States

Respect for Precedent Swings Dissenter to Majority in NY Capital Case

A justice who dissented when New York’s highest court struck down the state’s death penalty law in 2004 said in a 4-3 opinion (PDF) today that the precedent required him to switch sides. The court ruled in the case of a man on death row for killing five Wendy’s employees,…

Oct 23, 2007 6:48 PM CDT

2 Plead in Simpson Armed Robbery Case

Two men pleaded guilty in Nevada state court today in charges concerning an alleged armed robbery of sports memorabilia from a Las Vegas casino hotel room involving former football superstar O.J. Simpson. They are expected to testify against Simpson and three other remaining co-defendants at trial, if the case goes…

Oct 23, 2007 5:56 PM CDT

Coverage a Hot Issue After California Fires

Updated: The fires sweeping much of Southern California this week, causing, at last report, an estimated $500 million in insured losses, have made homeowner insurance coverage a hot issue. Although the language of one’s individual homeowner’s policy is critical, certain insurance coverage is often standard, according to the Los Angeles…

Oct 23, 2007 5:05 PM CDT

Lawyers Embrace ‘Paid Volunteerism’ Trend

Retired Cravath partner Frederick A. O. Schwarz Jr. may have been at the leading edge of a trend when he went to work for the Brennan Center for Justice five years ago. More seniors are retiring and taking less stressful or more rewarding jobs for nonprofits that pay a salary,…

Oct 23, 2007 4:05 PM CDT

New Trend? Drive-Through Law Office

A vacant Mississippi bank will soon offer an unusual feature when it is converted to a five-employee law office: drive-through. “People will be able to drive through and drop off payments or documents and not have to get out of their cars,” says state Rep. John Reeves. He is renovating…

Oct 23, 2007 3:32 PM CDT

Wrong Numbers Ring Up Profits for Facebook, Suit Claims

An Indiana woman claims in a lawsuit that Facebook is profiting when its members mistakenly send text messages to incorrect cell phone numbers. Lindsey Abrams of Patriot, Ind., says she received Facebook messages on her new cell phone number that contained explicit language and disturbing remarks, the Associated Press reports.…

Oct 23, 2007 3:14 PM CDT

Lawyer for Alleged DC Madam Targets Gonzales in Seventh Dismissal Motion

The lawyer for alleged D.C. madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey claims in a new legal pleading that the charges against his client were brought to bolster the political agenda of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. But the proof was less sensational than the charge, Dana Milbank reports in his Washington Sketch…

Oct 23, 2007 1:52 PM CDT

Bad Police Lab Work Is Good News for 19 TX Inmates

Nineteen Texas inmates have received an offer of a free lawyer to review whether they were wrongfully convicted because of shoddy blood analysis work. The offer is a result of a report issued by a special investigator who identified 180 cases that could be flawed because of bad blood work…

Oct 23, 2007 1:23 PM CDT

Prof Who Played Pimp Film to Resume Teaching

A law professor who went on leave after he showed a controversial film clip to students from the documentary Really Really Pimpin’ in Da South will return to teaching this spring at the University of Connecticut law school. Robert Birmingham will teach three classes, including law and philosophy, but he…

Oct 23, 2007 11:58 AM CDT

Indicted Partner Acquitted in 1991 Ponzi Case

The Baker & McKenzie partner who was indicted Friday for allegedly taking a $1.7 million kickback in short-selling scheme was acquitted of participating in another investment conspiracy in a 1991 case, the New York Law Journal reports. In the present case, Martin Weisberg is accused of taking the kickback from…

Oct 23, 2007 11:26 AM CDT

MA Judge Accused of Moonlighting

A state commission has filed misconduct charges against a Massachusetts judge, accusing him of moonlighting in violation of judicial rules of conduct. Judge Michael Livingstone allegedly both operated a real estate business and accepted fees from a lawyer who took over his practice, while simultaneously serving on the Plymouth County…

Oct 22, 2007 10:44 PM CDT

CT Law ‘Practice’: Personal Injury—and Piano

When Harvey Kulawitz needs a break from his personal injury law practice, the Connecticut lawyer doesn’t have to go far from his desk to relax. The 54-year-old keeps an electronic piano in his Ridgefield office, and doesn’t hesitate to play a jazz tune or two when the mood strikes him.…

Oct 22, 2007 9:42 PM CDT

Casebook Caper (Don’t Try This at Home ... )

Apparently fed up with real estate finance, an Indiana law student has been arrested for allegedly shooting his casebook. Jesse Sneed, 27, a third-year student at Indiana University School of Law, was charged with criminal recklessness after the incident last week, writes the Wall Street Journal Law Blog. He has…

Oct 22, 2007 9:16 PM CDT

Old Issues, New Policy for FBI

A controversial decision by the FBI to require supervisory personnel to rotate every five years comes in conjunction with an eye-popping series of recent cases alleging years-ago misconduct. Currently, a retired FBI supervisor is on trial in Brooklyn for allegedly helping a prized Mafia informant murder four people, as the…

Oct 22, 2007 7:21 PM CDT

Senior Sleuths Right Civil Wrongs in Florida

A special project of the Florida attorney general has grown into a 35-office effort to protect the state’s senior citizens from large injustices and small that don’t constitute crimes. So-called senior sleuths at Seniors vs. Crime gather the facts and help the elderly make an effective complaint in the right…

Oct 22, 2007 7:06 PM CDT