Recent Updates
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Court rules man treated for mental illness can have a gun
Ethics 09/17/2016A Michigan man who can't buy a gun because he was briefly treated for mental health problems in the 1980s has won a key decision from a federal appeals court, which says the burden is on the government to justify a lifetime ban against him. The Secon...
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Appeals court orders judge to expunge woman's convictions
Headline Legal News 09/16/2016A state appeals court has overruled a western Indiana judge and ordered him to expunge a woman's convictions despite his disgust for her crimes. The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 last week that Jay Circuit Judge Brian Hutchison must expunge the ...
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LA Supreme Court considers teen robber’s 99-year sentence
Ethics 09/14/2016Louisiana’s Supreme Court is considering whether recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings about juveniles convicted of murder mean a juvenile robber’s 99-year sentence is unconstitutional. Alden Morgan is now 35. He was 17 years old when he held up a couple...
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Court rejects challenge to Michigan's emergency manager law
Law Firm News 09/13/2016An appeals court on Monday rejected a challenge to Michigan's emergency manager law, saying Gov. Rick Snyder's remedy for distressed communities doesn't violate the constitutional rights of residents. Emergency managers have exceptional power to run ...
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Sotomayor calls job on high court blessing and curse
National News 09/13/2016Serving on the U.S. Supreme Court has been both a blessing and a curse and reaching decisions is harder than she ever expected, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said Thursday during a visit to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The court's first Hispanic ju...
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Appeals court sympathetic to voting rules challenge
Law Firm News 09/12/2016A federal appeals court seems likely to side with voting rights groups trying to stop Kansas, Georgia and Alabama from making residents prove they are U.S. citizens when registering to vote using a national form. Judges heard arguments in the case Th...
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Biden, Supreme Court nominee on Hill to pressure GOP
Bar Associations 09/11/2016Judge Merrick Garland found himself back on Capitol Hill on Thursday in a familiar place ? meeting with a Democratic senator who used the visit to complain about Republicans' inaction on President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee. Vermont Sen. Pa...
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High court temporarily blocks subpoena over sex ads
Notable Attorneys 09/09/2016Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday temporarily blocked a congressional subpoena that seeks information on how the classified advertising website Backpage.com screens ads for possible sex trafficking. The order came hours after Backpa...
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Mexico's Supreme Court overturns state anti-corruption laws
Litigation Reports 09/07/2016Mexico's Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional two state anti-corruption laws that outgoing governors passed in apparent attempts to shield themselves from investigation. Many Mexicans were outraged when the governors of the states of Veracruz and...
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Stepmom of scalded boy who died pleads guilty to murder
Trial Coverage 09/06/2016A woman accused of holding her 4-year-old stepson in a scalding bath, covering his burns and not getting him medical care before he died was sentenced to at least 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to murder and other charges on Thursday. A War...
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Gays can seek parental rights for nonbiological kids
Recent Cases 09/04/2016New York's highest court expanded the definition of parenthood Tuesday by ruling that former same-sex couples may seek visitation and custody of children even when they aren't the biological or adoptive parent. The Court of Appeals decision resolves ...
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Court denies asylum to 28 detained Latin American mothers
Legal Issues 09/02/2016A legal ruling that would send 28 detained immigrant mothers and their children back to Latin America despite their claims they would be persecuted upon return was upheld on Monday by a federal appeals court. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for ...