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Archive of Crime & Courts on Friday July 03, 2009
AZ: Execution method of lethal injection approved
A federal judge Wednesday removed a major obstacle to executions in Arizona, ruling that the state's lethal-injection procedure is similar to one approved by the U.S. Supreme Court. Read More
TX: Child support suffers as economy suffers
The faltering national economy is taking its toll on Texas kids. More parents are making their child support payments from unemployment checks and asking judges to lower their financial burdens. Read More
AL: Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb decides against run for governorship
Alabama Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb on Wednesday said she plans to keep her seat on the Alabama Supreme Court and will not run for governor. Read More
AL: Chief Justice Cobb won't make gubernatorial bid
Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb said Wednesday that she will not run for governor in 2010. Read More
AR: Beebe backs director, board despite prison problems
Gov. Mike Beebe gave a vote of confidence to the state prison director and Board of Corrections on Wednesday, a day after members of a legislative panel questioned the leadership of the prison system. Read More
CO: Colorado crime rate declines
Colorado's overall crime rate dropped last year for the third time since 2005, and property crimes continued to fall in the state despite a persistent recession. Read More
GA: Nine are candidates for state Supreme Court vacancy
Atlanta's U.S. attorney, five judges and three private attorneys were nominated Wednesday to be Georgia's next Supreme Court justice. Read More
GA: Hunstein finishes long road to Ga. chief justice
Carol Hunstein's long journey to the pinnacle of Georgia's legal system took more twists and turns than a captivating trial. Read More
HI: Gov. Lingle, unions have date in court
Gov. Linda Lingle's power to furlough state workers will be tested today before Circuit Judge Karl Sakamoto. Read More
IA: Iowa residents join other states with the right to sue
Iowa is joining the rest of the nation in giving individual citizens the right to sue in consumer fraud cases. The new law took effect yesterday, July 1st, and Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says it replaces a law that originated in the Middle Ages. Read More
IA: Iowa prison population drops but trend expected to change
The number of inmates in Iowa prisons is dropping, but corrections officials expect that trend to change over the next decade. This week, Iowa's prison population dipped to 8,454 inmates. That's the lowest inmate count since October 2007, when Iowa had a record 8,840 men and women behind bars. Read More
IL: Investigators raid home, office of Cook County regional schools superintendent
Investigators raided the home and office of the Cook County regional schools superintendent Wednesday, carting out laptop computers, cell phones and boxes of files, sources said. Read More
IL: Mentally disabled in housing fight
Samuel Golden admits he wants to keep his 53-year-old daughter, who functions at the level of a 2-year-old, in what some critics would label a large "institution." Her life, he said, would deteriorate if she were forced to move into a smaller group home that couldn't provide adequate therapy and daily activities. Read More
IN: 2008 Ind. lt. gov. candidate surrenders for arrest
Indiana's 2008 Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor has surrendered to authorities the day after a judge issued a warrant for his arrest. Read More
KS: Community colleges sue regents
DODGE CITY, Kan. — Three community colleges have sued the Kansas Board of Regents claiming unequal funding for some of their vocational and technical programs. Read More
MD: Developer sues state agencies that blocked Allegany project
A developer who wants to build 4,300 homes in a rural part of Allegany County and the county's elected commissioners have filed suit against Maryland's environmental and planning agencies, accusing them of illegally blocking the project. Read More
MI: Sex offenders released by mistake
At least 62 convicted sex offenders, including 40 from Metro Detroit, were erroneously released from Detroit prisons last week and on the loose for days before the mistake was noticed and they were taken back into custody. Read More
MO: Free after 31 years
The state paroled Michael W. Ford Sr. today, 31 years after he began serving his sentence and nearly five years after a governor commuted it. Read More
MO: High court rejects petitions for convicted killer Helmig
The Missouri Supreme Court yesterday rejected two petitions filed on behalf of Dale Helmig and directed his lawyer to file claims for the convicted murderer in two separate circuit courts. Read More
MT: Abortion foes seek to amend state constitution
