Government

Prosecutor’s E-Mail Sent to His Lawyer on a Work Account is Privileged, Court Says

A federal prosecutor’s e-mail to his own lawyer is privileged, even though he sent it from work on a government computer, a federal court has ruled. Because he is allowed to use his work e-mail account for personal communications, assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Tukel had a reasonable expectation of privacy…

Dec 15, 2009 7:06 PM CST

Judges Are Believers in Meditation Program for Parolees

Approached by a stranger business suit who wanted to teach prison inmates in Missouri to meditate, “I thought he was crazy at first,” state Circuit Judge David Mason tells the Washington Post. But now, some 14 years later, Mason has long been persuaded of the wide-ranging stress-reduction benefits of the…

Dec 14, 2009 10:38 PM CST

Supreme Court to Decide Privacy Rights of Texting Government Employees

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether police officers have a constitutional right to privacy in their personal text messages sent on city-owned pagers. The Supreme Court will review a ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that found the officers have a reasonable…

Dec 14, 2009 4:58 PM CST

New Turmoil in Embattled Ariz. County as Appeals Court Bans Sheriff from Searching Judge’s Computers

In the latest turmoil in an Arizona county in which the sheriff’s office and a government lawyer are virtually at war with members of the judiciary and elected officials, a state appeals court has issued a temporary restraining order barring the execution of a search warrant on the home and…

Dec 12, 2009 1:22 AM CST

Criminal Case Against Ariz. Judge Raises Questions About Prosecution

After yesterday’s announcement of felony charges against the presiding criminal court judge in Maricopa County, some lawyers in Arizona are questioning the ethics of a county attorney involved in bringing the charges and even calling for outside intervention. Such prosecutions of a judge over his rulings on assigned cases are…

Dec 11, 2009 1:57 AM CST

Over Body-Freezing Co.‘s Objection, Judge OKs Autopsy of Client’s Corpse

Concerning that a client’s corpse is “decomposing by the minute,” a cryogenics company today asked a Florida judge to stop a planned autopsy to determine why a 48-year-old Navy veteran died last week. But Hillsborough Circuit Judge Martha Cook denied the emergency petition by Alcor Life Extension Foundation, saying that…

Dec 10, 2009 9:29 PM CST

Judge Axes Guilty Plea, Says Broadcom Exec Didn’t Lie to SEC, Dismisses Case

Nearly 18 months ago, Broadcom Corp. co-founder Henry Samueli pleaded guilty to a felony charge of lying to securities regulators about his role in an alleged company stock options backdating scheme. But in fact Samueli didn’t make any material misstatement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a federal judge…

Dec 10, 2009 6:15 PM CST

Judge Criminally Charged re Court Rulings in Battle for Control of Ariz. County

A sitting Arizona judge has been charged with three major felonies, apparently at least partly in connection with his court rulings concerning a battle among local officials for control of Maricopa County and an ongoing dispute over the construction of a $340 million court tower. Although news coverage is sketchy…

Dec 10, 2009 12:36 AM CST

Lawyer Sues N.Y. Over Alleged Harm to His Reputation from Pension Clawback

After winning an initial round in an ongoing battle with the state of New York over his contested pension benefits, an attorney is fighting back with a lawsuit alleging that his professional reputation was harmed as a result of a due-process violation. A New York judge ruled earlier this year…

Dec 8, 2009 6:13 PM CST

US Plans to Revise Blago Charges to Avoid ‘Honest Services’ Problem

Prosecutors plan to revise charges against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to avoid any delays that could be caused by an adverse Supreme Court ruling on honest services fraud. The court filing says the new charges will still focus on the same alleged misconduct, but the new charges will avoid…

Dec 8, 2009 5:57 PM CST

Ex-Mayor Denies Gucci Shoes, Takes 5th in $1M Detroit Restitution Battle

Asked whether he had spent $595 on Gucci shoes, former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said the brand doesn’t fit his feet properly. But, he admitted in a Detroit court hearing today, he did spend $15,000 on plastic surgery for his wife within weeks of telling a judge he couldn’t afford…

Dec 8, 2009 12:18 AM CST

Lawyer Told Now-Convicted Former Lawmaker Joseph Bruno to Avoid Fraud Charges by Avoiding Mail

A former longtime senior lawmaker in New York was convicted in a government corruption case today, after a state ethics lawyer on whom he relied for advice reportedly testified that he told Joseph Bruno to hand-deliver his financial disclosure forms to avoid potential mail-fraud charges. Former state Senate majority leader,…

Dec 7, 2009 10:12 PM CST

Juror Facebook Contact, $324 Food Prize Could Cause Mistrial in Baltimore Mayor’s Case

After a high-profile conviction last week on a misdemeanor charge concerning $600 worth of Best Buy and Target gift cards embezzled for her personal use, Baltimore’s first female mayor is down but not out. Nearly half of the jury members friended each other on Facebook, despite the judge’s instructions not…

Dec 7, 2009 7:22 PM CST

Practice Pitfalls

When it comes to potential ethics or malpractice hazards, watch where you’re going, or look out below

Dec 2, 2009 5:39 AM CST

1st Ban on Drop-Side Cribs Follows Nationwide Recall of Millions

Following news this week of a Consumer Product Safety Commission recall of 2.1 million so-called drop-side cribs, a suburban New York county has banned their sale. In a new law that is believed to impose the first such prohibition in the country but is already being considered for emulation elsewhere,…

Nov 24, 2009 9:46 PM CST