Res ipsa loquitur ("The thing itself speaks")
President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to greatly expand President Bush’s faith-based initiative program. He may would to consider a recent lawsuit where the Catholic church is accused of receiving a federal funding to assist sex trafficking victims but allowed to decline to provide contraceptive material or abortion services.
Continue reading ‘Catholic Church Sued for Faith-Based Program’
A New Jersey man is in custody on a bizarre case of practicing medicine without a license. Daniel C. Tyce, 26, was arrested for allegedly claiming to be Danielle Smith – a real licensed veterinarian. Tyce, an ex-convict, is accused of committing the fraud to pay for estrogen treatments and a sex change operation.
Continue reading ‘Faux Veterinarian Arrested in Bizarre Cross-Dressing Case of Fraud’
Politicians are heralding the actions of the pilots of the US Airways flight that landed in the Hudson River — an effort described as “miraculous” by Chelsey B. “Sully” Sullenberger, a former Air Force fighter pilot, has been with US Airways since 1980. As the lawyer for older pilots fighting to retain their benefits and rights, I will simply note that many of these same politicians have worked to have pilots over 60 years old fired and stripped of their benefit and seniority.
Continue reading ‘Sully Sullenberger: An Example of the Experience of Older Pilots’
U.S. News and World Report has long been the dominant ranking of law schools. However, there is competition from groups that disagree with the factors weighed by the magazine. One such competing ranking is done each year at Cooley Law School, which released the annual results this week below.
Continue reading ‘New Law School Rankings Released By Cooley’
Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. began on a high note this afternoon by acknowledging that waterboarding is torture — an admission that Mukasey refused to make. However, he did not commit to the obvious implication of that statement: he will enforce federal law and international law that makes torture both a crime and a war crime. I discussed the testimony on this segment of Rachel Maddow’s show. Continue reading ‘Holder Calls Waterboarding Torture — But Falls Short of Committing to Enforce the Law’
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on the abuse of civil contempt in this country including the story of H. Beatty Chadwick, a former Philadelphia-area lawyer, who has been behind bars for nearly 14 years without being charged. I have handled civil contempt defenses and it is one of the most abused areas by prosecutors and courts. This article shows how this power can be used to punish rather than its purpose to coerce cooperation.
Continue reading ‘Former Lawyer Held 14 Years Without Charge on Civil Contempt’
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is going to court to block protections for the diminishing population of Cook Inlet beluga whales off of her state. In an announcement from her office, Palin has again taken the lead in attacks on environmental protection policies.
While the war crimes controversy continues and questions linger over Barack Obama’s willingness to allow such crimes to be investigated, he is planning a major change that should please civil libertarians: he will reportedly rescind the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy put into place by Bill Clinton. The policy has always been viewed as classic Clintonesque: not fighting on the principle and adopting a murky standard that satisfied no one. The result has been ridiculous cases where military investigators respond to spite claims of homosexuality, often discharging decorated soldiers and sailors. Incoming White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs appears to have jumped the gun and is now trying to rollback on the story.
Continue reading ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Speak: Obama To Get Rid Of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’
Christians are often confronted over their desire to have crosses and nativity scenes on public property, so David Engle of Overland Park, Kansas has filed a complaint over two Buddha statues in an Asian-themed area of the Kansas City Zoo. While peevish, it could make for an interesting constitutional case over entanglement questions.
Continue reading ‘Christian Files Complaint Over Buddha Statutes at Kansas City Zoo’
Former Bay Area Rapid Transit Officer Johannes Mehserle, 27, has been arrested and charged with murder in the such publicized shooting of Oscar Grant III at an Oakland, California transit stop. It is another case where YouTube appears to have driven the official response as outrage grew with the playing of videos of the shooting like the clip below. Mehserle who resigned from the force is now facing murder charges.
Continue reading ‘Mehserle Arrested and Charged With Murder in BART Transit Shooting’
A couple weeks ago, we followed the story of how a store refused to make a birthday cake for a three-year-old boy named Adolf Hitler Campbell due to his name. Now, the boy and his two sisters — JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell — have been taken from their parents in Holland Township, N.J., by the state’s Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS). The father, Heath Campbell is expected to appear in court on Thursday in the case.
Continue reading ‘Mein Kake: Adolf Hitler Seized in New Jersey’
With congressional Democrats and the Obama campaign struggling to avoid the investigation and prosecution of torture, a Bush official just made it a bit more difficult. Susan J. Crawford has publicly admitted that they did engage in clear torture at Guantanamo Bay. With the hearings for Eric Holder on Thursday, the admission by Crawford could make the torture question hard to avoid. I will be discussing the Holder hearing on Countdown tonight.
Continue reading ‘Bush Official Admits That Administration Tortured Detainees’
Prosecutors have discovered another hotbed of child pornographers: Greensburg Salem High School. Prosecutors have charged teenagers with child pornography for sharing nude and seminude pictures of themselves over cell phones. The girls are 14 or 15 and the boys are 16 or 17. Pornographers all.
