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Anti-gay-marriage groups look for Ariz. redemption
Law Firm News |
2008/10/30 09:43
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| Arizona has been a disappointment to anti-gay marriage activists since 2006, when the state became the first in the nation to reject a ballot measure banning same-sex marriage.pThose same opponents are hoping for redemption Tuesday, when Arizona voters again will have to decide whether they want the state's constitution to be amended to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman./ppIt actually helped us out having it fail the first time because it allowed us to raise more money, said state Sen. Ron Gould, a Republican and prime sponsor of this year's measure, which was put on the ballot by the Legislature. It just motivates people to put the remote down, get out of the La-Z-Boy and do something./ppTwenty-seven states have approved anti-gay marriage ballot measures, including seven in 2006. Similar measures are being considered in California and Florida this year./ppAlthough Arizona voters turned down the 2006 measure, there is a big difference between that one and this year's measure, Proposition 102./p |
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DA: Criminal charges possible in boy's Uzi death
Legal Interview |
2008/10/29 19:43
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| A prosecutor said Tuesday he is investigating whether criminal charges should be filed after an 8-year-old boy accidentally killed himself while firing an Uzi submachine gun at a gun fair in western Massachusetts.pChristopher Bizilj (Bah-SEAL) of Ashford, Conn., shot himself in the head when he lost control of the 9mm micro submachine gun as it recoiled while he was firing at a pumpkin. Police have said the shooting at the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo at the Westfield Sportsman's Club on Sunday was an accident./ppHampden County District Attorney William Bennett said he is investigating whether the gun fair violated the state's firearms law by allowing the boy to fire the machine gun, and also whether it was a reckless or wanton act to allow an 8-year-old to use a fully loaded automatic weapon./p |
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Corruption trial begins for 'America's sheriff'
Headline News |
2008/10/29 19:41
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| Former Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona was a sharp, inspiring leader consumed by greed, a prosecutor said Wednesday as the federal corruption trial began for the lawman nicknamed America's sheriff.pThe three-term sheriff took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gifts and illegal loans for himself, his mistress and a close group of friends in exchange for political favors, get-out-jail-free cards and the power of his office, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Sagel told jurors./ppThis is the case of the two Michael Caronas: Sheriff Michael Carona, the bright, articulate, charismatic man who went from being the underdog candidate, Sagel said. Then there's the Michael Carona ... who declared, 'We're going to be so rich, we're going to make so much money.'/ppThe square-jawed Carona, once dubbed America's sheriff by CNN's Larry King after vowing to hunt down a child abductor, sat stoically through the prosecutor's opening statement./ppCarona, 53, has vigorously denied charges of conspiracy, mail fraud and witness tampering./ppAlso charged are his alleged mistress, who has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud and bankruptcy fraud; and his wife, who has pleaded not guilty to a single count of conspiracy./p |
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Hot-button social issues highlight state ballots
Topics |
2008/10/28 19:42
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| pSocial issues so volatile that the presidential campaigns sidestepped them will be on the ballots in several states next week, including measures that would criminalize most abortions, outlaw affirmative action and ban same-sex marriage in California, one of only three states that allows it./ppIn all, there are 153 proposals on ballots in 36 states./ppIn Washington, voters will decide whether to join Oregon as the only states offering terminally ill people the option of physician-assisted suicide. Massachusetts has three distinctive measures on its ballot — to ban dog racing, ease marijuana laws and scrap the state income tax, a step that could unleash budgetary tumult./ppThe main presidential rivals, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, have rarely made proactive comments during the campaign about same-sex marriage or affirmative action — issues on which the public is deeply divided. Abortion also has seemed like an uncomfortable topic for them at times, although Obama makes clear he supports abortion rights and McCain says he would like to ban most abortions./ppBut in a half-dozen states, these three issues are front and center./p |
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McCain, GOP gain ground on Obama ads in key states
Politics |
2008/10/27 19:45
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| After weeks of being out-advertised by Barack Obama, Republican presidential candidate John McCain and the Republican Party are nearly matching the Democratic nominee ad for ad in key battleground markets.pAd spending and ad placement data obtained from Democratic and Republican operatives show that in the closing days of the campaign the Republican voice has grown louder in states such as Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia and Pennsylvania./ppFor instance, Obama had been scheduled to buy about $2.5 million in Florida ads for the last week of the campaign. McCain is now set to spend about $1.6 million and the Republican National Committee added $1.5 million to their buy in the state this week. Obama appears to have added more weight to his ads since./ppThe ad war is especially noticeable in Florida's central corridor, which includes Tampa, Orlando and West Palm Beach./ppThose near-parity levels in crucial states come with a price. McCain has had to trim back his ads in Minnesota, Maine, New Hampshire and Wisconsin, giving Obama even greater edges there./ppA map of the states where McCain and the RNC are spending their money also illustrates the defensive nature of their 11th hour strategy. Except for Pennsylvania, the McCain-GOP focus was on trying to hold states that President Bush won in 2004./p |
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Authors, publishers settle suit against Google
Politics |
2008/10/27 19:44
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| Eager to cool the debate over copyrighted text online and anxious to make some money, Google and the publishing industry announced Tuesday that they have settled their three-year legal battle over the Internet giant's book search program.pUnder an agreement reached by Google, the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers, librarians and the public will have an easier time tracking down millions of out-of-print books. At the same time, Google and the book business will have greater opportunities for online sales./ppWe're trying to create a new structure where there will be more access to out-of-print books, with benefits both to readers and researchers and to the rights holders of those books — authors and publishers, Richard Sarnoff, chairman of the publishers association, said Tuesday in an interview./ppThis is an extraordinary accomplishment, Paul N. Courant, university librarian for the University of Michigan, said in a statement. It will now be possible, even easy, for anyone to access these great collections from anywhere in the United States./p |
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