State Government

Lawyer gets stayed suspension after response to one-star review; is ‘offensive personality’ a violation?

An Indiana lawyer has received a 30-day stayed suspension in an ethics case that raised this issue: Can a lawyer be sanctioned for an “offensive personality”?

Jul 24, 2024 9:21 AM CDT

Online law grad has ‘truly extraordinary’ case meriting waiver of Utah admission rules, top state court says

Updated: A graduate of an unaccredited online law school may take the bar exam in Utah, even though she did not satisfy a requirement for 10 years of experience in another jurisdiction before admission, the Utah Supreme Court has ruled in a 3-2 decision.

Jul 23, 2024 10:17 AM CDT

Retired NFL player’s lead counsel removed for attempting to ‘manufacture discord,’ judge says

A Mississippi judge on Thursday removed one of retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre’s lawyers in a state civil lawsuit involving misspent welfare funds.

Jul 16, 2024 3:15 PM CDT

Giuliani disbarred in N.Y. over false statements about 2020 election

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor and personal attorney to Donald Trump, was disbarred Tuesday in New York over his false statements about the 2020 election.

Jul 2, 2024 2:34 PM CDT

SCOTUS blocks EPA’s ‘downwind’ air-quality initiative

The Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation of air quality on Thursday, putting on hold a major initiative to improve public health by reducing smog-forming pollution from power plants and factories that blows across state lines.

Jun 27, 2024 11:40 AM CDT

Supreme Court would allow emergency abortions in Idaho, Bloomberg reports

The Supreme Court would allow emergency abortion care in Idaho for now despite the state’s restrictions on the procedure, according to Bloomberg Law, which viewed a copy of a not-yet-released opinion that was briefly posted on the court’s website Wednesday.

Jun 26, 2024 1:11 PM CDT

Suit filed against Louisiana law requiring Ten Commandments in classrooms

A coalition of groups filed a lawsuit Monday against the state of Louisiana’s new requirement to post the Ten Commandments in every school classroom, claiming parents’ rights are violated by the new law.

Jun 26, 2024 10:00 AM CDT

Judge arrested outside nightclub is ousted from bench, partly for jailing litigant

Updated: A Georgia judge arrested outside an Atlanta nightclub June 20 for allegedly obstructing a police officer won't be returning to the bench.

Jun 26, 2024 9:09 AM CDT

SCOTUS could be next stop after top Oklahoma court rules on state-funded religious school

A contract providing for state funding of an online Catholic charter school violates the First Amendment’s establishment clause, the Oklahoma Constitution and a state law governing charter schools, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

Jun 25, 2024 3:29 PM CDT

Ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors will be reviewed by Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review the constitutionality of a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming surgeries, puberty blockers and hormones for transgender minors.

Jun 24, 2024 12:23 PM CDT

19 state AGs fire back after others demand ABA diversity standards change

Nineteen state attorneys general signed a letter calling on the American Bar Association, Fortune 100 CEOs and other organizations to retain “their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Jun 20, 2024 3:58 PM CDT

Louisiana requires Ten Commandments to be displayed in public classrooms

Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed legislation Wednesday requiring every public classroom in Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments, becoming the first state with such a law and inflaming tensions over the separation between church and state.

Jun 20, 2024 10:15 AM CDT

Lawyer reinstated after Pringles can poop prank

An Ohio lawyer has been reinstated to practice after a suspension for tossing a poop-filled Pringles can into the parking lot of a victims advocacy center.

Jun 20, 2024 9:16 AM CDT

Florida lawyer seeking permanent retirement can’t sue in federal court, judge concludes

Updated: A federal judge has tossed a lawsuit by a Florida lawyer who wanted to permanently retire from the bar while facing possible discipline following a misdemeanor conviction for brandishing a baseball bat.

Jun 18, 2024 3:52 PM CDT

Maryland governor pardons 175,000 marijuana convictions in sweeping order

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore issued a mass pardon of more than 175,000 marijuana convictions Monday morning, one of the nation’s most sweeping acts of clemency involving a drug now in widespread recreational use.

Jun 18, 2024 9:00 AM CDT