States

Blame Game Begins in Bridge Tragedy

Although it’s too early to know exactly what caused Wednesday’s horrific rush-hour collapse of the Interstate 35-W bridge in Minneapolis, fingers are pointing in various directions, and some are thinking about possible litigation. Likely potential targets would include state and federal government entities and private contractors responsible for constructing and…

Aug 3, 2007 7:50 PM CDT

Judge OKs, Adds to Pedophile Injunction

Two Santa Clarita lawyers who sought an injunction to protect their daughters and other local children from associating with a self-admitted pedophile got everything they sought from a California judge today—and more. They had asked for a temporary restraining order to prevent Jack McClellan, a 45-year-old who admittedly is sexually…

Aug 3, 2007 7:15 PM CDT

No Address Means Life Sentence

A homeless man who is unable to register his address as a sex offender faces a life sentence under a Georgia law. The lawyer for Larry Moore Jr. of Augusta says an appeal will assert the sentence is cruel and unusual punishment, the New York Times reports. Moore was convicted…

Aug 3, 2007 6:02 PM CDT

Raid of Congressman’s Office Improper

A federal appeals court ruled today that the FBI must return privileged legislative documents seized in a raid of U.S. Rep. William Jefferson’s office last year. Jefferson was indicted after the raid on charges he solicited more than $500,000 in bribes. He has pleaded not guilty. The U.S. Court of…

Aug 3, 2007 4:31 PM CDT

Conventional Salary Wisdom Wrong

Young female lawyers in New York City are making more money than their male peers. That’s the finding of a study of men’s and women’s wages in major cities, the New York Times reports. The analysis of U.S. census data found that New York City working women of all educational…

Aug 3, 2007 3:33 PM CDT

VA Driver Fines Struck Down

A county judge struck down Virginia’s high fees for the state’s dangerous drivers yesterday. Judge Archer Yeatts III of Henrico County said the state law violates equal protection guarantees because it imposes higher fines on in-state drivers than out-of-state residents, the Washington Post reports. “A ‘dangerous’ driver is a ‘dangerous’…

Aug 3, 2007 2:54 PM CDT

Hate Not Required for Hate Crime

A New York judge has upheld hate crime charges against three suspects accused of choosing their gay victim because they thought he would be an easy mark. The suspects are accused of robbing, beating and chasing the victim, Michael Sandy, who died after he ran into traffic and was struck…

Aug 3, 2007 1:45 PM CDT

Backup Saved Bar Exam Answers

A backup system preserved the essays of those who ran into software glitches when they tried to upload answers to the New York bar exam. Douglas M. Winneg, president of the company that made the exam software, told the New York Law Journal that he believes all the essays have…

Aug 3, 2007 12:00 PM CDT

Teen Smoking Suit Extinguished

Joe Camel has made it through the eye of a needle. The California Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit against four tobacco companies targeting ads that appeal to youths, the Recorder reports. The suit claimed the companies encouraged youths to start smoking through ads that featured icons such as Joe…

Aug 3, 2007 11:42 AM CDT

Final Likely Loss for ‘Pants’ Judge: His Job

An administrative law judge who became a target of international disapprobation after suing his neighborhood dry cleaners for $54 million over an allegedly botched dry-cleaning job that resulted in the loss of his suit trousers, is now poised to lose more than his pants and the case. It is becoming…

Aug 2, 2007 10:49 PM CDT

New Bankruptcy Dept for Cravath

Signaling a sea change in the way that one of New York City’s most prestigious, upper-echelon law firms runs its practice, Richard Levin has now been working as a partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore for a month. Levin not only represents a very rare exception to Cravath’s ordinary policy…

Aug 2, 2007 9:35 PM CDT

Judge in $2 M Libel Case Seeks to Retire

A judge who won a $2 million libel verdict against the Boston Herald is now on sick leave and seeking to retire on a disability pension. Superior Court Judge Ernest B. Murphy says he is suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome as a result of the paper’s coverage criticizing his judicial…

Aug 2, 2007 8:41 PM CDT

Unlicensed Gen’l Counsels are Unusual

Does a general counsel of a corporation have to be a licensed lawyer? To many, the answer to that question would seem to be a no-brainer: Yes. But a small number of general counsels have chosen not to maintain active law licenses, and are now fielding questions in the wake…

Aug 2, 2007 6:41 PM CDT

Prosecutor Looking into ‘Spitz’ Situation

A year ago, Eliot Spitzer was a well-known prosecutor, famous for his aggressive approach to his job as the attorney general of New York. Now the tables have been turned. Spitzer—who took office Jan. 1 as governor of New York after being elected in a landslide on a reform platform—is…

Aug 2, 2007 4:38 PM CDT

Injunction Sought for Admitted Pedophile

Jack McClellan has never even been arrested for a child sex offense, let alone convicted. But the 45-year-old California man, who appears to live largely in his car in the Santa Monica area, publicly proclaims his attraction to children, saying that he might act on it if it were legal…

Aug 2, 2007 3:37 PM CDT