Remarks on Detainees Cement Bond Between Firms and Corporate Clients
When Charles Stimson listed firms representing Guantanamo Bay detainees, he predicted that businesses would shun their outside counsel. Instead, those firms are largely enjoying support from clients. (Jan. 24, 2007)

Simpson Hikes Pay; First-Years Go to $160,000 (Jan. 23, 2007)

Do Attorneys Follow Their Own Copyright Advice? (Jan. 22, 2007)

Jury selection for White House aide Libby's trial nears end By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN Associated Press Writer (AP) - WASHINGTON-The painstaking selection of a jury for the perjury trial of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is nearing its close, but it may not be the end of disputes over how much jurors should hear about the Iraq war.   New U.S. House speaker showing who's boss By ERICA WERNER Associated Press Writer (AP) - WASHINGTON-Sworn in just over two weeks ago as the first female speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi wasted no time showing who is boss.   Mo. Kidnappings Suspect: Life Was Good (AP) - NEW YORK-The man accused of kidnapping two Missouri boys and holding one of them for four years said life was good for him during that period, a newspaper reported Sunday.   Former US college employee accused of slowly stealing $400,000 in computers, electronics (AP) - BOWLING GREEN, Ohio-A former Bowling Green State University employee is accused of using school money to order $400,000 (€308,700) in computers and electronics, then selling them, the college said.   Slain New York actress' movie has its premiere at Sundance festival (AP) - PARK CITY, Utah-A film directed by a slain New York actress had its Sundance Film Festival premiere and her widowed husband announced that he was setting up a foundation in her name.

Judge blocks IRS from role in case ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ State Supreme Court Justice John A. Michalek on Wednesday refused to allow the Internal Revenue Service to intervene in state court proceedings aimed at closing the financial books and paying workers of the former St. Augustine human resource center. U.S. District Judge John V. Elfvin two weeks ago quashed an IRS effort to have the matter handled in federal court, when the case was returned to ... Buffalo News - Jan 11, 2007 Read on...

High court shows support for curbs on unions' fees ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ High court shows support for curbs on unions' fees Supreme Court justices indicated Wednesday they are inclined to uphold a Washington state law restricting unions from using workers' fees for political activities. The case involves a few thousand teachers and other education employees who are in the bargaining unit and thus represented by the more than 70,000-member Washington Education Association - but who have chosen not to join the union. St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Jan 11, 2007 Read full story...

U.S. judges grill officials over state executions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Missouri corrections officials came under heavy fire from a condemned inmate's lawyers Wednesday and some pointed questioning by federal appeals judges considering whether to allow the state to resume executions. Judge William Jay Riley said the state's lawyers initially misrepresented the execution procedures to both a lower court and the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which heard oral ... St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Jan 11, 2007 Read details...

EU threatens to break up utilities ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The European Union's antitrust chief has threatened to break up individual energy giants that violate antitrust law, while the European Commission recommended spin-offs by big gas and electrical firms. Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes issued the unprecedented threat at a press conference called to discuss a Commission report, which found "serious competition problems" among gas and electric ... China Daily - Jan 12, 2007 Read...

Court calls order for DNA swab improper ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ During the hunt for a south Louisiana serial killer, a Baton Rouge judge improperly ordered an innocent man swabbed for DNA, a federal appeals court has decided. In a strongly worded 16-page decision, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concludes state District Judge Richard Anderson lacked sufficient evidence to sign off on a search warrant for Shannon Kohler's DNA. Kohler, a 47-year-old welder, was among 1,200 south Louisiana men given oral saliva swabs to eliminate them as suspects in the slayings of seven women over the past decade. Jan 8, 2007 - Baton Rouge Advocate Author(s): Penny Brown Read on...

Five-year-old is given one father and two mothers by a court ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A CANADIAN boy will be the first to have three parents after a court gave equal status to his biological father, his mother and his mother's lesbian lover, sparking fury among family campaigners. The ruling came after a four-year battle by the lesbian couple - a lawyer and a university professor - who decided to have a child with the help of a male friend who donated his sperm. Daily Telegraph London - Jan 9, 2007 Read full story...

EPA must levy fines ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Local industry could face $100 million in penalties and tighter pollution-control requirements after a recent court ruling, sanctions that some companies say could crush economic development efforts. The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., ruled last month that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must enforce penalties tied to the Baton Rouge area's failure to meet an old standard ... Baton Rouge Advocate - Jan 9, 2007 Read details...

State to compensate Chinese claimants unable to get damages from court orders ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ State to compensate Chinese claimants unable to get damages from court orders JINAN, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- China is considering state compensation programs for claimants who win a lawsuit but get no damages from the impoverished accused. Cao Jianming, vice president of the Supreme People's Court, told a national court affairs conference that state compensation, which will be part of judicial aid ... Xinhua English Newswire - Jan 9, 2007 Read...

Federal Election Commission asks high court to expedite campaign ad case ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Federal Election Commission is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to speed up its review of a recent decision that held unconstitutional part of a 2003 campaign reform law as applied to three radio ads. Oklahoma officials who oversee campaign finance requirements have expressed concern about the ruling, pointing out that Oklahoma's campaign finance regulations are based on the federal law. The Journal Record - Jan 8, 2007 Read on...