Continue reading ‘Pornotots: Teens Charged With Pornography For Sharing Photos Of Themselves’
The Riverside District Attorney’s Office has announced that it will not criminally charge Costa Mesa Police Department officer Scott Dibble after the officer shot and killed Shaun Vilan upset with his grabbing his friend.
A federal investigation has found that Bradley Schlozman, the former acting head of the civil rights division, made false statements to Congress and violated federal law in overseeing the agency’s civil rights division. However, he will not face charges in a continuation of the Bush Administration’s record of barring prosecution of its own officials.
Continue reading ‘Report: Bush Official Violated Federal Law in Overseeing Civil Rights Division and Lied To Congress — But Will Not Be Charged’
Grant County in Washington has settled an exceptionally disturbing case involving false allegations of child abuse, allegedly ineffective representation by a public defender (later disbarred), and the holding of an innocent man for seven months after allegations were disproved. The $250,000 with Felipe Vargas seems quite modest given the abuse that he encountered in Grant County, which seems to maintain a criminal justice system on a model from the Thirteenth Century.
If researchers are looking for evidence of nature over nurture to rebut Skinner, they need to look no further than the father and son team of Edward R. Pluhar Sr., 61, and Edward R. Pluhar Jr. 26. Junior reportedly did not want to wait in line at Wal-Mart in Muncie, Delaware, so he went to the front of the line. When a guy objected, he and his father became abusive and threatened him. It turned out to be off-duty police officer Chris Kirby. The confrontation would end up in the parking lot with Kirby injured by the Pluhar’s van and the Pluhars ultimately in the Delaware County Jail.
Continue reading ‘Big Box; Small Brain: Father and Son Arrested For Allegedly Butting in Line — and Then Assaulting an Officer’
Iran has continued its medieval legal practice with two additional stonings. It was supposed to be three stonings, but one of the men named Mahmoud accused of adultery was able to dig himself out of the hole and run free. The stonings occurred in the city of Mashhad in late December.
Continue reading ‘Two Men Stoned to Death and One Escapes After Iranian Sentence of Adultery’
Tim Kay is close to becoming a legal system unto himself. In the town of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, Tim Kay defended Robert John “R.J.” Manders, a businessman, on his third drunken-driving conviction. One week later, he was prosecuting Manders for trespass. That’s right, Kay is both a defense counsel and prosecutor in the town.
The world has another honor killing. This time the family of Naile Erdas, 16, decided that the family honor demanded that she be killed after she was raped and impregnated. This case, however, has a positive element: a Turkish court has handed down an appropriately harsh series of sentences of the father, mother, brother and two uncles. It is a great credit to the Turkish legal system and should be a model for other Islamic countries in the region.
Continue reading ‘Sixteen-Year-Old Pregnant Rape Victim Murdered by Family in Honor Killing’
Students at Tioga High School in Groveland, California should receive extra credit for civics. The Big Oak Flat-Groveland School Board fired Math teacher Ryan Dutton for alleged plagiarism while a student teacher at Cal State Fresno. The University says the allegations were unfounded but the school board refused to reconsider its decision, so the students organized a recall campaign and tossed out the entire school board.
Continue reading ‘School Board Fires Popular Math Teacher; Students Fire School Board’
Police in Greenfield, California are dealing with a considerable cultural disconnect. Macelino de Jesus Martinez, 36, was arrested after he arranged for a marriage of his daughter, 14, into a marriage for beer and cash. When his son-in-law, Margarito de Jesus Galindo, 18, stopped paying, he went to police to try to get his daughter back. Both are reportedly illegal immigrants from Mexico and now face criminal charges and possible deportation.
For those who insist that the American jury system is simply pro-plaintiff, you need to look at the case of Lisa Strong, 44. The mother of two went to a hospital for kidney stones and ended up losing both her arms and legs. A jury in Fort Lauderdale, Florida rule in favor the defendant doctors and South Broward Hospital District across the board.
President-elect Barack Obama appears to be signaling that he is not inclined to investigate crimes committed by the Bush Administration. In an interview with ABC News program “This Week With George Stephanopoulos”, he picked up on the recent Democratic spin that we should all “look to the future and not the past” even if the past happens to contain war crimes committed by his predecessor. I just finished an interview on Talk of the Nation on which I debated the issue with Harvard Professor and former solicitor general Charles Fried. I also discussed the issue on MSNBC Countdown.
Continue reading ‘Obama Indicates That He Will Not Investigate Bush Crimes’
Keeping with the developing matrimonial theme this morning, an odd case has emerged from New York involving personal injury lawyer Joseph Rosenzweig, who has been blocked by a court from foreclosing on a loan to his wife, Radiah Givens, due to bigamy. Justice Karla Moskowitz has ruled that there is a possible argument that the money was a gift.
