States

Judge Orders Hearing Into Destruction of Interrogation Videotapes

A federal judge has scheduled a hearing (PDF) Friday to consider whether the CIA violated a court order barring the destruction of evidence by destroying two videotaped interrogations. U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy of Washington, D.C., refused a Justice Department request to stay out of the controversy, the Associated Press…

Dec 18, 2007 4:56 PM CST

Judges Reprimanded for Drunken-Driving Accident

Two Illinois judges have been reprimanded for their involvement in a drunken-driving accident. Jan Fiss and Patrick Young of St. Clair County will be allowed to remain on the bench under the reprimand issued yesterday by the Illinois Courts Commission, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The complaint said Young drank…

Dec 18, 2007 4:12 PM CST

County Attorney Gets Flack for Self-Promotion

The county attorney in Phoenix has spent more than $2.5 million in public money on public service announcements since taking office three years ago. That may not raise eyebrows, except that Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas is in almost every ad, the East Valley Tribune reports. The presence of Thomas…

Dec 17, 2007 9:33 PM CST

Firm Takes Client Entertainment Cue from Boston Legal

When you try to picture the new rooftop deck at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough’s Atlanta office, think Boston. More specifically, Boston Legal, the hit ABC drama featuring William Shatner as Denny Crane and David Spader as Alan Shore. At the end of each episode, the pair sits on their…

Dec 17, 2007 9:03 PM CST

K&L Gates Merges with Dallas Firm

After months of talks, New York-based Kilpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis voted today to merge with one of the largest firms in Dallas, Hughes & Luce. The combined firm will have more than 1,500 lawyers and 23 offices in the United States, Europe and Asia, according to a news…

Dec 17, 2007 8:06 PM CST

How a Reed Smith Partner Learned Wealth, Power Were the Wrong Priorities

A. Scott Bolden, a partner at Reed Smith in Washington, D.C., didn’t listen to his lawyers’ advice after an ex-girlfriend called him about his long-rumored daughter. The ex told Bolden shortly before Thanksgiving in 2001 that his daughter, Shayla, was turning 18 and needed him, Bolden recalls in a lengthy…

Dec 17, 2007 7:51 PM CST

D.C.‘s Top Lawyer Resigns

Washington D.C.’s top lawyer resigned Monday, reportedly amid growing frustration that the mayor was leaving key legal decisions to his general counsel. D.C. Attorney General Linda Singer, who was spearheading the District’s defense of its gun ordinance in the U.S. Supreme Court, did not give a reason for her resignation,…

Dec 17, 2007 7:45 PM CST

White House Visitor Logs Open to Public Scrutiny

In a blow to the Bush administration’s effort to keep its roster of visitors private, a federal judge has ruled that the White House visitor logs are public. U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, of the District of Columbia, issued a memorandum opinion (PDF) on Monday that the White House…

Dec 17, 2007 7:12 PM CST

Conviction in ‘Modern-Day Slavery’ Case

A millionaire couple from New York have been convicted of involuntary servitude for enslaving two Indonesian women who worked as their housekeepers. Prosecutors had called the allegations against Varha and Mahender Sabhnani a case of “modern-day slavery,” the Associated Press reports. The couple, who owned a perfume business, were accused…

Dec 17, 2007 6:41 PM CST

N.J. Governor Signs Law Repealing Death Penalty

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine heralded the end of “state-endorsed killing” as he signed a law today repealing the death penalty in the state. At the same time, the governor commuted the sentence for eight death-row inmates to life in prison without parole, the New York Times reports. Corzine gave…

Dec 17, 2007 6:15 PM CST

Lawyer Who Destroyed Evidence Spared Jail Time

A Connecticut lawyer who destroyed a laptop containing evidence of child pornography was spared jail time today. Philip Russell instead will serve six months of home confinement, pay a $25,000 fine and do 240 hours of community service, the Associated Press reports. Russell admitted in September that he knew the…

Dec 17, 2007 5:27 PM CST

Obama Played ‘Strong, Silent Type’ in Court

Presidential contender Barack Obama, known for his oratorical skills, played the “strong, silent type” when he was practicing law, according to a feature Monday in the Chicago Sun-Times. The paper reviewed cases Obama worked on while he was at Miner Barnhill & Galland and found that other than making introductions,…

Dec 17, 2007 4:47 PM CST

Ex-Chicago Sun-Times Publisher Gets 2 Yrs for Fraud

David Radler is the latest to be sentenced in the criminal case against executives that once headed the Chicago Sun-Times daily news tabloid. U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve accepted Radler’s plea this morning and signed off on his reduced sentence of 29 months and a $250,000 fine, the Chicago…

Dec 17, 2007 4:22 PM CST

Man Can’t Get Alimony Reduced Because Ex-Wife Is in Jail

A New York judge has refused to reduce a man’s $4,000 a month in alimony payments to his ex-wife who is in jail after pleading guilty to a drug possession charge. Justice Elaine Jackson Stack refused to lower the amount, saying it could be detrimental to the woman when she…

Dec 17, 2007 1:09 PM CST

Cravath in 1952: No Billables Pressure, No Fancy Offices and No Women

An associate who went to work at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in 1952 experienced a more genteel law firm, with no pressure to bill and plenty of mentoring. He was expected to wear a Brooks Brothers suit and a hat. His office was stark, with no expensive furniture. There was…

Dec 17, 2007 12:47 PM CST