British court: wig in or wig out? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tradition Lawyers in Britain have worn gowns and wigs in court since the 17th century. A study claims the expensive, formal attire intimidates the public. In horsehair wigs of tight, white curls, Britain's judges and lawyers have stalked oak-paneled courtrooms since the 17th century. But the head of the judiciary is considering scrapping the historical uniform. Baron Nicholas Phillips, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, is expected to soon decide after a study intended to examine concerns that wigs and gowns intimidate the public. St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Jan 7, 2007 Read full story...

Bush goes on the hunt for a good lawyer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PRESIDENT GEORGE W Bush is about to unveil a new, hard-nosed White House legal counsel as his administration braces itself against a siege of subpoenas and demands for evidence from the new Democrat-controlled Congress. Mr Bush accepted the resignation of Harriet Miers, his friend and in-house counsel, after close aides persuaded him that she was not tough enough to fend off the expected ... Sunday Telegraph London - Jan 7, 2007 Read details...

Librarians help police book 'em: They alert officers when Internet fraud suspect shows up to use computers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jan. 8--The investigation of a Brookfield man on charges that he used the Internet to sell counterfeit clothing and defraud customers throughout the country received help from an unlikely source: librarians.Steven M. Weber made headlines in the fall when he was charged in federal court with scamming Internet customers as a teenager while living under his parents' roof.When he signed in at the ... Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Jan 8, 2007 Read...

Wiretaps behind case once linked to 'dirty bomb' Initial accusations have been redirected ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In 1997, as the government listened in on their phone call, Adham Hassoun, a computer programmer in Broward County, Florida, proposed a road trip to Jose Padilla, a low-wage worker there. The excursion to Tampa, Florida, would be his treat, Hassoun said, and a chance to meet "some nice, uh, brothers." Padilla, a New York-born Puerto Rican who had converted to Islam a few years earlier, knew ... International Herald Tribune - Jan 5, 2007 Read on...

Labor activism case goes to high court ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments next week on whether public employee unions must receive permission before spending workers' dues on political causes. The case is expected to test the limits on labor activism just before the 2008 presidential campaign. Washington state in 1992 adopted a campaign-finance law that required labor unions to get the consent of each worker ... The Washington Times - Jan 4, 2007 Read full story...

Suit turns up heat on Apple ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A civil lawsuit containing new assertions about Apple Computer's stock options practices is putting the fabled company and Chief Executive Steve Jobs under more intense scrutiny. The lawsuit claims that Apple improperly made grants to three senior executives in August 1997, a day before the company announced a major investment from Microsoft that boosted Apple's stock. San Jose Mercury News, Calif. - Jan 4, 2007 Read details...

National Jury Summit to Address Threats to Jury System ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Saving the jury trial will be the focus of next month's National Jury Summit hosted by the American Board of Trial Advocates. The Summit will be held at the Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nev., Feb. 8-9. A myriad of issues raised by the threats to the system will be addressed. "The American jury system is dying. It is dying faster in the Federal Courts than in the State Courts. PR Newswire - Jan 4, 2007

Judge is biased, state's attorney says: Birkett admits trying to steer cases away
Contending a DuPage County judge is biased against prosecutors, State's Attorney Joseph Birkett admitted Tuesday he is steering many felony cases away from the veteran jurist. But Birkett, testifying in an unusual legal challenge filed against him, insisted he is acting properly in ensuring Judge Perry Thompson doesn't hear high-level felonies where convicted defendants face long mandatory ...
Chicago Sun-Times - Jan 3, 2007

New federal rules affect companies' e-mail storage
Baton Rouge businesses may keep closer tabs on employee e-mails, instant messages, cell-phone pictures and other digital information under new federal legal guidelines. New rules that took effect in December require companies to track digital documents if they are sued. Individual federal courts increasingly have required the sharing of electronically stored information as evidence in ...
Baton Rouge Advocate - Jan 2, 2007

What's happening with wine?: There are more sources and it's more accessible
At a wine bar recently, we tried something we had never seen before, a wine made primarily from White Grenache from Cotes Catalanes in France. The wine, 2004 Domaine Lafage "Cote Est," was quite something: fleshy, like peaches, with a touch of honeysuckle and surprising weight. We liked it so much that, as soon as we got home that night, we looked for the wine online, found it for $9.99 at a ...
Chicago Sun-Times - Jan 3, 2007

Oklahoma tribes sue feds over trust funds
At least five Oklahoma Indian tribes have sued the federal government seeking an accounting of trust funds held on their behalf. Lawsuits were filed by the Kaw Nation, Tonkawa Tribe, Otoe- Missouria Tribe, Miami Tribe and Seminole Nation. Named as defendants in each case are Dirk Kempthorne, interior secretary; Ross Swimmer, special trustee for American Indians; and Treasury Secretary Henry ...
The Journal Record - Jan 3, 2007