Oregon

Ballard Spahr announces merger that ‘is just the tip of the next iceberg’ in Pacific Northwest

Ballard Spahr is expanding into the Pacific Northwest through a merger with Lane Powell, the law firms announced Monday.

Sep 10, 2024 9:32 AM CDT

Mandatory bar violated lawyer’s association rights, but remedy ‘need not be drastic,’ 9th Circuit says

A federal appeals court ruled this week that a lawyer’s mandatory membership in the Oregon State Bar violated his freedom-of-association rights because its magazine published statements that criticized former President Donald Trump and implied that the membership agreed.

Aug 29, 2024 11:27 AM CDT

Defenseless: Lack of public defenders creates a crisis for indigent clients and increased caseloads for lawyers

Many states are facing a crisis in public defense because of low pay, excessive caseloads, frequent burnout and a “great resignation” of qualified attorneys that began during the pandemic and shows no signs of ebbing.

Aug 1, 2024 3:00 AM CDT

Sept. 11 defense lawyer, winner of ABA Journal’s 2024 Ross Writing Contest, recognizes humanity of reviled clients

Updated: A former public defender who represents a detainee at Guantanamo Bay is the winner of the 2024 ABA Journal/Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction.

Jul 9, 2024 11:08 AM CDT

Supreme Court upholds ban on sleeping in public, says law does not punish status of homelessness

A ban on sleeping or camping on public property in the city of Grants Pass, Oregon, is not cruel and unusual punishment, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday in a case brought by homeless plaintiffs.

Jun 28, 2024 9:56 AM CDT

Oregon’s alternative pathway to the bar proves popular

Updated: Oregon’s new Supervised Practice Portfolio Examination that allows ABA-accredited law school graduates to join the state’s bar by working closely with a supervising attorney instead of taking the bar exam is gaining traction with candidates and potential employers.

Jun 13, 2024 9:54 AM CDT

Citing ‘Sixth Amendment nightmare,’ 9th Circuit allows pretrial release of defendants without lawyers

A federal appeals court upheld an injunction Friday that requires Oregon to release pretrial defendants from custody if they have not received a lawyer within seven days.

Jun 4, 2024 2:06 PM CDT

Supreme Court divided over homeless ban and rights of the unhoused

Supreme Court justices expressed concern on Monday about punishing homeless people for sleeping outside when they have nowhere else to go, while also struggling with how to ensure local and state leaders have flexibility to deal with the growing number of unhoused individuals nationwide.

Apr 22, 2024 2:35 PM CDT

Supreme Court will consider whether criminalizing homelessness violates Eighth Amendment

Few doubt that the court’s decision in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson will be consequential for the nation’s homeless population and for those trying to help. “This case is really about whether the Constitution protects unhoused people against punishment when there is no shelter or housing available to them.”

Apr 18, 2024 1:00 PM CDT

Chemerinsky: Will SCOTUS consider it cruel and unusual punishment to prosecute homeless people for sleeping in public?

Can a city make it a crime for unhoused people to sleep in public if there are no other places for them to go? On April 22, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on this issue in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, a case of enormous interest to the many cities that are struggling with burgeoning populations of unhoused people.

Apr 15, 2024 9:00 AM CDT

‘Nerd’ lawyer spotted differing 3-point lines at NCAA women’s tournament; ‘once you saw it, you couldn’t unsee it’

Thanks to a lawyer sitting in nosebleed seats, the NCAA learned over the weekend that the two three-point lines in the women’s basketball tournament at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, were different lengths.

Apr 2, 2024 10:32 AM CDT

Man who claimed US wanted him to spy on mosque can pursue suit over 6-year no-fly-list status, SCOTUS says

An Oregon man’s challenge to his placement on the no-fly list did not become moot after the government lifted the ban on flying, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in a unanimous opinion.

Mar 19, 2024 11:34 AM CDT

Does banning camping by homeless people violate Eighth Amendment? Supreme Court agrees to decide

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to decide whether the U.S. Constitution prevents the city of Grants Pass, Oregon, from issuing civil citations to people who violate a ban on sleeping on public property.

Jan 16, 2024 10:09 AM CST

Judicial task force will take deep look at legal ed, bar admissions

A new group comprised of nine state supreme court chief justices and three state court administrators will make recommendations to state supreme courts regarding legal education, the bar admissions process and the declining numbers of attorneys dedicated to public-interest law.

Nov 28, 2023 1:00 PM CST

Federal appeals court strikes down Maryland law requiring ‘handgun qualification license’

A Maryland law requiring those who want handguns to wait up to 30 days for a “handgun qualification license” violates the Second Amendment, a federal appeals court ruled last week.

Nov 27, 2023 3:21 PM CST