Continue reading ‘New York Lawyer Accused of Bigamy and Blocked From Evicting Ex-Wife’
There is an interesting ruling in a divorce case out of Miami, Florida this week. Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda has developed a certain fame or infamy by first declaring himself to be Jesus Christ and then proclaiming that he is the Antichrist. Dividing up the assets of the Antichrist would seem a daunting prospect, but Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Roberto Pineiro ruled that it is simple: the church is so closely linked to de Jesus that it should be included in the division of his personal property for the purposes of the divorce.
Continue reading ‘De Jesus: Court Divides Assets of the AntiChrist in Divorce’
Stephen Buttafuoco, 23, is the subject of a rather curious criminal charge. He was a waiter at a wedding at the Woodbury Jewish Center when the guests suddenly began to hear an Arabic chant praising Allah. Buttafuoco, who aptly lives in West Babylon, New York, insists that he was playing a recording for a friend and did not realize that it was being amplified to the room. He was charged with felony harassment.
Continue reading ‘New York Waiter Charged Criminally For Playing Arabic Chant at Jewish Wedding’
Authorities have discovered the body of a Somali pirate who drowned after receiving his share of a ransom to release a Saudi oil tanker. His is one of five pirates who reportedly drowned after leaving the boat when $3 million was dropped by parachute on to the vessel
Continue reading ‘Liquid Assets: Body of Drowned Somali Pirate Washes Onshore with $153,000 in Ransom Money’
Former church director of finances, William Jeremiah, has been arrested for theft and fraud after $276,000 went missing from the Lakeview Wesleyan Church in Marion, Indiana. Prosecutors allege that some of the money went for a church-subsidized vasectomy.
A Billing. Montana bus driver took her kids on an unscheduled field trip when she stopped at a liquor school to load up and then asked a student to help hide a bottle when the cops stopped the bus.
The confirmation of Eric Holder, Jr. is running into some trouble with the planned appearance of witnesses about his role in some of the infamous pardons by Bill Clinton. Some of the greatest abuse of the pardon power occurred in the final week of the Clinton administration, including his use of official power to benefit a family member with the pardon of Roger Clinton. Ironically, however, it is not the most abusive pardons that is attracting the ire of Republicans.
Continue reading ‘Holder Nomination Runs Into Opposition Over Clinton Pardons’
Phillip Dominguez describes himself as “a law-abiding, taxpaying gun enthusiast.” That should be with an emphasis on “enthusiast.” Dominguez is facing charges are a search of his car uncovered 16 guns and 1000 rounds of ammunition.
Continue reading ‘Man Arrested at LAX With 16 Guns and 1000 Rounds of Ammunition’
In Gainesville, Florida, conservatives have begun a campaign reminiscent of the Proposition 8 campaign in California to overturn a ruling in favor of same-sex marriages. This city-wide campaign, however, is about 100 resident transgender citizens and where they can go potty. The city council passed a law allowing the residents to use either the men’s or women’s room and the opponents have unleashed an ad (below) that shows a cute little girl being following into the bathroom by a lurking male.
Continue reading ‘Bathroom Break: Religious Groups Launch Ad Campaign Against Transgender Potty Rule’
Former Soprano cast member Lillo Brancato Jr. received 10 years in prison for his role in a burglary that resulted in the death of off-duty New York police officer Daniel Enchautegui. Brancato was able to convince a jury that he did not know that his friend, Steven Armento, 51, had a gun and knew the apartment owner (who invited him to take any pain killers that he wanted).
Continue reading ‘Soprano Cast Member Lillo Brancato Sentenced to 10 Years’
The Chattanooga Police Department has decided that an officer who assaults two people, including pushing one through a plate glass window, will not be criminally charge. Det. Kenneth Freeman is truly a free man after, on Christmas Eve, shoving 71-year-old Wal-Mart greeter Bill Walker to the ground. Why? Because he was asking for a receipt check. Freeman then reportedly shoved Gholom Ghassedi through a glass door when he tried to assist Walker. The police routinely charge people with battery and resisting arrest if they touch the sleeve of an officer. Even hugging an officer or passing gas near an officer has led to a charge of assault. Yet, the Chattanooga Police Department can’t imagine what it would charge Freeman with after assaulting an elderly man and shoving a good samaritan through a glass door.
Continue reading ‘Freeman: Chattanooga Police Department Declines to Charge Officer Who Allegedly Threw a 71-Year-Old Man to Floor and a Good Samaritan Through a Glass Door’
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon has been indicted Friday on 12 counts of corruption in the same investigation that resulted in the indictment of a councilwoman last week. She faces four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations. The allegations stem from the use of gift cards from two real estate developers — who gave the cards to help needy families and instead discovered that they were being used to allegedly by Dixon things like a PlayStation2, CDs and DVDs.
Continue reading ‘Pay to PlayStation: Baltimore Mayor Indicted on Corruption Charges’
Andre Thomas is perfectly sane according to Texas prosecutors. The view has not changed despite his habit of pulling out his own eyes. Before his trial for murder in 2004, Thomas pulled out his right eye. Yet, despite a history of mental illness, he was viewed as sane under Texas standards. Now, while on death row, Thomas pulled out his remaining eye and ate it.
