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Man who killed wife, baby loses appeal in Mass.
Law Center |
2012/08/17 10:48
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The highest court in Massachusetts rejected the appeal of a British man convicted of killing his wife and baby daughter in their rented home, saying in its decision released Tuesday that warrantless searches of the home were justified because those inside might have been in danger.
In arguing for a new trial, lawyers for Neil Entwistle said evidence obtained during the warrantless searches of the Hopkinton home while police were looking for the missing family should have been dismissed at trial.
They also argued he was denied a fair trial, claiming that "saturating and inflammatory" media coverage tainted the jury pool and the judge refused to question prospective jurors more deeply about how publicity may have biased them.
The court rejected the arguments, concluding that Entwistle "received a fair trial that was ably tried and judged."
Entwistle was convicted of the 2006 shootings of his wife, Rachel, and their daughter, 9-month-old Lillian. He is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for their murders.
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Judge won't halt Pa. voter identification law
Court Watch |
2012/08/15 10:48
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A tough new voter identification law championed by Republicans can take effect in Pennsylvania for November's presidential election, a judge ruled Wednesday, despite a torrent of criticism that it will suppress votes among President Barack Obama's supporters and make it harder for the elderly, disabled, poor and young adults to vote.
Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson said he would not grant an injunction that would have halted the law, which requires each voter to show a valid photo ID. Opponents are expected to file an appeal within a day or two to the state Supreme Court as the Nov. 6 election looms.
"We're not done, it's not over," said Witold J. Walczak, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who helped argue the case for the plaintiffs. "It's why they make appeals courts."
The Republican-penned law — which passed over the objections of Democrats — has ignited a furious debate over voting rights as Pennsylvania is poised to play a key role in deciding the presidential contest. Plaintiffs, including a 93-year-old woman who recalled marching with Martin Luther King Jr. in 1960, had asked Simpson to block the law from taking effect in this year's election as part of a wider challenge to its constitutionality.
Republicans defend the law as necessary to protect the integrity of the election. But Democrats say the law will make it harder for people who lack ID for valid reasons to vote.
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Pa. high court fast tracks juvenile lifer appeals
Legal Interview |
2012/08/10 12:10
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Pennsylvania's highest court is moving quickly to determine how to respond to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles aren't constitutional.
The Sentencing Project, an advocacy group based in Washington, has said Pennsylvania leads the nation in the number of juvenile lifers.
The state Supreme Court scheduled oral argument for Sept. 13 in a pair of cases that will determine what to do about the hundreds of people serving such sentences, as well as how to handle the issue going forward.
The 5-to-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision issued June 25 still makes it possible for juveniles to get life, but it can't be automatic.
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections says 373 lifers were under age 18 at the time they were sentenced. |
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Ga. court ruling could tighten foreclosure rules
Law Center |
2012/08/08 12:10
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A court ruling in Georgia could force those foreclosing on homes to disclose who actually owns the loan.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the July 12 ruling by the Georgia Court of Appeals applies mostly to foreclosures that happened from 2008 to 2011. It could leave banks vulnerable to lawsuits filed by those who lost their homes. It could also have consequences for ongoing foreclosures.
The ruling last month said that the name of the owner of a mortgage must appear in foreclosure filings and notices sent to delinquent borrowers. The notice must also reflect whether it was sent by the secured creditor or someone acting on the creditor's behalf.
Many lenders sell their loans to mortgage services that handle paperwork but don't own the loans. |
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China Trademark & Patent Law Office
Firm News |
2012/08/07 10:58
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China Trademark & Patent Law Office (CTPLO) is a high qualified and professional intellectual property service firm. They have been providing services such as worldwide trademarks, industrial designs, patent and copyright registration since 2004. With its headquarters located in China, it has served several Chinese clients but has also assisted with clients overseas in other Asian territories. CTPLO has helped with the intellectual property rights around the world including foreign law firms to ensure the security and protection on behalf of their clients in China.
China Trademark & Patent Law Office can provide for you the intellectual property solutions you need. Based on Chinese Classification, our company will categorize your trademark into certain classes according to your goods and services. We can fully protect your interests in China by providing you with a trademark status report.
Patent
- Application process in patent filings in all fields including: mechanical, metallurgical, petroleum, chemical, pharmaceutical, biotechnological, light industrial, agricultural, electric, aeronautic and space engineering, oceanological and geological and other fields;
- Reviewing over patents, and request for revocation and abandonment of patent rights and other issues;
- Client appeals to the People’s Court; clients who are not satisfied with the decisions of patent review, revocation and abandonment concerning the patent right.
- Provide services involving consultation, investigation, obtaining evidences, request for administrative mediation, institution of legal proceedings in court for the interested party
Trademark
- Application process for trademark filings, requests for trademark reviews, adjudication of trademark opposition and the process of cancellation for improperly registered trademarks;
- Services for licensing and assignments of trademarks;
- Services for consultation, investigation, and obtaining evidence for trademark disputes;
- Infringement monitoring services for clients through networks established in the main cities of PRC
Copyright
- Legal services including copyright protection and registration of computer software;
- Other legal services on technical trade, investment, evaluation of intangible assets with respect to consultation, drafting of contract and negotiation;
- Translation of technical documents and other legal documents
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Gay marriage ban backers seek Supreme Court review
Court Watch |
2012/08/03 11:46
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Backers of California's ban on same-sex marriages asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to overrule a federal appeals court that struck down the measure as unconstitutional, a move that means the bitter, four-year court fight over Proposition 8 could soon be resolved.
Lawyers for the coalition of religious conservative groups that sponsored the voter-approved ban petitioned the Supreme Court to review the lower court's finding that the 2008 amendment to the state constitution violated the civil rights of gay and lesbian Californians. The request had been expected since a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its 2-1 decision earlier this year.
If the high court declines to take the case, it would clear the way for same-sex marriages to resume in California. Gay couples could get married in the state for several months before Proposition 8 passed, a right the measure was designed to take away. Same-sex couples still have the rights and benefits of marriage controlled by state law if they register as domestic partners.
The divided appeals court panel cited those conditions, which were unique to California at the time, as grounds for striking down the ban as a violation of the U.S. Constitution's promise of equal protection. But it also went out of its way to state it was not saying similar bans in six other states it oversees were inherently unconstitutional.
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