Supporters of reformer and lawyer Gao Zhisheng have been trying to confirm rumors that he died after being tortured by the government. In a chilling response, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu stated that Gao is “where he should be.”
Continue reading “China: Missing Reformer Lawyer “Is Where He Should Be” After Alleged Torture By Government”
Category: Justice
In a decision that could have a dramatic effect on the upcoming elections, the Supreme Court has ruled 5-4 in favor of a group of conservative filmmakers in the “Hillary: The Movie” Case. The result of the decision could increase spending for corporations, unions, and nonprofits in the election. I previously discussed the case and the likelihood of this 5-4 ruling. I discussed the case on this segment of Countdown. Other commentators like Glenn Greenwald have also weighed in on the case with similar views, here.
Former Chinese Supreme Court Justice Huang Songyou, 52, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for corruption after being convicted of taking more than 3.9 million yuan ($570,000) in bribes from four lawyers in return for favorable rulings. He was also convicted of embezzling 1.2 million yuan of government funds in 1997 when he was president of a city-level court in Guang-dong Province.
Continue reading “Chinese Supreme Court Justice Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Corruption”
Federal authorities have subpoenaed James W. Lewis in an investigation of the 27-year-old case of the poisoning of Tylenol capsules that led to the deaths of four women, two men and a 12-year-old girl, died in 1982 in the Chicago area.
Continue reading “The Ultimate Cold Case: Authorities Subpoena Man in 1982 Tylenol Case”
This week, the Plaintiffs in the World Bank/IMF protest case filed a notice with the Court on the appointment of a forensic expert to investigate the destruction of evidence in the case. As lead counsel in one of the two cases (with my colleague Daniel Schwartz of Bryan Cave), I am limited in what I can say on the case. However, to reduce calls to my office, I am posting the filings below.
Continue reading “Plaintiffs in World Bank Protest Case File for Forensic Expert”
The final day is here in the galactic struggle for blog dominance. This afternoon, voting will end and, while the vote count has now been hidden by the ABA, we cannot give up our righteous battle.
Continue reading “VOTE NOW: HOURS TO GO TO THE CLOSING OF THE ABA POLLS!”

While many of us have been following the de-evolution of the Arizona law system in Maricopa County recently (here), lawyers are taking to the street to protest against the assault on the rule of law by Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Hundreds of lawyers took to the street to call for an end of the embarrassing reign of Thomas who has made his office an international mockery. Thomas has joined Arpaio in charging the judge who stood up to the sheriff with three felony counts — bribery, obstructing a criminal investigation, and hindering prosecution.
Continue reading “Lawyers Rise Up Against Arpaio and Thomas to Fight For the Rule of Law in Arizona”
It has come to this. We are facing a 50 vote deficit with ten days left in the battle for the blogoshere. It is time to pull out the video that most captures the moment (as supplied by Mespo). You are not the first to face an overwhelming army with many assuming certain defeat.
Continue reading “FLOG THE BLOG: Vote Now or the Orcs Will Inhabit the Blog”
Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) has written Attorney General Eric Holder to ask that he investigate and prosecute Republican activist Angie Langley for her website “mycongressmanisnuts.com.” In his letter below, he claims that Langley has misrepresented the purpose of the site in raising funds against him.
Continue reading “Rep. Grayson Asks Holder to Prosecute On-Line Critic at “Mycongressmanisnuts.com””
This video belongs in the Hall of Criminal Fame. John H. Ford, 35, was arrested on suspicion of bank robbery. The police grabbed what they thought was the bank robbery note, but put it next to Ford’s mouth on the police cruiser as they cuffed him. He proceeded to eat it.
Continue reading “The High-Fiber Legal Diet: Video Shows Robbery Suspect Eating Bank Note”
By last count, we were roughly 25 votes out of first place in the ABA competition. Twenty-five votes stand between us and ever-lasting glory. Who among us can now claim that we have done enough when we are mocked from across the Internet?
Continue reading “Flog the Blog: A Call to Arms for the Greatest Blogging Generation”

John Yoo is being defended in court this month by the Administration. Not the Bush Administration. The Obama Administration. As with the lawsuits over electronic surveillance and torture, the Obama administration wants the lawsuit against Yoo dismissed and is defending the right of Justice Department officials to help establish a torture program — an established war crime. I will be discussing the issue on this segment of MSNBC Countdown.
Continue reading “Nuremberg Revisited: Obama Administration Files To Dismiss Case Against John Yoo”
The voting continues with the ABA. Some would say that we are outmatched in second place with 66 votes to The Legal Satyricon with 106. But every great movie from Rocky to Star Wars has the underdog struggling before a thrilling victory. Yea, that’s us. Part Rocky, Part Jedi. Worse yet, that means a planet will be destroyed (who needs to threaten kittens) if we lose. By the way, the low numbers over all are the result of a weirdly rigid and awkward voting system. The result is that it suppresses the votes overall and requires people to go through a couple of steps. Below is your weekly inspiration to get the vote out.
Continue reading “We Few, We Happy Few . . .”
San Diego Superior Court Judge John Einhorn has found a way to reduce his caseload. District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis has told prosecutors to block any criminal cases that go before the judge. Yet, when asked about the boycott, Dumanis insists that Einhorn is a “well-respected jurist” — just a jurist whom she doesn’t want to rule on any criminal case.
Continue reading “No Cases for You: San Diego District Attorney Boycotts Judge”
