When California legislators in 1878 enacted a statute to name the state’s first public law school after a wealthy landowner and state supreme court chief justice, did they consider whether subsequent laws could change the agreement?
The U.S. government has agreed to pay $125 million to settle a class action lawsuit claiming that the judiciary overcharged users of PACER, its electronic system of court records.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has said she will appeal a ruling partially blocking New York’s concealed-carry restrictions, including the law’s designation of Times Square as a sensitive location where guns are banned.
Standing in front of a judge, tears in his eyes, Rogel Aguilera-Mederos wanted to say something before being sentenced for killing four people and injuring six others after he lost control of his runaway truck on a Colorado highway. At 26 years old, he was facing the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison.
“We are setting policy on which the ABA can build to assure that ordinary acts of daily life are not criminalized,” former ABA president Laurel Bellows said. “This is criminalizing talking to your friend about her options. This is criminalizing and delaying very important medical response when a woman has suffered a miscarriage or is in a threat of harm or life because the people who would need to touch her at that moment don’t need to be worried about whether they, in fact, will be subjected to criminal charges.”
A woman who was asleep at the wheel of her parked, running car can’t be charged with driving while under a suspension, the Ohio Supreme Court has ruled.
New York is considering scaling back a question that requires would-be lawyers to disclose their complete criminal records for a character and fitness review.
A bill sent to Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom for his signature would automatically seal conviction and arrest records of many felony offenders in the state if they avoid conviction for another felony for four years after their sentences end.
A federal judge has blocked provisions in a Florida law that forbid promoting concepts based on race, color, sex or national origin in workplace training and educational materials.
The ABA has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act, writing in an amicus brief filed Thursday that Congress enacted the statute “under valid constitutional authority and on the basis of an extensive body of evidence and law.”
One resolution urges lawmakers to prevent gun purchases from moving forward by default after three business days even if the check is incomplete. The second calls for more to be done to prevent violent dating partners and stalkers from buying or owning firearms.
The House of Delegates overwhelmingly approved a measure combating election misinformation and disinformation and protecting the personal security of election administrators and voters at the ABA Annual Meeting on Monday.
The ABA Journal wants to host and facilitate conversations among lawyers about their profession. We are now accepting thoughtful, non-promotional articles and commentary by unpaid contributors.
