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Court stays out of Planned Parenthood funding case
Lawyer Interview |
2013/05/26 11:10
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Indiana will likely stop defending a law that stripped Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood after the Supreme Court declined to hear the case Tuesday, an attorney who represents the nation's largest abortion provider said.
Indiana is among more than a dozen states that have enacted or considered laws to prevent taxpayers' money from funding organizations that provide abortion. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Oct. 23 that the law targeting Planned Parenthood went too far because it denied women the right to choose their own medical providers.
"I assume at this point the state will give up in its claim that that portion of the statue is valid under the Social Security Act," said Ken Falk, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana. The case now returns to U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, who granted the initial preliminary injunction to temporarily block the law, precipitating the state's appeals.
Neither the state senator who sponsored the bill or the Family and Social Services Administration - the agency tasked with enforcing the law - had immediate comment.
"My office always contended this is ultimately a dispute between the state and federal government, not between a private medical provider and the state," Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said in a statement. Zoeller's office handled the state's appeal. |
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Minn. Supreme Court to hear suicides case appeal
Lawyer Interview |
2012/10/19 13:46
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The Minnesota Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal of a former
nurse convicted of searching out suicidal people in online chat rooms
and encouraging them to commit suicide.
William Melchert-Dinkel of Faribault was convicted in 2011 on two
counts of aiding suicide. The Minnesota Court of Appeals in July
rejected his argument that he was merely practicing free speech.
In an order Tuesday, the state Supreme Court agreed to review the
case. A date for oral arguments has not been set.
Melchert-Dinkel was convicted in the deaths of 32-year-old Mark
Drybrough, of Coventry, England, and 18-year-old Nadia Kajouji, of
Brampton, Ontario, in 2008.
Melchert-Dinkel faces about a year in jail unless his conviction is
overturned. He remains free pending appeal. |
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Court rejects Florida prison privatization appeal
Lawyer Interview |
2012/07/27 11:25
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An appellate court on Tuesday tossed out Attorney General Pam Bondi's request for a decision to uphold the proposed privatization of 29 South Florida prison facilities.
A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal rejected her plea to reverse a lower court's ruling against privatization, saying Bondi couldn't appeal on her own after her client, the Department of Corrections, declined to do so. The panel unanimously dismissed the case because Bondi was not a party.
"A party who suffers an adverse judgment in Circuit Court has the right to appeal, but nonparties whose rights have not been adjudicated have no right of appeal," Chief District Judge Robert Benton wrote for the court.
Leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature had urged Bondi to appeal after Gov. Rick Scott decided the department, which is part of his administration, would not.
One of Bondi's assistants acknowledged during oral argument last month that it was too late to carry out the privatization due to the expiration of a budget provision authorizing the plan. Nevertheless, Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Glogau asked the appellate court to issue a ruling upholding the privatization provision that would set a precedent for future budgets. |
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Ill. gov's legal woes worsen as fundraisers defect
Lawyer Interview |
2008/12/17 09:12
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| Jailed political fundraiser Antoin Tony Rezko's attorneys sent a strong signal Tuesday that he has resumed his on-again, off-again cooperation with federal prosecutors in the criminal case against Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and another one-time adviser to the governor served notice that he intends to plead guilty to tax charges.pRezko has been among the Democratic governor's top fundraisers and advisers and can provide prosecutors with a penetrating glimpse into the workings of Blagojevich's inner circle. He was convicted in June of scheming to squeeze companies seeking state business for payoffs./ppThere were signs that Rezko's relationship with prosecutors had soured in recent weeks. But on Tuesday, both sides agreed to postpone his sentence indefinitely, a sign that prosecutors think their sometimes reluctant witness has more to tell them./ppWhile Rezko squared things with federal prosecutors, attorneys for former Blagojevich campaign chairman Christopher Kelly said he intends to plead guilty to tax charges next month. Among other things, Kelly, a roofing contractor and consultant, is charged with using company funds to pay gambling debts and in at least one case writing the payment off as a business expense./ppKelly could also give the government an inside look at the workings of the Blagojevich administration. But chief defense counsel Michael Monico said Tuesday that cooperation isn't part of the agreement under which Kelly will plead guilty./p |
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DA: Criminal charges possible in boy's Uzi death
Lawyer Interview |
2008/10/29 19:43
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| A prosecutor said Tuesday he is investigating whether criminal charges should be filed after an 8-year-old boy accidentally killed himself while firing an Uzi submachine gun at a gun fair in western Massachusetts.pChristopher Bizilj (Bah-SEAL) of Ashford, Conn., shot himself in the head when he lost control of the 9mm micro submachine gun as it recoiled while he was firing at a pumpkin. Police have said the shooting at the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo at the Westfield Sportsman's Club on Sunday was an accident./ppHampden County District Attorney William Bennett said he is investigating whether the gun fair violated the state's firearms law by allowing the boy to fire the machine gun, and also whether it was a reckless or wanton act to allow an 8-year-old to use a fully loaded automatic weapon./p |
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High Profile Local Law Firms Merge
Lawyer Interview |
2008/03/06 06:59
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The San Diego law firm of Steigerwalt amp; Associates merged Wednesday with the Pacific Law Center, creating a new entity specializing in personal injury, bankruptcy and criminal defense litigation.
The new firm -- called Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center -- will have 30 attorneys working out of offices in downtown San Diego, La Jolla, Escondido and Chula Vista, Steigerwalt said.
He said the company will provide effective and affordable representation for the average person who becomes involved in litigation, offering the services of experienced lawyers who have handled thousands of matters ranging from death penalty cases to traffic offenses.
Steigerwalt stressed KSPLC's commitment to offering experienced and effective legal services at affordable rates, including free initial consultations.
The very rich can afford whatever lawyers they choose, Steigerwalt said. The poor are provided lawyers at public expense. The big gap in legal representation involves the average citizen who becomes involved with litigation and doesn't know where to turn. We're here to provide them that same access to justice.
Among Steigerwalt's high profile clients in the past has been Sam Sulieman, the man who assaulted FOX6 Investigative Reporter John Mattes.
a href=http://www.fox6.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoID=332641http://www.fox6.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoID=332641/a |
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