Continue reading ‘Inmate Pulls Out Only Good Eye and Eats It: State Insists He Is Perfectly Sane Under Texas Standards’
Recently, we have seen cases where people have fought to overcome confidentiality of reporters and Internet companies. Now, there is a raising the limits of animal shelter confidentiality. Darlene Feger is continuing a seven year struggle to force the Warwick Valley Humane Society of New York to reveal who adopted a cat that she believes was Kisses, her missing white Persian. She believes that lawyers from a local law firm many be the culprits but the shelter insists that all animal adoptions are confidential just as human adoptions are confidential — and the courts agree.
Continue reading ‘Lawyers Stole Kisses: Woman Continues Seven-Year Fight Against Animal Shelter Confidentiality’
The Bush Administration appears intent to go out on a low note. The United States has asked for as many as 15,000 Iraqi prisoners to be held without charge in Iraq even though the authority to hold the prisoners expired at the beginning of the New Year. I discussed the plan as well as the investigation of war crimes on Rachel Maddow in this segment.
Kawaljeet Kaur Tagore has sued the Internal Revenue Service in a free exercise case involving the wearing of the kirpan, the ceremonial knife of Sikhism. Devote Sikhs wear five articles of faith: Kesh (uncut hair), which is kept covered by a distinctive turban, the Kirpan (religious sword), Kara (metal bracelet), Kanga (comb) and Kaccha (under-shorts). The IRS, however, drew the line on the kirpan and fired Tagore, 35, for refusing to take off her knife when coming to work as a revenue agent.
With the promise of unlimited spending, lobbyists and politicians are lining up for their share of the windfall. The good people of Edwardsville, Alabama do not intend to be left out. While only 194 living in the town, they are asking for $375 million, the equivalent of $2 million per resident.
Madam Justice Katherine van Rensburg of Ontario Superior Court does not appear to believe that being an actual parent to have to pay child support. Pasqualino Cornelio began paying child support for the twins after separating from Anciolina Cornelio, but later demanded DNA testing. It found that he was not the father of the twins, now 16. That does not matter, ruled Madam van Rensburg. He must continue to pay.
The Daily Show of Comedy Central has often taken news and turned it into comedy. However, in a Pittsburgh case, a comedy segment is becoming news after lawyers have sought to introduce it as evidence in religious exercise case. The Church of Universal Love and Music does not want an interview (shown below) with William Pritts shown to the jury — an effort by county officials to show that the church is not a sincere religious organization. Pritts has been holding concerts on the land for fees and, according to officials, did not claim to be a church until he ran into zoning problems with his expansion plans. On the segment, Pritts insists that “God never said you can’t party on.” (Thou Shalt Party On must be the missing Eleventh Commandment).
The Eighth Circuit has ruled that Wiccans need only three hours to celebrate their faith. Wiccans Lawrence T. Gladson, Darrell Smith, and Scott Everett Howrey at the Iowa State Penitentiary (ISP) in Fort Madison, Iowa brought the challenge and particularly challenged the denial of a full eight hours to celebrate Samhain—the most important of the eight Wiccan holidays. The court found that you can celebrate Samhain in three hours without being viewed a bad Wiccan. Among other things, the inmates alleged that the time limitation forced them to rush the Dumb Supper, which is supposed to be a “lusty and wholehearted feast.”
Dr. Richard Batista, 49, and his wife Dawnell Batista, 44, are finally splitting up. The messy divorce involves the division of assets, but there is one thing that Dr. Batista insists on getting back: his kidney. He gave his kidney to his wife in 2001. She then took the kidney and allegedly had an affair behind his back — and in front of his kidney. He wants the kidney or $1.5 million in payment for it as part of the divorce. It is either divorce or dialysis for Dawnell.
Former Vogue cover model, Liskula Cohen, 36, is about to make some interesting law. Cohen has filed in court to force Google to reveal the anonymous sources who said bad things about her in a “Skanks in NYC” blog. Cohen wants a court order so that Google will reveal the names of her critics so that she can sue them for defamation.
Continue reading ‘“Skanks in NYC”: Former Vogue Model In Court to Force Google to Uncover Anonymous Sources’
In what will most certainly end up a torts case, Christ Hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey has reportedly admitted that it threw out the body of a baby in the trash. The still grieving mother, Kalynn Moore, 26, was informed that they cannot locate the body of her son Bashere Davon Moyd Jr., as police search garbage dumps in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. There is now concern that the baby may have been incinerated in Kentucky.
Continue reading ‘Christ Hospital: New Jersey Hospital Throws Dead Baby Into The Trash’
U.S. District Judge U.W. Clemon in Alabama took the extraordinary step this week of ordering Morgan County Sheriff Greg Bartlett to be locked up in his own jail after testimony showed that he had deprived inmates of adequate food while profiting from the meager diet. Bartlett personally kept $212,000 in “surplus money” from the meal program.
