Assistant U.S. Attorney John D.R. Atchison was accused of flying to Detroit last month to have sex with a 5-year-old girl. Continue reading “Federal Prosecutor Who Sought Sex with Five-Year-Old Kills Himself in Prison”
A civilian judge has stopped a court martial for an accused deserter. Continue reading “Federal Court Stops Court-Martial of Iraq War Objector”
A jury awarded $6.1 million in damages in the case of Louise Ogborn who alleged that she was tricked into sexual acts by a caller pretending to be a police officer. Continue reading “McDonald’s Hit with $6.1 Million Award in Hoax Case”
In a 5-4 decision, the Washington Supreme Court struck down a state law prohibiting political candidates from deliberately lying in campaign ads. Continue reading “Washington Supreme Court Strikes Down Prohibition on Lying by Politicians”
Three former Duke lacrosse players filed a lawsuit today against disgraced prosecutor Mike Nifong, the city of Durham and the police detectives who handled the investigation. It is a positive development in deterring such prosecutorial misconduct. Continue reading “Duke Players Sue Former Prosecutor and City”
President Bush came out today to address the latest controversy over torture involving secret memos that appear to endorse the use of methods considered torture under international law. The President, however, simply repeated his statement that “we don’t torture.” Continue reading “President Bush Defends Administration on Latest Torture Flap”
Karlene Chambers, of Pembroke Pines, Florida had a considerable surprise after her C-Section: the doctor had left a foot-long sponge in her body. It is one of the most common examples of surgical malpractice is leaving sponges in the bodies of patients. Continue reading “Doctors Liable for Foot-Long Sponge Left in Patient After Surgery”
Calling it “hillbilly heroin,” Kentucky officials have sued the manufacturer of OxyContin, the painkiller abused most famously by Rush Limbaugh. Continue reading “Kentucky Officials Sue OxyContin Maker for “Hillbilly Heroin””
In the most predictable ruling of the year, a court denied the effort of Idaho Sen. Larry Craig to withdraw his guilty plea after his arrest in a Minnesota public restroom. Craig, however, got the last word and, once again, reversed an earlier decision. He now insists that he will serve out his term in office. Continue reading “Craig Loses Motion on Plea; Pledges to Stay in Senate”
In the on-going controversy over the defamation lawsuit against Rep. Jack Murtha, one of the collateral issues has been whether the Marines that he accused of a massacre would be tried for murder. Today, it appears that there will be no such charges coming out of the killing of roughly two dozen Iraqi citizens in the town of Haditha in November 2005. Continue reading “Bad News for Murtha? No Murder Charges Likely in Haditha case”
There was a time when an office football pool was viewed as sufficient outlet for competition. However, the LA Times now reports that deputies at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have been competing to see how many people they can arrest in a 24-hour period. Continue reading “Cops At Play: Arrest and Impound Competitions in the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department”
In a variation of the famous “I am Spartacus” scene, defendants appear to be jumping up and screaming “I Am Gay” as a defense to a hate crime against gays. Continue reading “Novel Defense: Man Claims that He is Gay in Hate Crime Case”
A new report shows that the Bush Administration may have continued its endorsement of tactics viewed as torture in secret despite public claims to the contrary. Continue reading “Justice Department Continued to Endorse Possible Torture in Secret Memo”
You can never forget to leave your business card at home as a lawyer, even when going to mass it seems. Continue reading “Parishioner Sues Priest for Statements in Homily”
HEADLINE: A liberal’s lament: The NRA might be right after all
This term, the Supreme Court may finally take up the Voldemort Amendment, the part of the Bill of Rights that shall not be named by liberals. For more than 200 years, progressives and polite people have avoided acknowledging that following the rights of free speech, free exercise of religion and free assembly, there is “the right of the people to keep and bear arms.” Continue reading “A Liberal’s Lament: The NRA Might Be Right After All”