States

Lawyer with huge social media following is accused of performing ‘no legal work of value’ for several clients

A California lawyer with more than 60,000 Instagram followers is accused in an ethics complaint of taking fees from several clients while producing “no legal work of value” in return.

May 13, 2025 1:03 PM CDT

Florida judge is accused of sharing ‘objectively unrealistic’ fake recording with editorial board

A judge in Broward County, Florida, is facing ethics charges for citing a book she never read and providing a fake recording she didn’t fully review or vet to bolster her claim that the judiciary has an image crisis.

May 13, 2025 12:08 PM CDT

6 firms resolved EEOC probes with pro bono deals, they told state attorneys general

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and Milbank are among six law firms that resolved probes of their diversity practices by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, they told state attorneys general.

May 13, 2025 9:16 AM CDT

Firing squad mostly missed South Carolina inmate’s heart, causing him to ‘scream and groan,’ lawyers say

The April 11 firing squad execution of South Carolina inmate Mikal Mahdi was “a massive botch” because the bullets “largely missed his heart,” according to a report filed by his attorneys with the state supreme court.

May 12, 2025 2:15 PM CDT

ICE moves detainees to Texas facility where judge declined to halt deportations

As the Trump administration battles to use a wartime law to speed deportations of alleged gang members, it has moved dozens of detained Venezuelans to the one court district in the nation where a federal judge for now has declined to stand in its way.

May 9, 2025 3:09 PM CDT

Justice Department is investigating NY attorney general who has targeted Trump

The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into real estate transactions involving New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to a person familiar with the case—the first known criminal probe of a law enforcement official who took action against President Donald Trump.

May 9, 2025 10:00 AM CDT

Trump will replace polarizing DC US attorney pick Ed Martin

President Donald Trump will replace interim U.S. attorney Ed Martin, his embattled nominee to serve as the top prosecutor for D.C., after 15 tumultuous weeks in office marked by his threats to investigate Trump’s perceived political adversaries and firings and demotions of career prosecutors who investigated the president and the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack.

May 8, 2025 2:10 PM CDT

$2.6M settlement approved in suit claiming meditation program violated public school students’ religious rights

A federal judge in Chicago has approved a $2.6 million settlement in a class action lawsuit alleging that the Chicago Public Schools violated the establishment clause when it required students to participate in transcendental meditation or observe a half hour of silence.

May 8, 2025 12:53 PM CDT

‘There was in fact a defendant named Jaques Strapp,’ says judge defending his corny ‘dad jokes’

A judge accused of making inappropriate remarks on the bench told the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission Tuesday that his comments generally were “G-rated ‘dad jokes’ that are corny but not offensive.”

May 8, 2025 11:13 AM CDT

NC justice can be sworn in after 6-month court battle over top court seat

A Republican who narrowly lost a North Carolina Supreme Court election ended his challenge to the results Wednesday, clearing the way for the Democratic incumbent to be sworn in six months after she won the race.

May 7, 2025 4:45 PM CDT

Judge rejects home confinement for ‘slots whisperer’ lawyer who spent nearly $9M in investor money

A California lawyer accused of spending nearly $9 million in investor money will be serving prison time after pleading guilty to wire fraud and money laundering.

May 7, 2025 3:30 PM CDT

Lawyer charged with stealing beer, trying to bite officer

Updated: A lawyer in Albany, New York, was accused Friday of violating an order of protection, hitting a woman, stealing beer, and trying to bite a police officer.

May 7, 2025 12:29 PM CDT

Likeness of man killed in road-rage incident gives impact statement at sentencing, thanks to AI

An AI-generated video of a slain man told an Arizona judge last month that he believes in forgiveness, and that in another life, he and the man who killed him “probably could have been friends.”

May 7, 2025 11:40 AM CDT

California state bar sues vendor after troubled exam

Now facing an audit itself, the State Bar of California is suing ProctorU, the vendor that administered the ill-fated February launch of the state’s remote and hybrid exam, alleging the company failed to deliver on its claims that it was capable of handling the needs of bar examinees.

May 7, 2025 9:22 AM CDT

Supreme Court allows ban on transgender troops to take effect

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to enforce a ban on transgender troops while a legal challenge continues.

May 6, 2025 3:14 PM CDT