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Mississippi Attorney and Firm Charged with Criminal Contempt
A prominent plaintiff’s attorney and his firm were charged with criminal contempt under 18 U.S.C. Sec. 401 for conduct in insurance litigation arising from Hurricane Katrina. U.S. District Court Judge William Acker found that the attorney had violated a preliminary injunction requiring him to return documents obtained from State Farm by two former employees of…
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How a Bill Becomes Law
Those of us who remember our civics class probably studied the wonderful flow chart of "How a Bill Becomes Law" that set forth the steps by which a Congress passes a piece of legislation that becomes the law of the land — recall the cute stick figure putting a bill in the box at the…
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Commentary on the Ryan Decision: Was it Efficient?
The contrast between the majority and dissent (see opinion here) is a telling picture of our judicial system. Former Illinois Governor Ryan fought hard against a death penalty that operated in a system with mistakes. He wanted a judicial system that provided due process rights. He went so far as to grant a moratorium on…
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Waxman on the Warpath
The Senate and House Judiciary Committees are not the only ones on Capitol Hill hounding the White House and various agencies about soon-to-be former Presidential aide Karl Rove’s work in federal agencies. Representative Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, sent a letter (here) to eighteen agencies asking for information about…
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Highlights of the Ryan Opinion
Some highlights from the majority: The majority opinion, after finding no basis for reversal in the procedural issues raised on appeal, moved to some of the substantive matters. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the defendant’s argument that the State of Illinois should not be allowed to be an "enterprise" for purposes of RICO.…
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Former Governor Ryan’s Conviction Affirmed
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction of former Illinois Governor George Ryan. The opinion can be found here. Commentary to follow. (esp)
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Subpoena and Contempt
The Wall Street Jrl reports here that Senator Leahy is pressing for requested information and testimony. Perhaps what is the most fascinating part of this piece is to hear that the Executive claims it needs more time to produce the items requested. Leahy thinks 2 months is enough time for them to produce the requested…
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Embezzlement at a Red Cross Office Leads to Prison
A DOJ press release tells of the sentencing of "[t]he former assistant director of accounting at the Orange County Chapter of the American Red Cross, who previously pleaded guilty to federal charges of embezzling more than $100,000 in Red Cross funds." This person received a sentence of "six months imprisonment, immediate payment of $110,000 in…
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What’s Included in the Settlement?
The LATimes reports on a court decision that finds that the University of Phoenix may still be subject to a lawsuit despite a prior "$9.8-million settlement it made with the federal government." (esp)
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Vick Will Plead Guilty
Michael Vick has agreed to plead guilty to charges related to a dog-fighting operation on his property in Virginia, according to a report on ESPN.com (here). A plea hearing is scheduled for August 27 for Vick to admit to the conspiracy charge on which he was indicted on July 17, and sentencing will likely be…
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