Voters ban slavery as a form of punishment in 4 states; what is the impact?

Voters in Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon and Vermont have approved state constitutional amendments banning the use of slavery as a punishment.

Nov 9, 2022 3:17 PM CST

12-person juries are constitutionally required in serious criminal cases, Gorsuch argues

U.S. Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh dissented Monday, when the Supreme Court turned down an appeal that challenges the use of eight-person juries in serious criminal cases.

Nov 8, 2022 9:24 AM CST

Washington admits bar applicant with sex-offender status, based on young age at time of conduct

A law school graduate with a 2010 conviction for voyeurism involving shared images of youths can be admitted to practice law in Washington, the Washington Supreme Court found in a 5-4 opinion.

Nov 7, 2022 8:57 AM CST

Utah’s reforms offer model for serving low-income and indigent people, report suggests

The Utah model of reform allowing nonlawyers to offer legal services could be “critical” to serving people who can’t afford them, according to a Stanford Law School study published Tuesday.

Sep 29, 2022 10:42 AM CDT

Advances in legal tech and regulatory innovation explored in new ABA report

The ABA Center for Innovation on Tuesday released its inaugural Innovation Trends Report, which explores developments in the legal services industry by focusing on internal ABA innovation, advances in legal technology and regulatory innovation.

Aug 16, 2022 2:18 PM CDT

What are abortion trigger laws, and where do they stand?

Less than a week after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, more than a dozen states have already or plan to soon ban abortion in most cases. Here’s what we know so far about where abortion bans stand in these 13 states and in other states that have laws targeting the procedure.

Jun 30, 2022 2:52 PM CDT

Litigation over abortion bans begins at state level; judges block laws in 5 states

Updated: Supporters of abortion rights are taking their battle to state courts after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday.

Jun 28, 2022 10:43 AM CDT

Old allegations that county attorney cannibalized children are a ‘pack of lies,’ he says

Updated: A county attorney in Utah has said a “tragically mentally ill woman” made long-ago allegations that he and his wife cannibalized children and participated in a ritualistic child-abuse ring.

Jun 6, 2022 1:40 PM CDT

Federal judge rejects plea-deal sentence for lawyer accused of stealing nearly $13M from clients

A federal judge in Salt Lake City has rejected a plea deal calling for a sentence of about six years in prison for an estate lawyer accused of stealing $12.7 million from 26 elderly, disabled or incapacitated clients.

Apr 20, 2022 2:52 PM CDT

Prosecution careers are a tougher sell since the pandemic; positions go unfilled as few apply

Low pay, burnout and concerns about racial justice are among the reasons that prosecutor positions are going unfilled across the country, according to prosecutors and association officials.

Apr 14, 2022 8:52 AM CDT

Justice Thomas warns against court packing, cancel culture and incivility

Justice Clarence Thomas said Friday talk about adding justices to the U.S. Supreme Court can be damaging to the institution.

Mar 14, 2022 2:52 PM CDT

How a social justice innovation lab is developing new types of legal services

The Innovation for Justice lab launched at the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law in 2018 with the goal of designing, building and testing new solutions to addressing the justice gap impacting millions of Americans.

Feb 16, 2022 8:36 AM CST

Law prof sees uphill climb for admission of EyeDetect lie-detecting technology in court

A new truth-telling technology called EyeDetect is said to be more accurate than polygraphs, but the outlook for its widespread admission in court is not good, according to one law professor.

Nov 18, 2021 12:34 PM CST

5th Circuit temporarily stays OSHA’s vaccine mandate for larger employers

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New Orleans on Saturday granted an emergency motion to stay the federal government’s vaccine mandate for larger employers pending expedited judicial review.

Nov 8, 2021 9:27 AM CST

Pioneering Utah justice will join BigLaw firm opening Salt Lake City office

Utah Supreme Court Justice Constandinos “Deno” Himonas, one of the major driving forces behind his state’s groundbreaking reforms opening up the legal marketplace to nontraditional providers, recently announced that he will be retiring from the bench to join a major law firm opening an office in the state’s capital.

Nov 3, 2021 10:56 AM CDT