Government

Holy Cow! Sacred Bull Spared in UK Case

At least for the moment, Shambo is safe from the butcher’s knife. Revered by the Hindu Skanda Vale Community in West Wales, the 6-year-old Friesian bull had tested positive for bovine tuberculosis and been ordered slaughtered by the Welsh Assembly. But a High Court judge in Cardiff ruled today in…

Jul 17, 2007 12:09 AM CDT

The Day the Internet Music Dies

Playing music on the Internet gets more expensive on Sunday—in some cases prohibitively so—because of inaction by a federal appeals court. Sunday is the day that broadcast royalty rates will increase because of a decision by an obscure group of federal judges called the Copyright Royalty Board, the Los Angeles…

Jul 13, 2007 5:05 PM CDT

Irked Judge Upholds Libby Commutation

In what a well-known U.S. Supreme Court blog describes as “a 10-page opinion bristling with actual and implied criticism” of President George W. Bush’s commutation of the 30-month prison term imposed on I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the federal judge who sentenced the former top vice presidential aide held today that…

Jul 13, 2007 2:57 AM CDT

New Housing Rules Hit Katrina Victims

Nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, displaced residents from the lowest economic rungs of the region’s economic ladder are still struggling–often in communities far from home. But as many businesses desperately seek workers, and former residents fruitlessly seek…

Jul 13, 2007 2:17 AM CDT

Landmark Google Suit Over Foreign Ads

A landmark lawsuit has been filed over Google’s Internet advertising in Australia and Ireland that could, if successful, force the search engine giant to make significant changes in the way it handles “sponsored links” paid for by advertisers. Described by a company spokesman as an “attack” on all search engines,…

Jul 12, 2007 8:42 PM CDT

Executive Privilege Showdown Looms

Congress is clearing the way for an unprecedented court battle with the White House over executive privilege. Following former White House counsel Harriet Miers’ refusal today to obey a subpoena and appear at a House subcommittee hearing on the alleged dismissal of nine U.S. attorneys as part of a political…

Jul 12, 2007 6:50 PM CDT

Career Attorney Targets DOJ in Editorial

A 25-year career attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice has caused a stir by critiquing in scathing terms his employer and the administration of President George W. Bush in a recent newspaper editorial. “In the course of its tenure since the Sept. 11 attacks, the Bush administration has turned…

Jul 11, 2007 1:00 AM CDT

NYC Bidet Billboard Suit: Bare Derrières!

In New York City’s traditionally seamy Times Square, a church is claiming that a billboard featuring bare derrières emblazoned with smiley faces violates indecency standards in the cleaned-up midtown Manhattan neighborhood. And, for the moment, at least, a judge has agreed, issuing a temporary restraining order barring the two-story bidet…

Jul 11, 2007 12:14 AM CDT

CA’s Asset Seizure Policy is Changing

In recent years, the California officials have increased the amount of money they spend to locate dormant assets that the government can seize. But they’ve decreased the amount of money they spend to notify owners first—to almost zero. As a result, even when owners could be located with relative ease,…

Jul 9, 2007 10:28 PM CDT

Owners Blame Cities for Bad Homes

As builders throughout the country rushed to profit in the recent construction boom, a number of homes and developments went up that were badly built or otherwise created problems. But in the resulting blame game, many homeowners are now saying municipalities large and small gave builders free rein instead of…

Jul 7, 2007 12:39 AM CDT

CA Attys Sue Over $100 K Average Pay

Contending that lawyers employed by the state of California make significantly less than those working in federal and local government jobs, a union representing 3,500 attorneys and hearing officers has sued Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The June 29 action seeks the appointment of a special master by a Sacramento County Superior…

Jul 6, 2007 10:49 PM CDT

Should States Hire Private Trial Lawyers?

A growing controversy about whether it is appropriate for states to retain high-priced contingency lawyers to pursue mass tort litigation on citizens’ behalf is being argued in courts—and newspapers—throughout the country. Siding with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Wall Street Journal’s (sub. req.) editorial board says today that it’s…

Jul 5, 2007 10:50 PM CDT

Chicago Lawyer Prowls Trash Dumpsters

By day, Todd Kooperman practices law with the Cook County public guardian’s office. But by night he can often be found prowling back alleys in affluent neighborhoods in and around Chicago, looking for treasure tossed in local trash dumpsters. The 28-year-old Chicago attorney is seeking bicycles and other salvageable items…

Jul 3, 2007 1:17 AM CDT

Pakistan’s Top Court to be Swept for Bugs

In a setback to efforts by Pakistan’s president to remove permanently from office the country’s top judge, the Pakistan Supreme Court has barred intelligence officers from ongoing hearings and ordered courtrooms and the homes of senior judges swept for secret listening devices. Giving credence to claims by Aitzaz Ahsan, lead…

Jul 2, 2007 5:47 PM CDT

Is Libyan Innocent in Lockerbie Case?

A “miscarriage of justice” may have resulted in the conviction of a Libyan intelligence agent in the 1988 Lockerbie airliner bombing, requiring that he be granted a new appeal by Scotland’s High Court, an independent review board reported today. Abdel Basset al-Megrahi was found guilty in 2001 of the bombing,…

Jun 28, 2007 7:14 PM CDT