Judiciary

Judge Perry to Win ABA Marshall Award

A revered South Carolina civil rights lawyer whose career included numerous “firsts” is to be presented by the American Bar Association later this month with its prestigious Thurgood Marshall Award. To be honored by the ABA at its annual meeting for his “substantial and long-term contributions to the furtherance of…

Aug 6, 2007 5:40 PM CDT

Final Likely Loss for ‘Pants’ Judge: His Job

An administrative law judge who became a target of international disapprobation after suing his neighborhood dry cleaners for $54 million over an allegedly botched dry-cleaning job that resulted in the loss of his suit trousers, is now poised to lose more than his pants and the case. It is becoming…

Aug 2, 2007 10:49 PM CDT

Judge in $2 M Libel Case Seeks to Retire

A judge who won a $2 million libel verdict against the Boston Herald is now on sick leave and seeking to retire on a disability pension. Superior Court Judge Ernest B. Murphy says he is suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome as a result of the paper’s coverage criticizing his judicial…

Aug 2, 2007 8:41 PM CDT

Pakistan Prez, Top Judge Reconciling?

Four months after he sought to remove Pakistan’s top judge from the bench, the country’s president is now trying to get back on his good side. After a July 20 decision by the Pakistan Supreme Court that Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry had been improperly suspended in March and must…

Aug 1, 2007 6:31 PM CDT

Supreme Close-Up

As SCOTUS prepares to entertain a new fall audience, one thing is certain: Events will not be televised.

Aug 1, 2007 12:00 PM CDT

You’re NOT the Boss of Me

It’s hard to shock them in Las Vegas, but a former law clerk is managing to do just that

Aug 1, 2007 11:26 AM CDT

Jury’s Out on Drug Court Judge’s Legacy

A community in suburban Chicago is divided over a drug court judge who saw amazing successes, a record that some say is the result of bullying and improper tactics. Supporters say Judge Jim Doyle worked tirelessly to nudge drug-addicted suspects to reform, helping turn around the lives of thieves and…

Jul 30, 2007 4:16 PM CDT

Schumer Says Senators ‘Duped’ By Justices

A powerful Democratic senator from New York told the American Constitution Society on Friday that the Senate should avoid confirming another one of President Bush’s Supreme Court nominees. Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said a confirmation to the high court should only come in “extraordinary circumstances,” reports The Politico. He…

Jul 28, 2007 2:01 AM CDT

Nev. Judge to Appeal Suspension

The lawyer for controversial Las Vegas Judge Elizabeth Halverson promises an appeal of her interim suspension. William Gamage did not offer comment on the details of his client’s case, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. The suspension will remain in effect pending a decision on whether to formally charge the judge…

Jul 27, 2007 8:28 PM CDT

Judge’s Loafers Lucky Fit for FL Inmate

Wearing the trial judge’s loafers may have been the final sartorial touch that helped a Florida inmate win an acquittal on cocaine trafficking charges. Michael Fernandez, 22, was mistakenly brought from jail to his Fort Lauderdale trial Tuesday in his jail uniform. Although officials sent for—and received—his street clothes before…

Jul 26, 2007 8:57 PM CDT

US Attorney to Judge: No Scruggs Case

A federal prosecutor in Alabama has declined a federal judge’s suggestion that she should prosecute Richard Scruggs, a prominent Mississippi plaintiffs lawyer, for contempt of court. U.S. Attorney Alice Martin said yesterday in a letter to U.S. District Judge William M. Acker Jr. that “following a serious and thorough review…

Jul 26, 2007 5:43 PM CDT

Nev. Judge Suspended, Poses ‘Substantial Threat,’ Commission Finds

A controversial Nevada judge was suspended today by the state Commission on Judicial Discipline, which found that Elizabeth Halverson “poses a substantial threat of serious harm” to the public and the administration of justice. In a final order of interim suspension filed today, the commission suspended the judge with pay,…

Jul 26, 2007 12:55 AM CDT

New Claim: Justice Hecht Fee Discount

A new ethics complaint has been made about Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht. He allegedly was given a discount on the legal fees he paid in a successful defense of an earlier ethics complaint, and a Travis County prosecutor is investigating this new complaint, reports the KWTX television station.…

Jul 25, 2007 8:55 PM CDT

Observers Agog Over Nev. Judge Saga

Halfway into her first year on the bench, Clark County District Judge Elizabeth Halverson is one of the best-known jurists in Nevada. Although a law school classmate praises her as an attorney capable of Harvard Law Review-quality work, it isn’t her legal intellect that’s attracting all the attention. Instead, Halverson…

Jul 25, 2007 6:25 PM CDT

Controversial MA Judge Struggling on TV

After Maria Lopez’s first courtroom gig came to an end, a second judicial career beckoned to the controversial former Massachusetts jurist. She was invited to host her own television show as “Judge Maria,” a role in which she is touted for telling it like it is. Now, however, the 53-year-old…

Jul 24, 2007 8:59 PM CDT