Continue reading ‘Federal Judge Jails Alabama Sheriff Who Profited After Inmates Went Hungry’
Around the world, there seems to be an increase in witch burnings, or at least the reporting of such crimes. Recently. a stampede was caused in the Congo due to a rumor of witchcraft in the area. The latest incident occurred in Papua New Guinea where villagers bound, gagged, and then tied a woman to a log — and then burned her alive.
U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent will be arraigned this morning on the new charges. He was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday on new charges of sexually abusing another court employee and lying about it to prominent federal judges who investigated a misconduct complaint against him. His trial on the prior allegations was scheduled for January 26th before U.S. Senior Judge Roger Vinson, of Florida.
Continue reading ‘Judge Samuel Kent Indicted on New Sexual Abuse Charges’
In a remarkably low sentence, Wayne County Circuit Judge Timothy Kenny sentenced Christine Beatty , the former aide to former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, to just 120 days in jail for her false testimony about their affair. She also faced the less than impressive punishment of being denied the right to attend or get credit for law school during those days.
Continue reading ‘Christine Beatty Sentenced To Only 120 Days In Jail for Perjury’
The GOP has suddenly emerged as the anti-pork party despite years of defending pork from people like Sen. Ted Stevens and others. However, they have a good case to make with the Democratic stimulus package and planned legislation, which is allegedly loaded with pork including a Mob Museum for Majority Leader Harry Reid’s state of Nevada. The fact is that both parties are flagrant hypocrites on earmarks and pork. The future does not look good with Barack Obama’s appointment of Rep. Ray LaHood as Transportation Secretary. LaHood was viewed as one of the greatest defenders of pork and a symbol of earmark abuse.
Continue reading ‘Mobbed Up: Democrats Attacked on Pork Including Mob Museum for Las Vegas’
Thomas Noftall, 27, was overjoyed to win $135,000 on four scratch-off lottery tickets in Toronto, but the lottery is now saying that tickets were part of a “misprint” and it will not honor the prize. It would make for an interesting case since, regardless of the error, the lottery sold the tickets with the guarantee of an award for the correct numbers.
Continue reading ‘Canadian Man Wins $135,000 in Lottery and Then Told It Was a Misprint’
Richard Sharpe was once one of the most accomplishment medical academics, holding a seat on the Harvard Medical School and earning millions from business enterprises as a dermatologist. However, the cross-dressing doctor killed his wife in 2000 in front of witnesses and was sentenced to life in prison. This week, he succeeded in committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell in Norfolk, Massachusetts.
Continue reading ‘Former Harvard Medical School Professor Hangs Himself in Jail Cell’
Steven J. Lever, a former associate at Kirkland & Ellis has been given a suspension of just three year from practice by the New York appeals court in a 3-2 decision. Lever was nailed in a sting operation where he attempted to have sex with a 13-year-old girl. Many object to the suspension of surprising light under the circumstances.
Continue reading ‘Leverage: New York Lawyer Given Three Years Suspension for Attempted Sex with Minor’
United States resident Raed Jarrar has received a major settlement of $240,000 from JetBlue and officials at the Transportation Security Authority for an outrageous action taken against him in August 2006 when he was forced to cover up a tee-shirt with Arabic script. Ironically, the shirt displayed the words (shown above) “we will not be silent.” However, other passengers felt uncomfortable simply because it was arabic writing and, instead of telling the passengers that they are dysfunctional morons, JetBlue forced Jarrar to wear a shirt over his tee-shirt to cover the writing.
Continue reading ‘JetBlue and Transportation Officials To Pay Man $240,000 After Forcing Him to Cover Up Tee-Shirt With Arabic Writing’
In one of the most dramatic moments in Senate history, the Democrats refused to let Roland Burris enter the Senate chamber today. Democrats do not want to recognize an appointment from Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is accused of trying to sell the seat to replace President-elect Barack Obama. Burris attempted to be sworn in on the first day of the 111th Congress, but was told by the Secretary of the Senate that his credentials “were not in order.”
Continue reading ‘I’ll Huff and I’ll Puff . . . : Democrats Block Burris From Entering Senate’
Now this will make for an interesting lawsuit. A man was riding a chairlift at Vail’s Blue Sky Basin when the chair flipped, pulled down his pants and left him dangling for 15 minutes like a Christmas ham. This would be an interesting exercise of count the torts. It certainly brings new meaning to the ski phrase: “catching some air.”
Continue reading ‘Piste Off: Man Left Dangling With Full “Northern Exposure” at Ski Resort’
An administrative law judge has rendered in interesting ruling that a Hooters waitress was entitled to unemployment benefits after she was beaten and left bruised. Judge Teresa Hillary ruled that Sara Dye, 27, was barred from work due to her inability to present a “glamorous appearance.”
