“SJC: Instant messages are not illegal when used by sexual predators.” The Boston Globe has a news update that begins, “The state’s high court said today that sexually explicit instant messages used by a Beverly man to arrange a sexual encounter with someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl are not illegal under current state law.”
And The Associated Press has a report headlined “Mass. court: Sexual e-messages to minors legal.”
You can access today’s ruling of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts at this link.
“Justice Thomas Gives Shout-Out to Florida Lawyer”: Tony Mauro has this post at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.”
“Fill the Bench Now: Now is the time for Obama to move on judicial nominations.” Doug Kendall has this jurisprudence essay online at Slate.
“Ex-justice spent 4 decades on bench”: Today’s edition of The Columbus Dispatch contains an obituary that begins, “J. Craig Wright, a pugnacious justice who served 11 years on the Ohio Supreme Court, died Wednesday in California. He was 80.”
According to the obituary, Wright was “involved in one of the most infamous episodes in court history” when he had a physical altercation with another Justice serving on Ohio’s highest court that caused the other Justice to sustain three broken ribs. But, the obituary goes on to report, “The two justices later reconciled and became friends.”
“Conflicting opinions complicate students’ cases”: Today in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Paula Reed Ward has an article that begins, “A federal appeals court Thursday issued what could be conflicting opinions on cases that involve students creating parody profiles on social networking sites.”
The Republican Herald of Pottsville, Pennsylvania reports today that “Blue Mountain discipline in MySpace case upheld by federal court.”
The Times-Tribune of Scranton, Pennsylvania reports that “Judge Munley’s ruling against student in MySpace case upheld by appeals court.”
And Shannon P. Duffy of The Legal Intelligencer has an article headlined “Do 3rd Circuit Rulings Over Student Speech on MySpace Pages Contradict?”
The two Third Circuit rulings issued yesterday that are the subject of this press coverage can be accessed here and here.
“Justice Thomas visits UF; The Supreme Court member discussed current legal issues”: The Gainesville Sun contains this article today.
And The Independent Florida Alligator reports today that “Supreme Court Justice guest at law panel.”
You can view yesterday’s event at the University of Florida Levin College of Law online and on-demand by clicking here.
“Illinois Supreme Court strikes down medical malpractice law; Court says limiting damages violates separation-of-powers clause by allowing lawmakers to interfere with a jury’s right to determine damages”: This article appears today in The Chicago Tribune. The newspaper also contains an editorial entitled “A disastrous decision.”
The New York Times reports today that “Illinois Court Overturns Malpractice Statute.”
Nathan Koppel of The Wall Street Journal reports that “Illinois Supreme Court Tosses Malpractice-Award Curbs.”
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that “Illinois Supreme Court throws out medical malpractice award limits.”
The State Journal-Register of Springfield, Illinois reports that “Malpractice cap supporters, opponents continue long-running debate following court ruling.”
The Belleville News-Democrat reports that “Metro-east plaintiff lawyers applaud malpractice ruling; doctors fear new exodus from area.” The newspaper also contains an editorial entitled “Turn for worse for health care.”
The Bloomington Pantagraph reports that “Downstate lawmakers disappointed by court decision on malpractice.”
The Quad-City Times reports that “Downstate lawmakers disappointed by court decision.”
The Herald-News of Joliet, Illinois has an article headlined “Malpractice caps controversial.”
And as for how the decision is playing in Peoria, The Peoria Journal Star reports that “Attorneys say malpractice ruling will have little effect on Peoria.”
My earlier coverage of yesterday’s Illinois Supreme Court ruling appears at this link.
“Cox: Close canal to stop carp; DNA data was kept from U.S. Supreme Court, he says.” Today’s edition of The Detroit Free Press contains an article that begins, “Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox filed a renewed request for an immediate injunction Thursday with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the justices to close locks on the Chicago shipping canal leading to Lake Michigan.”
And The Associated Press reports that “Michigan renews push to close Chicago ship locks.”
