Judiciary

Panel Urges Censure for N.J. Justice

Censure is appropriate for a New Jersey Supreme Court justice who interceded in a case against a youth accused of bullying his son, according to the state’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct. The committee concluded in its presentment (PDF posted by Law.com) that Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto engaged in conduct prejudicial…

Jul 13, 2007 3:00 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

Judge Off Case for Columbine Remark

A Florida judge has been removed from a case for comparing a juvenile’s appearance to that of two teens who went on a shooting spree at Columbine High School. Judge Charles Kaplan of Broward County made the remark when he was overseeing the juvenile delinquency case of a 14-year-old boy…

Jul 12, 2007 1:31 PM CDT

Misconduct Charges for Libeled Judge

Misconduct charges have been filed against a Massachusetts judge who allegedly went too far in his continuing campaign against a Boston newspaper after winning a big-bucks libel case. After winning $2 million in 2005 from the Boston Herald, which had portrayed Judge Ernest Murphy as lenient to defendants and falsely…

Jul 10, 2007 9:38 PM CDT

GA Judge Investigated, Allegedly Imposed Fees to Pay Workers

When officials in Clinch County, Georgia, decided to reduce several court workers’ duties—and their wages to match—six years ago, the judge in charge reportedly found an unorthodox way to make up the difference. Brooks E. Blitch III, who serves as chief judge of the Alapaha Judicial Circuit, imposed a $10…

Jul 10, 2007 9:09 PM CDT

No Misconduct by Florida ‘NHI’ Judge

The former chief criminal judge in Broward County, Florida, has been cleared of misconduct for using the acronym NHI, short for “no humans involved,” after an April attempted murder trial ended in the defendant’s acquittal. The victim, the defendant and the witnesses in the case were all African-American, and several…

Jul 3, 2007 9:02 PM CDT

Appeals Judge Seeks Secret Trials (Not)

A 7th Circuit judge reportedly created a stir amongst visitors from the Australian legal community at a recent Chicago conference, when he allegedly advocated secret trials for terrorists, among other non-traditional approaches to deal with this relatively new threat to the United States. Speaking of the possibility that terrorist plots…

Jul 2, 2007 11:17 PM 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

New Theories of Evolution

The debate about whether justices’ philosophies change is revived

Jul 1, 2007 9:37 PM CDT

Ex-Prosecutor, 74, Attacked in Law Office

A retired prosecutor who currently practices law and works as a judge in a small town in Georgia is hospitalized with severe head injuries after being beaten in his legal office. Glenn Thomas Jr., 74, allegedly was beaten by an ex-con who had contact with him when he was a…

Jun 29, 2007 3:00 AM CDT

Former Chief Bankruptcy Judge is Dead

A well-known bankruptcy lawyer who formerly served as chief judge of U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York and handled the ground-breaking bankruptcy of Robert Maxwell, owner of the New York Post, has died. Tina Brozman, a partner at Bingham McCutchen, died yesterday of complications from ovarian…

Jun 27, 2007 11:40 PM CDT

New Orleans Judge Tackles Defense Ills

A New Orleans judge is shining a light on the city’s troubled public defender system. Judge Arthur Hunter Jr. has held hearings into problems plaguing indigent defendants as the justice system struggles to recover from Hurricane Katrina, the Los Angeles Times reports. He has called for more funds and notified…

Jun 27, 2007 4:12 PM CDT

Justice Alito Biggest Business Champion

On a current U.S. Supreme Court known for its pro-business views, Justice Samuel Alito, in his first full year on its bench, stands out as the biggest champion of Big Business in recent memory. As the current Supreme Court term concludes this week, Alito, 57, gets star billing in what…

Jun 26, 2007 8:58 PM CDT

Mandatory Sentence Laws Harsh, Unfair, Federal Judge Tells Congress

Federal laws requiring federal judges to impose mandatory minimum sentences can be unfair and unduly harsh, and certain individual laws are especially objectionable, the chair of the Judicial Conference Committee on Criminal Law told a Congressional subcommittee today. “I have found the application of one particularly egregious mandatory minimum sentencing…

Jun 26, 2007 8:18 PM CDT

Judge Decries Warrantless Surveillance

The judge who once approved terrorism wiretaps has criticized President Bush’s decision to allow surveillance in some cases without court approval. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth said in a speech to the American Library Association that warrantless surveillance erodes civil liberties, the Associated Press reports. “We have to understand you…

Jun 25, 2007 4:17 PM CDT