Continue reading ‘Judge Rules That Beaten Hooters Waitress Entitled to Unemployment Benefits’
Lawyers across the nation are beaming with pride this morning after one of our own was awarded the coveted title of the best lie of 2008. The The Burlington Liars Club award in Milwaukee went to lawyer Garth Seehawer, 71, of Oconto Falls, who told a whooper about his grandson: “My grandson is the most persuasive liar I have ever met. By the time he was 2 years old he could dirty his diaper and make his mother believe someone else had done it.”
Alaskan Investigator Kyle Young sent an e-mail to the Public Safety Employees Association claiming that political pressure delayed the arrest of Sherry Johnston — whose son Levi Johnston is engaged to Palin’s daughter, Bristol — until after the November election. Johnston was arrested Dec. 18 on six felony drug counts for selling Oxycontin.
New York police have arrested construction worker, John Brady, 49, in a rather odd crime. Brady is accused of calling people and posing as a doctor. He would then convinced them to give themselves a rectal examination while he was on the telephone. He has been charged with second-degree aggravated harassment.
Judge E. Curtissa Cofield, 60, has been sentenced in Manchester, Connecticut for her bizarre conduct on October 9th. Cofield was drunk when she went swerving through a construction zone before sideswiping a patrol car — injuring the officer, according to his lawyer. She then unleashed a torrent of racist remarks against another officer. It took Judge William Bright Jr. sentences Cofield to taking a simple alcohol education program. Her record will then be cleaned after a year.
The Los Angeles police are once again the subject of a lawsuit, but this truly a uniquely California form of abuse. The LAPD is accused to forcing a young woman, Adessa Eskridge, 27, to impersonate Jamie Lynn Spears as a decoy to trick the paparazzi. Eskridge is now alleging public humiliation and demanding damages.
Continue reading ‘Paparazzi Bait: Cops Accused of Forcing Woman to Be Decoy for Jamie Lynn Spear’
After courts and commentators have wrestled with the dangers of second-hand smoke, it appears that there is now third-hand smoke: the smell that lingers on smokers when they come back into a house or office. Experts are warning that third-hard smoke can be harmful — a finding that might move businesses to get rid of smoking areas outside of buildings.
Continue reading ‘Third-Hand Smoke: Experts Warn of Threat of Smell of Smoking’
Fairway Oaks, Florida was the scene of a moving demonstration of volunteerism. There was former President Jimmy Carter and 10,000 volunteers building the entire house estate in a 17-day blitz. Residents have now gone to court to complain that the volunteers did a poor job and that the charity never disclosed that it was building the home over a garbage dump. They claim finding garbage under their floors and developing mysterious skin rashes. Lawyers for Humanity have yet to respond publicly.
In a largely overlooked ruling, a federal judge in Washington awarded more than $65 million to sailors of the USS Pueblo who were captured and tortured by North Korea in 1968. The men — William Thomas Massie, Donald Raymond McClarren, Dunnie Richard Tuck and the estate of Lloyd Bucher — and were given the judgment by U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. after North Korea failed to respond to the lawsuit.
Continue reading ‘Court Awards $65 Million for the Men of the USS Pueblo’
There is a strange criminal case on the docket in Arkansas where Kevin Dale Robinson, 34, is charged with illegally recorded a 16-year-old girl in a shower but claims that his girlfriend told police that she took the video to get him into trouble. The prosecutors have refused to drop the case.
Continue reading ‘Arkansas Prosecutors Continue Prosecution of Man for Illegal Videotaping of Teen in Shower — Even After Girlfriend Admits to Framing Him’
A federal judge in Brooklyn has rejected the free exercise claim of Mamie Manneh that she has a constitutional right to import monkey meat without a permit. The Liberian woman was found guilty of smuggling the meat by Chief District Judge Raymond J. Dearie and faces five years in jail.
Continue reading ‘Mamie Manneh’s Monkey Meat: Court Rules Against Free Exercise Claim in Smuggling Case’
Bill Richardson has withdraw his nomination to be commerce secretary in the face of a federal grand jury investigation into whether he exchanged government contracts for contributions to three Richardson political committees. At the heart of the controversy is a California firm CDR Financial Products that is accused of pushing through a contract with the state of New Mexico by giving to the Richardson campaign.
Continue reading ‘Richardson Withdraws Under Cloud of Investigation’
An editor of has declared that any pity for the Palestinians in Gaza is “unethical and immoral.” The editorial by Adi Dvir appeared in Israel’s largest newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, on January 4, 2009 as the international community has complained about civilians deaths in the campaign and the United States blocked a United Nations resolution calling for an end of all hostilities.
Continue reading ‘Leading Israeli Newspaper: Pity for Palestinians in Gaza is Immoral and Unethical’
The California Supreme Court has ruled that probationers must disclose any pets — great or small — in their possession or risk going back to prison. In a 5-2 ruling, Chief Justice Ronald George held that
“[p]ets residing with probationers have the potential to distract, impede and endanger probation officers.” The ruling includes anything from a goldfish to a hamster to a Rottweiler. Even Angelfish and Lovebirds must register. The wheels of justice have caught up to hamsters.
