“The Colin Powell endorsement was one of the best addresses I’ve heard in years. It’s worth listening to the entire speech–about 5 minutes.
use the link below to hear it”
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/powell-endorses-obama/?hp
Findlaw Case Summaries: Constitutional Law October 13-17, 2008
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U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals, October 15, 2008 Batterman v. Leahy, No. 072653 In a claim for attorneys fees, the district court’s administrative closure of the case on grounds of Pullman abstention is vacated and remanded where: 1) the Pullman abstention did not apply in this case; 2) there was no right under state law, property or otherwise, for attorney-plaintiff to be paid more than the cap on billable hours and so no federal constitutional issue is presented by defendants’ refusal to do so; 3) there was no ambiguity with respect to state law that required clarification; and 4) no single abstention doctrine, or probably any combination of them, would justify abstention for all of the counts.
U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, October 17, 2008 Diaz v. Paterson , No. 052685, 063942, 063992 In a putative class action challenging the constitutionality of state civil procedure law, which allows a plaintiff who brings a lawsuit claiming interest in real property to file a lis pendens with respect to the property, is affirmed where the state’s lis pendens law as applied to plaintiffs did not offend the Constitution as construed by Connecticut v. Doehr, 501 U.S. 1 (1991).
Findlaw Case Summaries: Criminal Law and Procedure October 13-17, 2008
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U.S. Supreme Court, October 14, 2008 Moore v. U.S., No. 07-10689 Sentence for possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute is reversed and the case remanded where the district court’s statements during sentencing showed that it did not think it had the discretion, which was later upheld by the Supreme Court in Kimbrough v. U.S., to reject the Guidelines’ crack-to-powder cocaine sentencing ratio. .
U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, October 14, 2008 In re Vincent Basciano, No. 082157 Writ of mandamus seeking judge’s recusal based on government-furnished evidence suggesting that petitioner had plotted to have judge murdered, is denied where petitioner did not “clearly and indisputably” demonstrate that the district court abused its discretion. .
New York Appellate Division Criminal Cases Originating from the New York Supreme Court NY County. October 20, 2008.
Update from the Lexis Alert Service, Search run morning of October 20, 2008:
1. People v. Clarke, 4260, 11467/93, SUPREME COURT OF NEW YORK, APPELLATE DIVISION, FIRST DEPARTMENT, 2008 NY Slip Op 7766; 2008 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 7612, October 16, 2008, Decided, October 16, 2008, Entered, THE LEXIS PAGINATION OF THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE PENDING RELEASE OF THE FINAL PUBLISHED VERSION., THIS OPINION IS UNCORRECTED AND SUBJECT TO REVISION BEFORE PUBLICATION IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS.
The People of the State …
PC Magazine Chooses “5 Sites That Boost Your Political Awareness
PC World has named its ‘5 Sites That Will Boost Your Political Awareness.’ Included on this list are some very useful Web sites that many of you are probaly familiar with. Here is their list as posted by the American Association of Law Libraries Washington Blawg along with some helpful comments.:
Findlaw Summaries: Constitutional Law October 6-10, 2008
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U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, October 08, 2008 Hartline v. Gallo, No. 065309 In claim for unconstitutional strip search in the absence of individualized suspicion that she was secreting contraband, grant of summary judgment in favor of defendants is vacated in part, affirmed in part, and remanded where: 1) defendant’s evidence demonstrated a violation of her Fourth Amendment right; 2) defendant was subjected to a strip search by the police, pursuant to departmental policy, in the absence of individualized suspicion that she was secreting contraband on her person; and 3) the district court erred in holding that defendant waived the alternative basis for her section 1983 claim, namely, that the officers violated her Fourth Amendment rights by telecasting her strip search through the 20 police station.
U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, October 07, 2008 M.A.L. v. Kinsland, No. 07-1409 In an action involving the constitutionality of a public middle school’s regulation of a student’s leafleting, entry of a permanent injunction against the school and an award of nominal damages is reversed where: 1) the school hallways constituted a nonpublic forum; 2) the restrictions were reasonable and were not overbroad; 3) the heightened Tinker standard did not apply to the school’s viewpoint-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions on speech, which were designed to prevent hallway clutter and congestion; and 4) the award could not stand without a constitutional violation.
Findlaw Summaries: Criminal Law and Procedure October 6-10, 2008
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U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals, October 08, 2008 US v. Jackson, No. 072510 Conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm is vacated and remanded where defendant was subjected to custodial interrogation before being given his Miranda warnings.
U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals, October 08, 2008 US v. Vasquez, No. 072796 Conviction for drug and gun offenses is affirmed over claims of error that: 1) the district court should have suppressed his statements acknowledging that the drugs were his, his admission that he possessed the gun and the gun itself; and 2) the evidence was insufficient to show that the gun defendant surrendered at his arrest was carried during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. .
Findlaw Summaries: Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals October 10, 2008
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CRIMINAL LAW & PROCEDURE, EVIDENCE, SENTENCING US v. DeFilippo, No. 071618 Conviction and sentence for conspiracy to racketeer, illegal gambling, and conspiracy to collect credit through extortionate means are affirmed over claims of error that: 1) the district court erred when it admitted testimony from a high-ranking member of the Bonanno Crime Family; 2) the murder of George Sciascia was not relevant conduct because it was not related to a conspiratorial object of which defendant was convicted; 3) the Government failed to rebut an alleged presumption that a person withdraws from a conspiracy when he is arrested; and 4) the district court erred in refusing to hold a hearing on that issue. .
IMMIGRATION LAW Shao v. Mukasey, No. 072689 In an immigration matter brought by Chinese nationals who asserted a fear of future persecution, specifically, forced sterilization, if removed to China based on their having fathered or given birth to more than one child, petitions for review of decision of Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) denying relief from removal are denied where: 1) there was no legal error in the evidentiary framework employed; and 2) because substantial evidence supported the BIA’s findings that each of the petitioners failed to demonstrate that his or her stated fears of persecution on return to China were objectively reasonable.
New York Supreme Court Appellate Division Criminal Cases Originating from the New York Supreme Court NY County
Update from the Lexis Alert Service, Search run morning of October 12-14, 2008:
1. People v. D’Agostino, 4228, 2702/06, SUPREME COURT OF NEW YORK, APPELLATE DIVISION, FIRST DEPARTMENT, 2008 NY Slip Op 7714; 2008 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 7536, October 9, 2008, Decided, October 9, 2008, Entered, THE LEXIS PAGINATION OF THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE PENDING RELEASE OF THE FINAL PUBLISHED VERSION., THIS OPINION IS UNCORRECTED AND SUBJECT TO REVISION BEFORE PUBLICATION IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS.
The People of the State …
U.S. Federal Documents Covering the Economy
The following list of documents covering the economy for the week ending October 10 was compiled by Basil Tilmon of Gallerywatch. We appreciate his efforts:
Letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller From Reps. Mark Kirk and Chris Carney
Letter Expresses a Need for More Resources to Investigate Corporate Fraud