The Montana Pro Life Coalition on Wednesday submitted three proposed constitutional initiatives for the 2010 ballot defining embryos and fetuses as persons with rights, measures that if passed and upheld in courts would effectively ban abortion in Montana. Read More
NC: N.C. public-finance law for judges praised
A national research organization says North Carolina has one of the best models of taxpayer-financed campaigns in the country. Read More
NJ: N.J. bill would put state in charge of monitoring troopers
A consent agreement allowing the Justice Department to monitor state police in New Jersey could be dissolved under a bill that would shift the responsibility to the state Attorney General's Office. The monitoring began a decade ago in an attempt to eliminate racial profiling. Read More
NJ: N.J. appeals court to rule on child porn evidence in former Assemblyman Neil Cohen's trial
A state appeals court today is expected to issue a ruling on evidence in the case of former Assemblyman Neil Cohen, who was indicted last December on charges of child pornography possession and official misconduct. Read More
NJ: Court OKs mediation in custody disputes
Couples getting a divorce can bypass judges and use mediators to determine who gets custody of their children, the state Supreme Court said yesterday. Read More
NM: New law toughens DWI sanctions
A new law that could expand the number of drivers using alcohol-detecting devices in their cars is among various measures that took effect Wednesday in New Mexico. Read More
NV: Judge refuses to toss lawsuit against Gov. Gibbons
LAS VEGAS — A federal judge has refused to throw out a lawsuit by a former cocktail waitress who accuses Gov. Jim Gibbons of accosting her outside a Las Vegas restaurant in October 2006 and of orchestrating a cover-up when she went public. Read More
NY: State moves to end gaps in court files
The state Office of Court Administration moved Wednesday to address lapses in court filing practices across the state, instructing judges from Westchester to Buffalo that they, and not lawyers, are responsible for ensuring that case files available to the public are complete and accessible. Read More
NY: $2 million settles kickback
A California financial company on Wednesday agreed to repay $2 million to New York state's giant public pension fund after one of the company's former partners was implicated in paying a kickback to secure investment deals from the fund. Read More
OH: Ohio court protects clinic's files
Parents who are suing Planned Parenthood over an abortion clinic's alleged negligence in allowing a teenage sexual-assault victim to obtain an abortion will not get access to clinic records on other patients, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled yesterday. Read More
PA: Law requires contractors to register with the state
When you agree to allow a stranger into your home to perform repairs or upgrades, you better know who they are and what you're getting. A law going into effect today, July 1, intends to better arm consumers against fraud, forcing contractors to register with the state and report any previous wrongdoing. Read More
PA: Drug company's case reaches top state court
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to hear legal arguments from a pharmaceutical company about whether a Texas law firm whose founder donated $91,000 to Gov. Ed Rendell's campaign can continue to represent the state in a lawsuit against the drug manufacturer. Read More
RI: Sex-offender bills stall in R.I. Assembly
Lawmakers introduced at least 14 bills dealing with sex offenders this session. With the General Assembly in recess, five have made it through either the House or Senate, but not both. Read More
RI: Senate commission to study marijuana decriminalization
Weeks after legalizing the sale of marijuana to sick people, lawmakers have voted to explore how much Rhode Island might collect in revenue if it were to make all sales of marijuana legal and impose a "sin tax" of $35 per ounce. Read More
SC: 39 trips for Sanford with no security in '09
Gov. Mark Sanford left the Governor's Mansion without a security escort 38 times in 2008. In the first six months of this year, he left the mansion without security 39 times. Read More
SD: City attorney-- Payday lender limits must come from legislature
The city cannot move forward with licensing payday lenders, the Rapid City Legal & Finance Committee was told Wednesday. Read More
TN: Suit tries to block Tennessee's guns-in-bars law
A lawyer for plaintiffs suing to stop a law that allows handguns to be carried in Tennessee bars and restaurants that serve alcohol says the legal action is necessary to maintain a safe environment for patrons. Read More
US: Pension funds to lead suit against bank
A group of five public pension funds, including state funds in Ohio and Texas, have won the right to lead investor class-action lawsuits against the Bank of America Corporation over its acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Company. Read More |
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