Continue reading ‘Collie Contraband: California Supreme Court Upholds Mandatory Disclosure of All Pets of Probationers — Great and Small’
Marcus J. Suhn was not happy about bars closing at 2 a.m. on Sept. 2, 2007. So, when a cruiser passed by in Brookings, South Dakota, he screamed “f—ing cop” and let loose with a stream of profanities at the police. He was arrested for his potty mouth, but the South Dakota Supreme Court has now declared such language to be protected speech under the First Amendment.
President George Bush and the GOP were long criticized for forcing through the Patriot Act, Iraq resolution and other major legislation without adequate time for most members to read, let only discuss, the legislation. The Democrats often folded in the face of such pressure — only later admitting that they never read intelligence reports or the bills themselves. Now, Democrats appear to be doing the same thing with economic legislation that the Republicans did with national security legislation. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that she wants an almost $1 trillion stimulus package on the desk of President Obama by January 20th.
Continue reading ‘Vote Now, Read Later: Democrats Plan a Bush-Like Push on Economic Stimulus Legislation’
A very disturbing story had emerged from Gaza after the shooting of a child. People are not only alarmed at the shooting of 13–year-old Iman al-Hams, but by the attitude and lack of remorse of an Israeli officer who killedher. When confronted by other soldiers, the officer said that he did not care if she was a child and would have killed her even if she was three under the standing orders given to soldiers in the campaign. Yet, the officer, identified only a Captain R, was charged with only minor offenses after emptying all 10 bullets from his gun’s magazine into Iman when she walked into a “security area” on the edge of Rafah refugee camp last month.
Continue reading ‘Death in Gaza: Tape Reveals How Israeli Captain Pursued and Shot to Death a Fleeing Thirteen-Year-Old Girl’
A case in Elizabeth, New Jersey is raising some difficult questions about the limits of liability for injuries to emergency personnel. Emilio Vasquez, 19, a homeless man from Guatemala, is charged with breaking in a home and starting a fire to stay warm. The fire got out of control and the fire department was called. Firefighter Gary Stephens was one of those responding, but was killed when a fire truck backed into him. Vasquez has been charged with his murder.
Continue reading ‘Homeless Man Charged with Murder After Firefighter Ran Over By Fire Truck’
Edwin Rivera, a 22-year-old with cerebral palsy, was left over night in New York in the freezing temperature on New Year’s Eve after a bus driver left him on the bus in the depot. Criminal charges are being considered.
Linda Hockaday, 51, who helps the bus driver, faces charges of first- and second-degree reckless endangerment since she was aware that he was asleep on the bus but did not tell the driver. The temperature went done to 15 degrees that night.
Continue reading ‘Disabled Man Left Overnight in Bus on New Year’s Eve’
Wal-Mart Corporation already has a dark reputation for its treatment of employees, wiping out of small local businesses, and thuggish litigation practices. Now, it has decided to go to war with historians in trying to force through a huge store in the middle of one of the most important historical areas from the Civil War — the Wilderness Battlefield. As in other such cases, it has convinced local businesses to accept a Faustian bargain of the promise of taxes and jobs in return for destroying the unique character of the area.
Continue reading ‘Discounting History: Wal-Mart Declares War on U.S. History’
In an impressive verdict, Alissa Zwick a former dental student at the University of Michigan has won a $1.72 million verdict with punitive damages from four faculty members (Dr. Marilyn Lantz, an associate dean, and Drs. Bill Piskorowski, Mark Snyder and Fred Burgett) for her dismissal for alleged academic deficiencies. It is a rare verdict in an area generally left to the discretion of faculty.
Well, the results are in and weeks of defamatory attacks on our opposing bloggers and the unrestrained use of the politics of personal destruction have paid off: the Turley blog was voted the Number One law professor blog and legal theory blog in the annual survey of the American Bar Association’s survey. Earlier, it was selected as one of the top 100 legal blogs overall. That is not bad for a blog that is only roughly a year old and it is entirely due to our regulars at the cyber bar we called the Turley blog. Your overindulgence, obsessive compulsiveness, and general lack of restraint have made us what we are today, a group of dysfunctional miscreants. But we are now the Number One dysfunctional miscreants in our category. Well done Team Turley (if I may be so bold). Not to overplay the victory, but this is the first key step to total blogosphere domination and eventual control of the time space continuum.
Continue reading ‘TURLEY BLOG WINS TOP SPOT IN ABA JOURNAL SURVEY’
Now, in the library of curious celebrity defenses, Charles Barkley takes the cake. When stopped for drunk driving in Arizona, Barkley explained that he would not have been speeding except for the need to have oral sex as soon as possible.
