The National Pulse

Mind Reading: Judges Can Keep Deliberations to Themselves, Mass. Court Says

When Massachusetts disciplinary authorities resumed their secret questioning of Boston Municipal Judge Raymond G. Dougan Jr. in late August, they had to do it with one hand tied behind their backs. Sure, authorities got to ask lots about nearly two dozen cases prosecutors say show Dougan’s pattern of bias toward…

Dec 1, 2012 9:40 AM CST

Boys & Girls Together? Courts Deal with a Push to End Co-Ed Classes

Ask Kaleem Caire why he wants single-sex charter schools, and the Urban League president for the greater Madison, Wis., area says it would remove distractions and fears adolescents often have in classrooms, particularly when called on to show what they know. He’ll also tell you there are many fatherless children…

Dec 1, 2012 9:19 AM CST

Queens Justice: Borough’s DAs Criticized for Probing Suspects Before Miranda Rights

New York City police arrested 19-year-old Elisaul Perez in March 2009 and charged him with assaulting a man and stealing his iPod. The officers brought Perez from the precinct to central booking, a holding area in the Queens County courthouse basement, where charges were drawn up. Under the Miranda rule,…

Nov 1, 2012 8:30 AM CDT

Site Unseen: Schools, Bosses Barred from Eyeing Students’, Workers’ Social Media

See if this sounds familiar: School officials learn that a student may have inappropriate material on a social media site. The officials—ostensibly concerned about bullying and other possible ramifications at school—call the student into the office, force him or her to reveal the password, log on to the site and…

Nov 1, 2012 8:10 AM CDT

Clearing Up Hazing: Opponents Are Pushing for Stricter Laws

Back in college, Frederica Wilson earned the nickname the Haze Buster while serving as a regional director for her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. Looking at the college hazing problem today, she says “it’s almost as if the college campuses give [students] a license to kill, inadvertently, without meaning to.” Wilson,…

Oct 1, 2012 8:00 AM CDT

Taking the Pulse of the Health Act: States Weigh Whether to Opt Out of the Newly Approved Law

The U.S. Supreme Court may have warmed some hearts when it allowed most of the 2010 federal health care reform law to stand, but the June 28 decision clunked big-time in many statehouses and with one presidential campaign. As the election approaches, Republican governors and other state officials have cast…

Oct 1, 2012 7:40 AM CDT

Poll Vaulting: As November Looms, States Still Battling over Voter ID Laws

A wave of lawsuits and state legislation could affect whether potential voters will be heard in November’s elections, in a number that some groups say exceeds the margin of victory in previous elections. Many lawsuits hinge on Section 7 of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, which requires that states…

Sep 1, 2012 8:20 AM CDT

‘Like’ Is Unliked: Clicking on a Facebook Item Is Not Free Speech, Judge Rules

When Hampton, Va., Sheriff B.J. Roberts faced re-election in 2009, he discovered that several of his employees had backed his opponent, Jim Adams. A former lieutenant colonel in the sheriff’s office, Adams knew each of the employees and attended a cookout with them. One of the employees, Daniel R. Carter,…

Sep 1, 2012 8:00 AM CDT

Hoist Your Mug: Websites Will Post Your Name and Photo; Others Will Charge You to Remove Them

On the Internet, the saying goes, nobody knows you’re a dog—unless, of course, they see your picture online and forward it to their friends. If you’ve been arrested they might know that, too, thanks to webpages that pull booking information from law enforcement sites and republish it. The sites, most…

Aug 1, 2012 7:59 AM CDT

Rolling the Dice: States Double Down in Bid to Lure Online Gamblers

Everything from Internet poker to slots on your iPhone is on the table now after a legal opinion from the U.S. Department of Justice that toppled the main federal obstacle to online gambling. The opinion, released to scant media coverage Dec. 23, got the attention of state lotteries, casino operators…

Aug 1, 2012 7:40 AM CDT

Occupy the Courts: The Nationwide Movement Has Left a Mixed Bag of Legal Results

The Occupy movement entered public consciousness—and public space—in September 2011, when protesters took over Zuccotti Park in New York City’s financial district. Since then, Occupy groups have formed across the United States, protesting social and financial inequalities, excessive corporate influence on government and overall income disparities. Protesters actually occupied government…

Jul 1, 2012 8:20 AM CDT

Pruning the Judicial Branch: State Laws Target ‘Activist Judges’

On the TV show Face the Nation in December, host Bob Schieffer asked Newt Gingrich how he would resolve his beef with so-called activist judges, including one in Texas who blocked prayer at a public school. The former House speaker responded that he would instruct U.S. marshals to arrest judges…

Jul 1, 2012 8:00 AM CDT

Few Jobs, But a Rack of Suits: Law Grads Claim Their Alma Maters Duped Them

In 2005, Chloe Gilgan bet that obtaining a law degree would guarantee her a competitive salary and a steady career path. Instead, she wound up with a mountain of debt and limited job prospects. Gilgan, who says she relied heavily on placement data from New York Law School to decide…

Jun 1, 2012 8:30 AM CDT

Preach the Children Well: Employment Lawyers Puzzle over ‘Ministerial Exception’

A Catholic school art teacher who volunteers on Sundays to distribute communion might be allowed to file a discrimination action against her employer. But if the teacher also hands out communion at school Masses, that might change her status and allow the First Amendment’s ministerial exception to bar the complaint.…

Jun 1, 2012 8:10 AM CDT

Reliving the Golden Oldies: Rockers Reclaim Tunes After Revised Copyright Laws

Jim Peterik, who founded the musical group Survivor, was still an unknown when he signed with his publisher back in 1978. In retrospect, he says, he didn’t negotiate the best contract. “It wasn’t a bad deal. It wasn’t a ‘screw you’ deal,” Peterik says. “But obviously if I had clout…

May 1, 2012 8:20 AM CDT