Local Government

5th Circuit judge’s dissent says to prevent mass shootings ‘we should stop punishing police officers’

Criminal Justice

Oct 24, 2019 3:17 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Decisions by nonlawyer judge challenged; abortion law enjoined

Tort claims seek to vacate decisions of judge without a law license Tort claims filed last week against the Washington state towns of Airway Heights and Cheney claim that defendants’ constitutional rights are being violated when their cases are heard by a shared court commissioner without a law license. The…

Oct 15, 2019 5:12 PM CDT

What are ombuds? The ABA provides a primer on special day

The term ombudsman has been around for nearly 300 years in Scandinavia and since the 1960s in the United States, so why do many of us still not know what it means? The ABA Dispute Resolution Section Ombuds Committee is working to change that with the second celebration of Ombuds Day on Thursday, Oct. 10.

Oct 9, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Legal skirmish pits wealthy town against affordable-housing advocates

For much of the past 13 years, attorney Timothy Hollister has battled local elected officials here on behalf of a developer who wants to build more affordable housing in one of America’s wealthiest towns.

Sep 27, 2019 11:21 AM CDT

Opioid sellers say judge must recuse because he pushed settlement; 1 defendant files for bankruptcy

Some opioid defendants contend that the federal judge overseeing multidistrict litigation should recuse himself partly because his zeal for settlements has created the appearance of bias.

Sep 16, 2019 12:06 PM CDT

Deputy city attorney and his family died in murder-suicide, authorities say

A Los Angeles deputy city attorney allegedly shot and killed his wife and son and fired at his daughter before turning the gun on himself at their Northridge, California, home Wednesday.

Sep 13, 2019 11:49 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers speak; judge gives assignment for veteran lies

Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers speak at unusual hearing For more than an hour on Tuesday, women who accused financier Jeffrey Epstein of sexually abusing them when they were young spoke about the impact in an unusual federal court hearing. Many of the women urged prosecutors to continue investigating Epstein’s associates after…

Aug 27, 2019 4:06 PM CDT

Contentious resolution seeking to redefine consent in sexual assault cases is postponed

The ABA House of Delegates has postponed indefinitely a resolution that would call on legislatures and courts to redefine the consent standard in sexual assault cases, after contentious debate Monday at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

Aug 12, 2019 10:20 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Woman fined $100K for dirty pool and tall grass; county bar sued for pregnancy bias

• A Florida woman who was fined $100,000 for a dirty pool and overgrown grass is facing a lawsuit by the city of Dunedin. The woman, Kristi Allen, had moved out of the home and thought she no longer owned it because she signed an agreement allowing foreclosure. Now the…

Aug 9, 2019 4:27 PM CDT

Federal judge appears likely to certify unusual ‘negotiation’ class for nation’s cities in massive opioid case

A federal judge in Cleveland appears ready to approve a “negotiation” class representing the nation’s 33,000 cities, towns and counties to try to achieve a settlement in opioid litigation.

Aug 7, 2019 10:03 AM CDT

13 cops in this state will be fired because of offensive Facebook posts

Thirteen Philadelphia police officers will be fired for racist, violent and offensive Facebook posts uncovered because of the efforts of a local lawyer. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross announced the disciplinary action Thursday, report the Philadelphia Inquirer, ABC News, Injustice Watch and BuzzFeed News. Ross told reporters that the department’s…

Jul 22, 2019 2:02 PM CDT

Police officers illegally use information from arrests that have been sealed, lawsuit says

When a man named J.J. was arrested in the Bronx in 2016, the public defenders assigned to represent him assumed he’d get a good plea deal. After all, it appeared to be a low-level case. J.J. had been a passenger in his friend’s car when police had pulled them over for allegedly failing to signal a turn; the officers then searched the vehicle and found an unlicensed gun inside.

Jul 19, 2019 5:00 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Feds won’t charge cop in Eric Garner’s chokehold death, Cardi B defends her courtroom attire

• The U.S. Justice Department won’t charge the New York City police officer who put Eric Garner in a chokehold during an arrest for selling loose cigarettes. Garner cried out, “I can’t breathe” before his death. Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue said the officer won’t be charged with a civil…

Jul 16, 2019 6:15 PM CDT

Impounded vehicles can’t be held after drivers file for bankruptcy, court says

Thousands of Chicago motorists may be able to get their cars and trucks out of city impound lots immediately after filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy following a federal appeals court ruling that the city could no longer hold onto the vehicles.

Jul 10, 2019 9:28 AM CDT

ACLU sues state police, alleging they’re acting as immigration authorities

Pennsylvania State Police troopers have routinely violated the law by stopping and holding people based solely on their Latino appearance, terrifying drivers and passengers while usurping federal authority to investigate supposed immigration violations, the ACLU claims in a federal lawsuit filed recently.

Jul 9, 2019 1:29 PM CDT