Continue reading ‘The Barkley Defense: Yes, I’m Drunk But I’m Horny Too’
Robert Aragon, 55, and Kenneth Quintana (shown left), 29, have been arrested in Idaho for the second-degree murder and felony injury to a child after he allowed 11-year-old girl and 12-year-old boy to attempt a 10-mile walk to their mother’s house on Christmas Day. Sage Aragon, 11 (shown right with Robert Aragon), died in the attempt. A criminal charge is but the case would have been more properly charged as a manslaughter and abuse case.
Continue reading ‘Father and Uncle Charged With Murder in Idaho Death of 11-Year-Old Girl’
While I believe that the efforts in Illinois and Washington to block the Burris appointment are flagrant abuses of power, there is a legitimate reason to decry the choice. It is not due to the presumptively guilty man who appointed him but the clearly innocent man he wanted to kill: Rolando Cruz.
Continue reading ‘Cruz Control: Past Case Haunts Burris Appointment’
Fashion and Chanel icon Karl Lagerfield has defended wearing fur as nothing more than “killing those beasts who would kill us if they could.” Finally, someone who is willing to tell the truth about those human hunting chinchillas and rabbits and their plan for world domination.
Continue reading ‘The Mink Menace: Fur Defended as Act of Self-Defense’
Police in Elysian Fields, Texas are dealing with a relatively rare form of alleged tort and crime. Marcos Gonzalez is accused of causing the death of six-year-old Ceira Clark by electrifying his fence with 20 amps. Clark lives next door and fell on the fence on the day after Christmas.
Continue reading ‘Six-Year-Old Girl Killed on Electric Fence of Neighbor in Texas’
In a little covered story, a former employee of the U.S. Army’s Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center at the Picatinny Arsenal in Dover, New Jersey , Ben-Ami Kadish, pleaded guilty to being a spy for Israel and allowing an agent of the Government of Israel, Yossi Yagur, tp photographed secret papers at his home. Yet, he is only facing five years in prison. He spied for Israel from 1979-1985.
Continue reading ‘Army Employee Admits to Being Israeli Spy . . . And Faces Five Years In Prison’
For those who believe we are becoming a nation of cringing morons, AirTran has supplied a wonderful case in point. A family was boarding a flight to Orlando, Florida and discussing where is the safest place to sit on a plane. It is a fairly common topic on planes but this family was Muslim and the passengers became alarmed. The family of Atif Irfan was removed from the plane and, even after the FBI cleared them and told the airline that the airline should let them fly, AirTran refused to rebook them. So much for the airline motto: “Go. There’s Nothing Stopping You.” Expect possibly your religion.
Happy New Year to everyone on the Turley blog. This has been an extraordinary first year of the blog which is approaching two million hits annually. The success of the blog is due largely to our regulars who continue to make this one of the smartest and most fun blogs on the web. Even with the invasion by trolls and a few uncivil moments, the blog has remained a special forum for intelligent, civil, and often witty discourse. Our impressive monthly growth (and the obvious irritation of trolls) is a testament to the fact that there remains many people who want to engage in such dialogue. 2008 was our first full year in operation and I am very grateful for the contributions of all of the regulars on this blog.
Roland Burris has filed to ask a court to compel Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White to certify his appointment by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to the United States Senate. White has refused to sign off on the appointment and the Senate democrats appear to be moving to block Burris.
Continue reading ‘Burris Goes to Court to Force Certification of Appointment to Senate’
There is a shocking tape being reviewed in Brighton, England where two ambulance workers are overheard debating whether Barry Baker, 59, was “worth saving.” The disabled man had collapses in his home and later died.
Continue reading ‘Not So Brighton: Ambulance Crew Recorded as They Debate Whether Disabled Man Was “Worth Saving”’
Mark Jahnke, a former Waunakee High School chemistry teacher, has been found guilty of an interesting offense: videotaping his girlfriend. Jahnke argued that his girlfriend had no expectation of privacy since she consensually exposed herself to him. Two judges disagreed on the Wisconsin appellate court.
Continue reading ‘Man Found Guilty in Videotaping of Girlfriend’
Marquis LaFortune, 25, has filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after she was fired as a teacher with the Central Catholic High School in San Antonio for marrying Benjamin Stakes — a divorced man. The Catholic church forbids such marriages and had warned her that she would have to chose between teaching and love. This raises some very interesting questions of free exercise under the First Amendment.
Continue reading ‘Putting Down Stakes: Catholic High School Fires Teacher for Marrying Divorced Man’
Adam C. Weinstein, a firefighter, may want to go with a a simple NYFD tee shirt next time. Weinstein was outside a bar in 2006 when he felt hot, so he took off his sweater. Underneath was a tee shirt with “POLICE” on the back. A Belleville, Missouri Police officer Jeff Vernatti arrested Weinstein for impersonating a police officer. Weinstein is now suing.
Continue reading ‘You Are What You Wear: Missouri Police Arrest Man for Wearing Police Tee Shirt in Bar’
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