Missouri

Federal Judge Orders Lawyer Jailed Over Scheduling Conflict

A criminal defense lawyer who didn’t show up on the trial date he specifically requested has raised the ire of a federal judge in Kansas City, Mo. U.S. District Judge Gary Fenner held lawyer Daniel Ross in contempt of court and ordered him to serve three days in jail, the…

Aug 5, 2009 4:19 PM CDT

Meet Kris Kobach, Law Prof Fighting for Local Role in Immigration Enforcement

University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor Kris Kobach is supporting tougher measures to fight illegal immigration in several court cases throughout the country. Kobach “is on a dogged campaign to fight illegal immigration at the local level, riding an insurgency by cities and states fed up with what they see…

Jul 21, 2009 3:16 PM CDT

Prominent Mo. Lawyer is Criticized in Another Wrongful Conviction Case

A prominent attorney criticized earlier, along with others responsible for a wrongful conviction case in Missouri, is in the spotlight again. A Missouri Supreme Court petition filed on behalf of a man convicted of murdering his mother accuses attorney Kenny Hulshof, a former six-term Congressman and state Republican gubernatorial candidate,…

Jun 3, 2009 11:25 PM CDT

Craigslist Will Drop Erotic Services Ads in Deal with Three State AGs

Facing pressure from attorneys general in three states, Craiglist has agreed to drop its erotic services advertising. The online classified ad website will replace the category with “adult” listings that will be reviewed by its employees, the Associated Press reports. Craigslist acted after meetings with attorneys general from Illinois, Connecticut…

May 13, 2009 3:40 PM CDT

Former AG Ashcroft Forms Nationwide Law Firm with Ex-Prosecutors

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft is teaming up with former federal prosecutors to open a nationwide law firm that will affiliate with his consulting business. Ashcroft’s law firm is expected to open offices in several cities in the next several weeks, the St. Louis Business Journal reports. The former Missouri…

Apr 22, 2009 12:41 PM CDT

Mo. Judge: System Failed at All Levels in Teen’s Murder Conviction

The Missouri justice system failed at all levels as an apparently innocent teen was charged, convicted and found guilty as well on appeal in a college student’s 1992 murder, a state-court judge ruled today. Saying that particular doubt was cast on the conviction of Joshua Kezer by the fact that…

Feb 17, 2009 11:38 PM CST

Judicial Diversity is Lacking, But Here’s What to Do to Improve, Report Says

Women and minorities are still underrepresented on the state trial and appellate court bench, regardless whether the judges are elected or appointed to their positions. But there are things that can be done to include their chances of winning seats proportionate to their representation in the general population, according to…

Feb 2, 2009 9:13 PM CST

Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Sues After His Wife is Banned from City Hall

A couple of months ago, the Kansas City, Mo., city council effectively banned the mayor’s wife from city hall. This month, Mayor Mark Funkhouser sued, contending that shutting the doors of city hall to his spouse violates state law and the city charter. It is only the latest litigation over…

Nov 21, 2008 10:24 PM CST

Woman Who Created Fictional MySpace Boy Testifies on Motive

The prosecution’s star witness in the cyber-bullying trial of a St. Louis suburban woman told how she created a fictional teenage boy on MySpace who sent insulting messages to a 13-year-old girl who ultimately committed suicide. The witness, 20-year-old Ashley Grills, worked for the coupon business of Lori Drew, the…

Nov 21, 2008 12:40 PM CST

Appeals Court Allows Protests at Soldiers’ Funerals

The St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has sided with members of the Westboro Baptist Church, who regularly make headlines and anger grieving families by showing up and staging protests during funerals. The court’s ruling Friday (PDF) is a reaffirmation that the Kansas church can keep on picketing…

Nov 3, 2008 5:13 PM CST

Video Provides Few Clues to Identity of St. Louis-Area Lawyer Bomber

A man who carried a package believed to be a bomb that injured a St. Louis lawyer was captured in a parking garage video, but his face was concealed. The suspected bomber wore a hood and sunglasses and carried helium balloons that covered his face, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.…

Oct 20, 2008 11:37 AM CDT

St. Louis Lawyer Injured By Parking Lot Package Bomb

A lawyer who lives in an upscale suburb of St. Louis was injured yesterday when he picked up an apparent package bomb left next to his car in its assigned parking spot in the garage of the Clayton, Mo., high-rise. John Gillis, 69, was bloodied and burned by the blast,…

Oct 17, 2008 4:03 PM CDT

Merger of KC Firms Creates New Member of Top 100: Polsinelli Shughart

The list of the nation’s largest 100 law firms will have a new entrant with the merger of Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus and Shughart Thomson & Kilroy. The merger of the two Kansas City law firms will likely take effect in January, the Kansas City Star reports. The new firm…

Oct 17, 2008 1:30 PM CDT

Find Support Group First, Then Open Office, Solo Advises

After 20 years of practice, Jane Ann Landrum decided she was ready to go solo this year after her previous law firm dissolved. But a big part of what made it possible was the support network she had in place, the Kansas City, Mo., litigator tells the Kansas City Star.…

Oct 14, 2008 5:04 PM CDT

New Book By Lawyer’s Daughter: How My Parents Helped Integrate St. Louis

Growing up in a circle of influential African-American attorneys at a time when the U.S. Supreme Court had just decided that racially restrictive property deed covenants were unconstitutional, Gail Milissa Grant took it for granted that she, too, would have a responsibility to help work for a better society when…

Oct 13, 2008 7:26 PM CDT