Federal judge allows challenge to Utah anti-polygamy law
February 5, 2012
[JURIST] A judge for the US District Court for the District of Utah [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] Friday that the Browns, a publicly polygamist family living in Utah, have standing to bring a suit challenging Utah's anti-bigamy law against Utah County Attorney General Jeffrey Buhman. The court dismissed challenges brought against Utah Governor Gary Herbert and Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff for lack of standing, saying there was insufficient evidence that the state officials had any intention to prosecute…
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Federal judge allows challenge to Utah anti-polygamy law
US army drops charges in Afghan civilian death case
February 5, 2012
[JURIST] The US Army dropped all charges against Army Specialist Michael Wagnon Friday, ending the final case in a series of related charges against five army personnel accused of killing Afghan civilians. Wagnon had been facing a charge of murder for his alleged involvement in the killing of three Afghan civilians and was expected to go to trial in March. All four of the other soldiers charged in connection with the killings were either convicted or pleaded guilty. In a…
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US army drops charges in Afghan civilian death case
Virginia lawmakers approve bill allowing adoption agencies to refuse placement
February 5, 2012
[JURIST] The Virginia House of Delegates [official website] on Friday voted 71-28 to approve a bill [text] that would allow adoption agencies to refuse to place a child if the agency, or anyone affiliated with it, disagrees with the proposed placement based on religious beliefs. Effectively, this bill would allow adoption agencies to refuse to adopt to same-sex couples. Governor Bob McDonnell [official profile] said he will sign the bill if it makes it to his desk.
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Virginia lawmakers approve bill allowing adoption agencies to refuse placement
Pentagon official denies extension for 9/11 suspects
February 4, 2012
[JURIST] Bruce MacDonald, the senior Pentagon official overseeing war crimes tribunals at Guantanamo [JURIST backgrounder], on Friday denied a request to extend the filing deadline for pre-trial motions [JURIST report] for prisoners accused of planning the 9/11 attacks [JURIST backgrounder]. The prisoners' lawyers stated that they needed the extension because of delays in getting security clearance [AP report] and new restrictions on legal mail between the attorneys and their clients. The prisoners' arraignment is set to occur within months.
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Pentagon official denies extension for 9/11 suspects
Federal government requests additional time for oral argument in health care reform case
February 4, 2012
[JURIST] The federal government on Friday requested additional time for oral argument [brief, PDF] before the US Supreme Court to argue that the minimum coverage provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) [HR 3590; JURIST backgrounder], which requires almost every US citizen to obtain health insurance by 2014 or face a tax penalty, is constitutional. The government requested an additional 30 minutes, which would bring the total time allotted for oral argument to six hours. The government…
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Federal government requests additional time for oral argument in health care reform case
US Army refers intelligence analyst’s Wikileaks case for court-martial
February 4, 2012
[JURIST] US Army [official website] commander Maj. Gen. Michael Linnington [official profile] referred Pfc. Bradley Manning [advocacy website; JURIST news archive] to a general court-marital Friday on all charges for allegedly releasing classified information to WikiLeaks [website; JURIST news archive]. The referral to a court-martial means Manning will now stand trial [AP report] on 22 counts brought against him for his alleged disclosure of over 700,000 confidential documents and videos to the Wikileaks website.
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US Army refers intelligence analyst’s Wikileaks case for court-martial
What Causes Lawyers to Over-Preserve?
February 4, 2012
Irrational fear of sanctions and spotty tech familiarity have conditioned lawyers to over-preserve, says e-discovery special master Craig Ball, but there are options to “right size” the approach.Visit Law Technology News
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What Causes Lawyers to Over-Preserve?
Defense wins $1.1M in suit over contract
February 4, 2012
A breach of contract battle between copier products companies that began three years ago with a Chinese conglomerate suing a family-owned Atlanta company for more than $4 million has concluded with the defendant winning $1.1 million for counterclaims.
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Defense wins $1.1M in suit over contract
Cain sued over book cover photo
February 4, 2012
An ad agency is suing former presidential candidate Herman Cain and the publisher of his biography, claiming that its copyright of the book’s cover photo has been infringed. The agency seeks an injunction to halt sales of the book, and is asking a Georgia federal court to impound all copies for destruction.
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Cain sued over book cover photo
Ninth Circuit Rejects Fair Housing Act Discrimination Claims Against Roommates.com
February 4, 2012
Roommates.com has scored a big victory with a 9th Circuit ruling that it can collect personal information from users and match potential roommates according to traits like gender and sexual preference. The panel held that roommate selection is covered by a constitutional right to association.
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Ninth Circuit Rejects Fair Housing Act Discrimination Claims Against Roommates.com
