We have been following the latest controversy of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio in his support of a deputy who committed an outrageous act in rifling through the papers of a criminal defense attorney and then removing and copying notes about her client (here). Many questioned the actions of County Attorney Andrew Thomas who has supported Arpaio rather than the rule of law in the matter. Now, 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 “Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Country Attorney Thomas Charge Judge Who Sent Deputy to Jail”
Category: Lawyering
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”
One of the provisions proposed for the current health care bill has received little attention in the media: mandatory coverage for faith healers. Christian Science advocates are pushing for the inclusion in the bill under a provision barring discrimination against religious based healing. They previously won support from both Republicans and Democrats for the astonishing provision that would require insurance companies to pay religious healers in the same way as radiologists.
The North Face Apparel Co. is not amused. Jimmy Winkelmann wanted to make fun of people and companies fueling the market for name brand clothing, so he named his company South Butt, as a parody on North Face. North Face is now suing for trademark infringement. Once again, I am mystified why we have allowed trademark and copyright laws to get so expansive as to make such claims even remotely credible.
Continue reading “Face Off: North Face Sues South Butt in a Trademark Action”
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”
Former South Dakota lawmaker Ted Klaudt does not like all of the stories being written about him. Most politicians are delighted with coverage but Klaudt is best known for raping his foster daughters. Klaudt’s solution (after failing to prove innocence) was to copyright his name and demand that newspapers ask his permission to use his name 20 days before any article or face millions in penalties for unauthorized use.
Continue reading “Former Lawmaker Convicted of Raping His Daughters Copyrights His Name to Bar Its Use by Daughters and Reporters”
Finally, an upside to DUI? A judge with the U.S. tax court has ruled that a man who drove drunk and totaled his truck could claim the damage as a write off.
Continue reading “Friends Don’t Let Friends Deduct: Drunk Driver Allowed to Deduct Cost of Truck Damaged in DUI Violation”
We often struggle with speedy trials in the United States, arguing over whether the Sixth Amendment can be honored in 160 days or less. The standard in Turkey appears a bit more flexible where they appear to measure speed in years rather than days. A panel of judges have found 39 people guilty in a trial that began on March 15, 1982 — roughly 28 years ago.
Continue reading “The Not-So-Speedy Trial: Turkish Trial Ends After 28 Years”
The application of Sharia law in countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran has supplied this blog with a steady stream of cases involving stonings and censorship. Now, Israel’s Justice Minister Yaacov Neeman wants the country to adopt its own religious book, the Torah, as the basis for the country’s laws.
Continue reading “Justice Minister Calls For Israel to Adopt Torah Law As The Governing Rules for the Nation”
The Bush Administration repeatedly denied that there were missing emails and later insisted that any emails that were missing could not be found. Now, 22 million missing White House e-mails have been found, according to two public interest groups who reached a settlement over the records. I discussed the issue on this segment of MSNBC Countdown.
Continue reading “You’ve Got Mail . . . A Lot of Mail: 22 Million Missing E-Mails From Bush Administration Found”
Sergei Magnitsky, 37, was a courageous lawyer who fought the corruption in Russia and went public with his accusations. The result was first his arrest on tax evasion charges and then his death in a Moscow prison. Now, President Dmitry Medvedev has fired the prison head and 19 other officials. However, there will apparently be no investigation into his original arrest or its connection to his allegations against government officials.
Continue reading “Anti-Corruption Advocate and Lawyer Dies in Jail — Kremlin Fired Prison Head and Others”
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 costs of prosecutorial abuse or invalid convictions are rarely explored in depth by the media (here). Canada has one case that everyone should read. As with some recent scandals involving incompetent forensic prosecution experts in the United States, Canada is dealing with the legacy of disgraced forensic pathologist Charles Smith, who sent people to jail with flawed science and false conclusions. However, few are so unsettling as what happened to Sherry Sherret-Robinson, 34.
District Court Judge William Pattinson was a bit subtle but methinks he does not like this motion for venue change. The judge denied the motion after saying it was “so incredibly asinine, ill-conceived, unfounded and personally and professionally insulting that it is unworthy of any discussion or consideration.” Yikes.
Continue reading “Judge Denies Motion as “Incredibly Asinine, Ill-Conceived, Unfounded and Personally and Professionally Insulting””