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Judge Rips Trump Attempt to Sue Accuser

Filing against E. Jean Carroll has been a 'bad faith' attempt to delay, ruling says

(Newser) - A federal judge rejected Donald Trump's attempt to countersue a woman who accuses him of raping her, giving the former president an earful Friday in the process. US District Judge Lewis Kaplan issued a 23-page ruling saying Trump's legal strategy has been executed in "bad faith,"...

76-Year-Old Returned to Prison After Missing Calls Goes Home

Gwen Levi was at a word-processing class with her ringer off at the time

(Newser) - A 76-year-old grandmother sent back to prison after attending a computer class is back to living life with a small amount of freedom. US District Judge Deborah C. Chasanow granted Gwen Levi a request for compassionate release Tuesday, saying "it would do little" to force the Baltimore resident to...

Judge Who Dumped ACA: It Can Stay for Now

Federal judge says ObamaCare will remain in place while appeals play out

(Newser) - A federal judge in Texas who recently declared the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional has stayed his ruling to allow for appeals. That means ObamaCare remains in effect while litigation continues, reports the AP . In a ruling issued Sunday, Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth wrote that he stands by...

Judicial Nominee Pulls Name After '2 Worst Minutes' on TV

Video of Matthew Petersen failing to answer basic legal questions went viral last week

(Newser) - Last week Matthew Petersen was on his way to becoming a judge on the US District Court for the District of Columbia. Then Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse tweeted a video of Petersen at his Judiciary Committee hearing failing to answer a series of basic legal questions from Republican Sen. John Kennedy,...

Judge Halts Texas Abortion Law Targeting Clinics

Restrictions create 'an impermissible obstacle' to women, judge says

(Newser) - A federal judge today threw out new Texas abortion restrictions that would have effectively closed more than a dozen clinics in the state. US District Judge Lee Yeakel sided with clinics that sued over one of the most disputed measures of a sweeping anti-abortion bill signed by Gov. Rick Perry...

US Judge Strikes Down Florida Gay Marriage Ban

But Judge Robert Hinkle issues stay to delay effect of his order

(Newser) - A federal judge today declared Florida's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, joining judges across the country who have sided with gay couples wishing to tie the knot. US District Judge Robert Hinkle in Tallahassee ruled that the ban added to Florida's constitution by voters in 2008 violates the...

Judge: College Players Can Sell Names, Likenesses

US District Court rules against NCAA in Ed O'Bannon case

(Newser) - A federal judge has ruled that the NCAA can't stop college football and basketball players from selling the rights to their names and likenesses, opening the way to athletes getting payouts once their college careers are over. In a landmark decision issued today, US District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled...

Texas Voting Maps Discriminate: US Court

Victory for minority activists, but state plans to appeal

(Newser) - A federal court says Texas' new voting maps, redrawn by a Republican legislature, violate the Voting Rights Act. They contain signs of discrimination against minorities, judges said in a 154-page opinion. "The three-judge panel unanimously found intentional discrimination across the state. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about...

Judge: Yeah, I Sent Racist Obama Email

Montana's top judge Richard Cebull caught forwarding joke

(Newser) - It always seems like a good idea at the time: Open stupid email forward at work, guffaw under your breath, forward it on to a couple of buddies. Except when you're a federal judge. On your official email. And the content of the email takes a not-so-subtle racist jab...

Prop 8 May Go to Supreme Court—This Week
Prop 8 May Go to
Supreme Court—This Week 
ANALYSIS
Aug 16, 2010 9:41 AM CDT

Prop 8 May Go to Supreme Court—This Week

Case could move up ladder...fast

(Newser) - It has always seemed likely that the Proposition 8 case would end up before the Supreme Court—and it could happen as early as this week, Jesse McKinley writes in the New York Times . Judge Walker last week gave the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals until Wednesday to review...

Prop 8 Ruling Tough for Supreme Court to Overturn

Judge Vaughn Walker's findings are extensive, well-reasoned

(Newser) - Judge Vaughn Walker’s masterfully written ruling striking down Proposition 8 “was written for a court of one,” namely Anthony Kennedy, writes Dahlia Lithwick of Slate . Walker quotes extensively from Kennedy’s own findings (see Quotes, left), and his “findings of fact” section “knits together the...

Apple Sues HTC for Aping iPhone

Says smartphone maker violated 20 patents

(Newser) - Apple has filed a lawsuit against HTC, one of its biggest competitors in the smartphone market, saying it infringed on 20 iPhone-related patents. “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it,” Steve Jobs said in a statement. “...

Try 9/11 Mastermind in Washington
 Try 9/11 Mastermind 
 in Washington 
OPINION
Feb 26, 2010 2:16 PM CST

Try 9/11 Mastermind in Washington

Put Khalik Sheik Mohammed on trial in civil court in nation's capital

(Newser) - New York doesn’t want the trial of accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed to take place in lower Manhattan, so bring the proceedings to the nation’s capital, writes Thomas Penfield Jackson. After all, “KSM’s crimes were committed against the entire nation,” so a trial in...

Judge Hearing Prop 8 Case Is Gay
Judge Hearing Prop 8 Case
Is Gay
Feb 8, 2010 1:21 PM CST

Judge Hearing Prop 8 Case Is Gay

Not that there's anything wrong with that ... at least for now

(Newser) - The judge who will rule on the constitutionality of California’s gay marriage ban is gay. Vaughn Walker, who drew the assignment at random, has a reputation as a conservative and libertarian. Gay activists say his sexual orientation isn't an issue, but a rep for the group that sponsored the...

Microsoft Can't Sell Word: Judge

(Newser) - A Texas district court judge has ruled in favor of a Canadian software company and issued an injunction barring Microsoft from selling copies of its Word program, which can read and write XML files, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. XML capability is central to Microsoft Word; i4i claims the company infringed...

Judge: US Must Reveal Charges Vs. Gitmo Prisoners

(Newser) - A federal judge today ordered the US to publicly reveal unclassified versions of its allegations and evidence justifying the continued imprisonment of more than 100 detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay. The Justice Department had been filing unclassified versions of its legal documents under seal, so that they could only...

For Sessions, Confirmation Hearings May Feel Familiar

Specter's far right replacement once rejected by same committee

(Newser) - Even if Al Franken is seated, President Obama's Supreme Court nominee isn't guaranteed an easy confirmation process. The reason is Jeff Sessions, the Alabama Republican who inherited Arlen Specter's seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. The fiery Sessions knows the committee well: It blocked his bid to become a federal...

Critics Blast Obama's 'State Secrets' Court Fight

White House seeks to kill lawsuit by Islamic charity over FBI wiretaps

(Newser) - Civil liberties activists are accusing President Obama of going back on his word and behaving like George Bush when it comes to protecting administration secrets, reports the Washington Post. The harsh criticism comes in the wake of a lawsuit brought by an Oregon Islamic charity seeking damages for the alleged...

Judge Demands White House Turn Over Wiretap Memos

He'll determine if their public release would jeopardize national security

(Newser) - A federal judge has ordered the Justice Department to turn over legal memos related to the government's policy allowing warrantless wiretapping, reports the Los Angeles Times. The memos must be turned over by Nov. 17 for review by US District Judge Henry Kennedy, who will determine if releasing them would...

Patent Battle Breaks Out Between Motorola, RIM

Firms exchange suits after licensing agreement disintegrates

(Newser) - A patent battle has flared between BlackBerry maker RIM and Motorola after the two failed to agree on terms to renew an existing licensing agreement, reports the Wall Street Journal.The friction comes as each company is intruding into the other's turf: Motorola by building Blackberry-like email devices, RIM by...

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