|
|
|
Jury deliberates in post-Katrina shootings trial
Court Watch |
2011/08/02 08:30
|
Jurors have begun deliberating the fate of five current or former police officers charged in deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina.
Jurors began their deliberations Wednesday after U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt gave them instructions.
The jury heard several hours of closing arguments Tuesday after five weeks of testimony by roughly 60 witnesses.
Police shot and killed two people and wounded four others on the Danziger Bridge less than a week after the 2005 storm. Officers are also accused of engaging in a cover-up.
Prosecutors say Katrina's chaotic aftermath offers no justification for police to shoot unarmed people who posed no threat.
Defense attorneys urged jurors to weigh the conditions after the storm in judging whether the officers acted reasonably. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
NJ high court to rule in case of retired judge
Court Watch |
2011/08/01 08:48
|
New Jersey's Supreme Court has upheld the censure of a retired Superior Court judge.
Steven Perskie was disciplined in March for not recusing himself in a timely fashion from a case involving his former campaign treasurer. A state Supreme Court committee also found Perskie was not forthcoming in his remarks to a Senate committee about the incident when he was facing re-appointment.
Today's ruling found Perskie shouldn't have rejected a request during a 2006 case that he recuse himself. He later recused himself for different reasons.
The court also found that Perskie didn't intentionally mislead the Senate committee when he answered questions about the incident.
Perskie served on the Superior Court in Atlantic County and retired in January 2010. He also served as a state legislator. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ex-Schuyler teacher seeks OK to plead guilty
Law Center |
2011/08/01 08:48
|
A former Schuyler teacher accused of sending nude photos and sexually explicit text messages to a student is asking to plead guilty.
The Columbus Telegram reports that 26-year-old Jesse Harmon faces federal charges of enticing a minor in sexually explicit conduct, visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct and possession of child pornography.
According to a document filed last month, Harmon requested permission to plead guilty.
A police affidavit filed in Colfax County District Court says Harmon's texts included nude photos of himself, talk about sexual contact and requests for suggestive photos of the 16-year-old student.
A federal hearing for Harmon is scheduled for Aug. 19. He had pleaded not guilty in the state case before it was dropped. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Court upholds Chinese journalist's jail sentence
Topics |
2011/08/01 04:47
|
The lawyer for a Chinese journalist behind bars after writing about suspected corruption says a court has rejected an appeal against a new sentence ordered just before the reporter was to be released.
Beijing attorney Wang Quanzhang says he received on Monday the decision on the case of reporter Qi Chonghuai by a court in Shandong province.
Wang says the case sets a dangerous precedent because Qi was being tried a second time in June on similar charges to those which he faced in 2008. Qi was near the end of a four-year jail term when the second trial resulted in another eight years' imprisonment.
Rights groups say Qi was arrested in 2007 after he wrote about a local official who had beaten a woman for coming late to work. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jeffco Commission chooses to hire California law firm
Lawyer News |
2011/07/28 08:32
|
div class=entrydiv class=articleThere are 48 hours until the Jefferson County Commission's big decision on whether to file bankruptcy, settle, or wait some more. But the county is already spending money to prepare for what would be the biggest Chapter 9 bankruptcy ever. Tuesday the commission hired bankruptcy expert Kenneth Klee's L.A.-based law firm to consult with the county and represent it if bankruptcy is filed.
The county hasn't heard any response from its creditors to a plan to settle the sewer debt out of court, so they're preparing as if they'll be going into court as early as Thursday.
All 5 commissioners left no doubt they are prepared to file Chapter 9 bankruptcy if they don't see an agreeable settlement.
Without any meaningful progress by the creditors, I believe this commission has the wherewithall, and the fortitude to do what's necessary and to go ahead and resolve this crisis, Commissioner Jimmie Stephens said.
Part of the reason? They want to protect customers from a 25% rate increase proposed by the receiver and keep $75 million in sewer funds that the receiver wants control of. Both of those could happen Friday if there's no agreement.
The receiver is going to put a 25% rate increase, and our constituents can't take that, Commissioner Sandra Little-Brown said. It's a burden on them and this will save them from that, they way to do that is to file bankruptcy.
/div
/div |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Immigrants Sue Alabama Over Immigration Law
Headline News |
2011/07/28 08:32
|
Alabama’s new immigration law will subject all immigrants to harassment, says a lawsuit filed in Montgomery County Circuit Court.
The lawsuit is filed on behalf of five plaintiffs, who include two undocumented immigrants, two Mexican immigrants who are U.S. citizens and the spouse of an undocumented worker.nbsp; The lawsuit maintains that the law violates provisions in the Alabama Constitution that encourage immigration.
Our point is these people have individual rights that cannot be tread upon by the Alabama Legislature, said Thomas Drake, a Cullman attorney representing the plaintiffs.
A statement from Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange's office said they were reviewing the complaint and would defend the law vigorously.
Signed by Gov. Robert Bentley on June 9, the new immigration law makes it a crime to be an undocumented immigrant in Alabama and allows law enforcement to detain individuals they have a reasonable suspicion of being in the country illegally.
The law also makes it illegal to give undocumented immigrants rides and requires school districts to check on the immigration status of students who enroll.
The law is modeled on Arizona's immigration law, parts of which have been blocked by federal court.
The American Civil Liberties Union, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Immigration Law Center filed suit earlier this month to overturn Alabama’s immigration law. |
|
|
|
|
|
Legal News RSS Feed
