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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: legal defense

legal defense stories: 8 news summaries

Letterman Blackmailer Heads Back to Court, May Want Trial

With $100K raised for defense, Halderman plea deal looks unlikely

Nov 9, 09 9:41 PM CST
(Newser) - The man accused of trying to blackmail David Letterman has raised $100,000 for his defense fund ahead of tomorrow’s first hearing in the case, and some experts think Robert “Joe” Halderman won’t accept a plea bargain despite his reported money woes. “This lawyer is a... More »

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CBS • blackmail • extortion • plea bargain • David Letterman • legal defense • hearings • Late Show • Robert Halderman • Gerald Shargel

(Newser) - Leon Panetta couldn't stop the Justice Department's widening inquiry into the CIA's interrogation policies, but the agency's director can make sure his employees don't go broke paying legal fees. The agency will see to it that case officers caught up in the investigation have representation, the Washington Post reports. Most... More »

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CIA • torture • Abu Ghraib • legal defense • Leon Panetta • detention • CIA director

Palin Besieged by Ethics Complaints

Alaska's GOP chief: number of grievances 'unprecedented'

May 3, 09 12:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - The world’s most famous hockey mom is skating on thin ice with some of her constituents, Politico reports. Sarah Palin has fielded more than a dozen complaints from Alaskan citizens in the last 7 months, concerning everything from the governor’s use of state funds, her political action committee,... More »

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ethics • Alaska • legal defense • governor • Sarah Palin • complaints • citizen

 Palin Pals Create Legal Fund 


Apr 23, 09 7:47 PM CDT
(Newser) - Backers of Sarah Palin are creating a legal fund to help her pay off her approximately $500,000 in legal bills, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Alaska governor racked up the bills defending herself against a slew of ethics complaints and charges that she improperly fired her former brother-in-law... More »

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Alaska • legal defense • governor • Sarah Palin

Falling Interest Rates Whack Legal Aid Groups

Funds tied to Fed's benchmark rate

Jan 19, 09 1:11 PM CST
(Newser) - There’s been some collateral damage from the Federal Reserve’s slashing of interest rates: legal aid societies. These groups, which aim to help the poor in civil cases, such as unemployment or foreclosure disputes, have long relied on little-known programs to draw interest from short-term deposits from clients. With... More »

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Federal Reserve • poverty • Fed funds rate • legal defense • financial crisis • legal aid

Fritzl's Lawyer Sees 'Good But Also Bad' in His Eyes

'My job is to show him as a human being,' attorney says

May 3, 08 8:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Josef Fritzl's attorney is bonding with his client and painting a new picture of him for the press, Der Spiegel reports. “Josef Fritzl is being portrayed as a horrific monster and sexual tyrant," said Rudolf Mayer, a renowned Viennese lawyer. "My job is to show him as... More »

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Austria • lawyer • legal defense • incest • Josef Fritzl • Amstetten, Austria • Rudolf Mayer

Bar Association Seeks to Halt Executions

Rampant inequities & sloppy cases demand moratorium, says group

Oct 29, 07 5:42 AM CDT
(Newser) - After a three-year study of the death penalty in eight states, the American Bar Association is calling for a nationwide moratorium on executions until prevalent problems in the system are rectified. Defense attorneys nationwide are under-qualified and underfunded, cases are plagued by sloppy evidence gathering, and race influences sentencing, the... More »

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death penalty • Florida • Arizona • Ohio • Georgia • Pennsylvania • Alabama • Tennessee • legal defense • American Bar Association • National District Attorneys Association

Spector's Cash His Best Defense

It was money, not celebrity, that aided the producer’s case

Sep 27, 07 1:22 PM CDT
(Newser) - Phil Spector’s money mattered more than his celebrity in convincing two jurors of his innocence in this week’s mistrial on second-degree murder charges. Several jurors had never heard of the record producer—so it was his ability to hire a pricey team of lawyers, forensic experts, and private... More »

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Phil Spector • Lana Clarkson • mistrial • chauffeur • legal defense • juror • forensic experts

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