From: Findlaw Breaking Documents May 28, 2008; Suspect’s Constitutional Rights Not Violated, Even If Prohibited By State Law VIRGINIA V. MOORE “(U.S. Supreme Ct., April 23, 2008) – Police did not violate a suspect’s Fourth Amendment rights when they made an arrest based on probable cause but prohibited by state…
From: Findlaw Breaking Legal Documents, May 28, 2008. Presidential Election Litigation VICTOR DIMAIO V. DEMOCRATIC NAT’L COMMITTEE AND FLA. DEMOCRATIC PARTY “(U.S. Dist. Ct., Mid. Dist. Fla., May 28, 2008) – A federal court dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Florida voter who was upset that his vote in the…
From: Findlaw Opinion Summaries May 21, 2008. Fed. Appeals Court Rules Strict Scrutiny Applies in “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Cases WITT V. DEP’T OF THE AIR FORCE “(U.S. 9th Cir., May 21, 2008) – In a suit brought against the Air Force challenging the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ (DADT) policy…
From: Breaking Documents, Findlaw May 15, 2008. California Supreme Court Overturns Gay Marriage Ban IN RE: MARRIAGE CASES “(Calif. Supreme Court, May 15, 2008) – California’s highest court rules that the state’s treatment of same-sex couples differently by failing to designate a gay or lesbian couple’s official union a ‘marriage’…
As reported in an article by Mark Hamblett in the May 1 New York Law Journal, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit dismissed a suit by New York City attempting to hold gun manufactures liable for the flow of illegal arms into the city. In its ruling…
N.Y.’s Top Judge Sues Over Judicial Pay KAYE V. SILVER “N.Y. Supreme Court, N.Y. County, April 10, 2008) – Chief Court of Appeals Judge Judith Kaye sued New York officials for an increase in judicial pay for all state judges, arguing that, “while New York judicial salaries have declined 27…
From: Findlaw Opinion Summaries March 26, 2008. AEROSPACE & DEFENSE, CIVIL PROCEDURE, GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS, INJURY AND TORT LAW, MILITARY LAW, PRODUCT LIABILITY I”n re ‘Agent Orange’ Prod. Liab. Litig., No. 05-1760 “In a products liability action arising from the alleged injuries, mostly forms of cancer, caused by veterans’ exposure to…
The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday (March 26) in a sweeping rejection of powers in the presidency ruled that neither the World Court nor President Bush can interfere with Texas regarding that states’ enforcement of its own criminal laws. The justices in their 6-3 decision, Medellin v. Texas (06-984), ruled that…
Justices: Racially Based Peremptory Challenges Reverse Murder Conviction SNYDER V. LOUISIANA (U.S. Supreme Ct., March 19, 2008) – A Louisiana conviction for first-degree murder and death sentence is reversed where the trial judge committed clear error in its ruling on an objection to the prosecution’s strike of a black juror…
The New York Law Journal has reported that Melvyn Weiss has agreed to plead guilty to a racketeering charge for participating in a scheme to pay kickbacks to lead plaintiffs in shareholder suits. Mr. Weiss, a famed securities class action lawyer, was one of the co-founders of the law firm…