How Appealing



Monday, April 6, 2009

“Widow loses lawsuit over UC Irvine’s willed body program; Evelyn Conroy sued after the university lost track of James Conroy’s body; The California Supreme Court says she failed to prove that the university violated its donation agreement with her husband”: Maura Dolan of The Los Angeles Times has this news update about a ruling that the Supreme Court of California issued today.

Posted at 10:50 PM by Howard Bashman



“Administration defends Bush wire-taps”: Bob Egelko of The San Francisco Chronicle has a news update that begins, “The Obama administration is again invoking government secrecy in defending the Bush administration’s wiretapping program, this time against a lawsuit by AT&T customers who claim federal agents illegally intercepted their phone calls and gained access to their records.”

Posted at 10:45 PM by Howard Bashman



“The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide a long-running dispute over $10.5 million awarded to plaintiffs’ attorneys in a Georgia case alleging foster care violations.” So begins a news update that Bill Rankin has online at the web site of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

And at “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post titled “A test of a $10 million attorneys’ fee.”

Posted at 7:45 PM by Howard Bashman



“Some voluntary confessions still out”: At “SCOTUSblog,” Lyle Denniston has a post that begins, “Rehabilitating one of the more controversial criminal law rulings of the ‘Warren Court,’ a decision that decades ago stirred angry complaints from ‘tough-on-crime’ politicians, a divided Supreme Court ruled on Monday that some confessions to a federal crime cannot be used even if they were given voluntarily.”

Posted at 11:30 AM by Howard Bashman



Second Circuit affirms James C. Kopp’s federal convictions and life sentence for intentionally inflicting on a person, because that person was a provider of reproductive health services, an injury resulting in death: You can access today’s per curiam ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit at this link.

Coverage from The New York Times of the underlying trial can be accessed via this link.

Update: The Associated Press reports that “NY court upholds sentence of abortion doc’s killer.”

Posted at 10:40 AM by Howard Bashman



Access online today’s U.S. Supreme Court rulings in argued cases: The Court today has issued two rulings in argued cases.

1. Today’s first ruling issued in Corley v. United States, No. 07-10441. Justice David H. Souter delivered the opinion of the Court, which has decided this case by a 5-4 margin. Justices John Paul Stevens, Anthony M. Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Stephen G. Breyer joined in the majority opinion. Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. issued a dissenting opinion, in which the Chief Justice and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas joined. You can access the ruling at this link and the oral argument transcript at this link.

2. Today’s second and final ruling issued in United States v. Navajo Nation, No. 07-1410. Justice Antonin Scalia delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court. In addition, Justice Souter issued a concurring opinion in which Justice Stevens joined. You can access the ruling at this link and the oral argument transcript at this link.

In early news coverage, The Associated Press reports that “Court rules for suspect in dispute over confession” and “Court rules against Navajo Nation in coal case.”

Posted at 10:15 AM by Howard Bashman



“Land trust case may not impact many other tribes”: Today’s edition of The Providence (R.I.) Journal contains an article that begins, “One thing is certain about Carcieri v. Salazar, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued Feb. 24 after years of argument in the federal courts pitting the Narragansett Indian tribe against the State of Rhode Island and the Town of Charlestown.”

Posted at 8:05 AM by Howard Bashman



“Holder has a long to-do list at Justice; Analysts: Attorney general’s recent actions show he’s trying to restore credibility to the department.” This article appears today in USA Today.

Posted at 8:00 AM by Howard Bashman



“First Circuit reveals panel for Tenenbaum webcast hearing; ghost of ‘Boston’s Children First’ looms”: Ben Sheffner has this post at his “Copyrights & Campaigns” blog.

Posted at 7:55 AM by Howard Bashman



“Firefighters’ civil rights case could reshape hiring policies; The Supreme Court will soon hear arguments in the case, in which 20 white firefighters allege racial discrimination; It will be the Roberts court’s first broad case tackling race in the workplace”: David G. Savage has this article today in The Los Angeles Times.

Posted at 12:30 AM by Howard Bashman