years ago, is accused in a complaint filed today by the Judicial Conduct Board…

Jan 6, 2009 12:23 AM CST

Did Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon Drive on ‘Lipodiesel’?

There ought to be a law against using human fat to fuel automobiles, many might feel–and in fact, at least in California, there is. Hence, the public health department there is investigating alleged use of “lipodiesel” by Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Craig Alan Bittner, according to Forbes. Bittner’s claimed fuel-saving…

Dec 24, 2008 5:48 PM CST

N.Y. Judge Orders Surgery for Amish Tot After Parents Refuse Consent

Finding that a one-year-old Amish boy will die if he doesn’t have heart surgery, a New York judge has ordered that it be performed despite his parents’ refusal to consent, on religious grounds. “Family Court Judge Barbara R. Potter ordered that 20-month-old Eli Hershberger, who was born in April 2007…

Dec 24, 2008 5:18 PM CST

Illinois City’s Efforts to Shush Critics Unconstitutional, Federal Judge Says

A municipality in suburban Chicago violated the First Amendment rights of residents when it imposed greater restrictions on those who wanted to criticize the city in public protests, a federal judge has ruled. “One of the plaintiffs, Jose Zurita of Waukegan, won his claim that Mayor Hyde did not permit…

Dec 24, 2008 3:28 PM CST

Feds Ask Ill. Lawmakers to Limit Scope of Impeachment Inquiry

Illinois lawmakers considering impeachment for Gov. Rod Blagojevich have agreed to a request by federal prosecutors to limit the scope of their probe so as not to interfere with the government’s ongoing criminal investigation. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald released a letter Tuesday asking legislators to refrain from interviewing key witnesses,…

Dec 24, 2008 12:25 PM CST

Girl, 12, Mistaken for Prostitute, Sues Over Alleged Police Beating

Responding to a report that three white prostitutes were soliciting, plainclothes police officers in Galveston, Texas, wound up arresting a 12-year outside her home one August day in 2006, according to a federal lawsuit filed there against the three officers. Not recognizing them as police, the girl, who says the…

Dec 23, 2008 10:26 PM CST

ACLU Sues Calif. City, Seeks to Protect Homeless from Criminalization

In a federal civil rights lawsuit filed today by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, the agency says an upscale California seaside community is violating constitutional law and the Americans With Disabilities Act by treating disabled homeless individuals as if they were criminals. “(F)or all intents and purposes, Defendants have…

Dec 23, 2008 9:21 PM CST

Report Says 1 in 4 Pubescent Girls Abused at Yearning for Zion’s Texas Ranch

In a report today that appears likely to ignite further controversy over a fringe religious group that advocates polygamy, Texas Child Protective Services says more than one in four pubescent girls at the Yearning for Zion ranch near Eldorado had been sexually abused by being involved in an underage marriage…

Dec 23, 2008 7:20 PM CST

Scathing Report Blisters Ex-Ohio AG

In a scathing multi-agency investigative report (PDF) released today by Ohio’s inspector general, former state attorney general Marc Dann is accused of personally participating in “rude, vulgar and abusive” treatment of employees. Dann, who was forced to resign in May by a sexual harassment scandal in his office, also maintained…

Dec 23, 2008 12:54 AM CST

In Unusual Order, Oregon Judge Tells State Agency to Bond Out Rape Suspect

An impasse apparently continues between an Oregon state agency and the state-court judge who has ordered that the Department of Human Services post $50,000 bail to bond out a rape suspect from jail and thus reunite him with his 13-year-old son. Clackamas County Circuit Judge Deanne Darling says no showing…

Dec 20, 2008 12:30 AM CST

Ill. Gov: I’m Not Guilty, ‘Will Fight Until I Take My Last Breath’

Responding for the first time to federal corruption charges that could result in his impeachment and have already led to widespread calls for his resignation, embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said at a press conference today that he is not guilty of any wrongdoing and “will fight until I take…

Dec 19, 2008 8:55 PM CST

Ill. Gov’s Lawyer Comes Out Swinging; State’s Top Court Nixes ‘Unfit’ Argument

An attorney representing the embattled governor of Illinois came out swinging today at a bipartisan legislative committee hearing on possible impeachment, calling the process “unfair and quite frankly illegal.” Meanwhile, the state supreme court has rejected a motion by state Attorney General Lisa Madigan seeking a determination that Gov. Rod…

Dec 18, 2008 1:37 AM CST