The Bush Administration previously told a federal court that there were two tapes of interrogations destroyed showing waterboarding and other brutal treatment of detainees. It has now admitted that at least 92 tapes were destroyed in what appears a clear and knowing effort to destroy evidence.
Continue reading “CIA Admits to Destroying 92 (Rather Than 2) Tapes of Interrogations”
Category: Courts
A Massachusetts court clerk in the Chelsea District Court is facing federal charges after being arrested for allegedly have sex with an accused prostitute in court after promising her to get a charge dismissed. James “Jim” Burke, 41, has been suspended without pay and charged with one count of attempted deprivation of rights under the color of law and one count of deprivation of rights under the color of law.
A bizarre case in New York has snared the careers of New York State Supreme Court Joseph G. Makowski, 55, and former prosecutor and Buffalo Law School professor Anne E. Adams. Adams pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors: drunken driving, offering a false instrument for filing and attempted tampering with physical evidence. Makowski resigned on the same day that Adams was fired by the law school. Makowski was accused of falsely attesting that Adams was not drunk when she left a bar.
Continue reading “New York State Supreme Court Justice and Law Professor Lose Jobs in Scandal”
U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice today and retired from the bench. In exchange, the prosecution will drop sexual assault charges. He will also avoid impeachment with the plea, though the status of his pension remains unclear.
Continue reading “Judge Kent Pleads Guilty to Obstruction; Faces Maximum of 20 Years in Prison”
In the last week, the Obama Administration has supported the Bush Administration in a variety of cases to the great disappointment of many civil libertarians, historians, and academics. This includes an effort to kill litigation that has sought millions of missing emails in the Bush Administration.
There appears to be no professional courtesy between counsel and rodents at the Palm Beach County Courthouse. The court is overrun with mice that are falling from the ceilings and running across the floor during trials.
Continue reading “The Pitter Patter of Little Litigator Feet: Florida Courthouse Overrun With Mice”
A frequent commentator on local television in Las Vegas, Douglas Crawford, 53, admits to stealing roughly $400,000 from his client, charging for work never performed, and violating court orders. Despite 65 violations of the Rule of Professional Conduct, the Nevada Supreme Court declared him to be addicted to both gambling and drug and rejected calls for disbarment. Instead, it suspended him for five years.
Texas Judge Sharon Keller is having a bad month. Just last week, there was a move in the legislature to impeach her. Now the state judicial ethics commission has charged her with violating her duty and bringing discredit upon the judiciary. It is hard to be sympathetic with her position, however, given Judge Keller’s decision to told the Clerk’s office to close in 2007 when attorneys were rushing over with an after-hours final death row appeal for Michael Richards — who was then executed.
Continue reading “Judge Sharon Keller Charged With Five Ethics Violations”
For those of you who believe that you have tough clients, you might want to consider the fate of Seattle attorney John Hicks. He represents rapist Curtis S. Thompson who must be wheeled into court with his chest, wrists and ankles bound due to prior threats against attorneys and a judge. That did not stop Thompson from lunging at Hicks in a recent hearing and screaming “You scared to death, ain’t you punk?” Hence the popularity of transactions law.
Continue reading “Accused Serial Rapist and Murderer Lunges At Counsel in Seattle Courtroom”
Recently, Canadian and United States courts have refused to relieve men of their responsibility to support children that were found to be the children of other men. Now, a Spanish court has taken the opposite approach – awarding high damages (for Europe) against a woman who was found to have kept the same love for six of 14 years of marriage. Three of the couples four children were fathered by the lover and not the husband.
Continue reading “Spanish Court Awards Husband €200,000 From Unfaithful Wife”
Texas Rep. Lon Burnam has filed a resolution seeking an impeachment investigation of Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Sharon Keller, who has been denounced around the world for her refusal to keep a court office open to allow the filing of a late appeal in a death case. The prisoner, Michael Richard, was executed that night.
Continue reading “Texas Legislator Moves to Impeach Judge Sharon Keller Over Execution of Prisoner”
A judge in Muncie, Indiana has accepted a plea of guilty in a bizarre case involving a white supremacist and Satan worshiper who turned a prior hearing into chaos by shouting “Heil Hitler” and “White Power” at the judge before being held in contempt. Dmitriy V. Sklyarov, 20, has now pleaded guilty to biting a 9-year-old child 13 times on the arms and legal in October.
Continue reading “Nazi Satanist Bites Boy and Verbally Attacks Judge in Indiana”
Prosecutors in Allentown are accepting pleas in one of the most disturbing cases of alleged judicial corruption in years. Two Pennsylvania judges was accepted generous plea bargains after taking more than $2 million in kickbacks to send youth offenders to privately run detention centers. The allegations suggest these judges intentionally sent kids to jail to gain personally. The charges named Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan and 14 other defendant.
Continue reading “Cashing In On The Kinder: Pennsylvania Judges Plead Guilty To Massive Corruption Charges”
The United States Justice Department has finally outdone the O.J. Simpson prosecution team as the worst in history. After derailing a relatively straightforward case with prosecutorial abuse and creating major appellate issues for former Senator Ted Stevens (R., Alaska), they have now succeeded in getting one of the most mild mannered federal judges to hold them in contempt — with obvious justification.
Continue reading “Federal Court Holds Stevens Prosecutors in Contempt”
With the recent sentencing of Richard “Dickie” Scruggs on mail fraud charges, there was great speculation as to the fate of Mississippi Circuit Judge Bobby DeLaughter, who was the alleged recipient of a bribe. The speculation is now over with the indictment of the judge with conspiracy, mail fraud and obstruction. The bribery involved a promise to help secure a federal judgeship with the help of Senator Trent Lott (R., Miss.).
Continue reading “Mississippi Judge Bobby DeLaughter Indicted”