Mich. Justices Ask If Shove Provoked Woman's Fatal Stabbing

By Danielle Ferguson

Michigan Supreme Court justices on Wednesday questioned whether a shove and heated confrontation were sufficient provocation for jurors mulling a fatal stabbing to receive an instruction defining crimes done out of a heat of passion in the trial that led to a man being convicted of murder.

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Investigator Immunity Limited In Death Row Exoneree Suit

By Elizabeth Daley

An exonerated Florida death row inmate who accused a fingerprint examiner and investigators of causing his wrongful double-murder convictions can continue his case against them, the Eleventh Circuit has ruled, affirming qualified immunity does not shield them from certain allegations.

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9th. Circ. Backs LA In Shop Destroyed In Police Raid

By Jonathan Capriel

Los Angeles won't foot the bill for a retail store damaged by police who fired tear gas into the shop during a standoff with an armed fugitive, the Ninth Circuit ruled in a published opinion, saying "just compensation" isn't necessary because the assault was done to protect the public.

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Judge Slams DOJ's 'Indict First' Strategy In Comey Case

By Jared Foretek

Federal prosecutors were given just over 24 hours to hand over all of the grand jury materials and anything seized under years-old warrants in the James Comey case when a Virginia federal judge said Wednesday that the government appeared to be pursuing an "indict first, investigate last" strategy.

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Texas Voters Ban Bail For Some Accused Of Serious Felonies

By Brandon Lowrey

Texas voters have approved a constitutional amendment requiring judges to deny bail to defendants charged with certain violent crimes if they are shown to be a threat or flight risk during a pretrial hearing.

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11th Circ. Says Not Feds' Fault If $345M Crypto Key Was Lost

By Parker Quinlan

The Eleventh Circuit has ruled that a man convicted of identity theft cannot sue the government for $345 million he claims he lost because federal investigators wiped a hard drive containing access codes to several thousand bitcoins, noting the man didn't tell investigators about the cryptocurrency.

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11th Circ. Affirms Convictions For Super Bowl 'Pimp'

By Kelcey Caulder

An Eleventh Circuit panel on Wednesday shot down an attempt by a "self-described pimp" to get out of four convictions for sex-trafficking convictions related to transporting two victims from Atlanta to Miami to perform sex work ahead of the 2020 Super Bowl.

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Mich. Justices Hint At 2nd Chance For Female Inmates' Suit

By Carolyn Muyskens

The Michigan Supreme Court seemed sympathetic to female inmates of Detroit's county jail who want to refile a class action alleging pervasive harassment during strip searches, though a named plaintiff's death put a wrinkle in Wednesday's arguments. 

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NJ Panel Unsure Businessman's Threats Broke Law

By George Woolston

A New Jersey appellate panel on Wednesday appeared skeptical that the sprawling racketeering indictment against Garden State businessman George E. Norcross was improperly dismissed, asking the state in its bid to revive the case how the power broker's alleged threats outlined in its 111-page indictment were unlawful.

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Atty Is Still Making Cyberstalking Posts, Feds Say

By Adrian Cruz

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday asked a Texas federal court to order an attorney who has been charged with cyberstalking detained until trial, saying she continues to make incriminating blog posts in violation of the terms of her pretrial release.

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Crypto Thief Or 'Scapegoat'? Jury To Decide Ex-CFO's Fate

By Rachel Riley

Prosecutors urged a Washington federal jury Wednesday to convict a software startup's ex-executive for pumping $35 million from company coffers into his fledgling cryptocurrency project, while defense counsel accused the government of pursuing a baseless case because the company needed someone to "scapegoat" for an investment loss.

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Mass. Justices Consider Raises To Address Counsel Shortage

By Julie Manganis

Justices on Massachusetts' highest court grappled at a hearing Wednesday with its ability to address an ongoing shortage of attorneys willing to represent indigent defendants, after lawyers in two of the state's busiest counties stopped taking cases in May in protest over the low pay compared with other states.

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AI Litigation Tools Can Enhance Case Assessment, Strategy

Civil litigators can use artificial intelligence tools to strengthen case assessment and aid in early strategy development, as long as they address the risks and ethical considerations that accompany these uses, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.

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Mamdani Taps Ex-FTC Chief Lina Khan For NYC Transition

By Lauren Berg

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday named an all-woman transition team, including former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, who attracted the ire of tech giants and corporations by spearheading the Biden administration's aggressive antitrust enforcement.

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Fired E-Biz Execs Sue Jackson Walker Over Judge's Romance

By Adrian Cruz

A pair of former executives at e-commerce company Volusion LLC have hit Jackson Walker LLP with the latest in a series of suits accusing the firm of legal malpractice stemming from the undisclosed romance between a former partner and a Texas bankruptcy judge.

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Senate Confirms Jones Day Partner To 9th Circ. Bench

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted 52-45 on Wednesday to confirm Eric Tung, a partner at Jones Day, as a judge on the Ninth Circuit.

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Robbins Geller's 'Eye-Watering' $28M Fee Bid Cut To $10.4M

By Katryna Perera

A California federal judge has rejected a $28 million attorney fee request from Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd as part of a $150 million investor settlement with Zoom, calling it an "eye-watering figure," and saying the firm can collect about $10.4 million instead.

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Fed. Judiciary Tackles Design, Need For AI Evidence Rules

By Jack Karp

Federal judiciary members wrestled Wednesday with the appropriate parameters of a proposed rule that would govern machine-generated evidence, while questioning the need for another proposed rule dealing with so-called deepfake evidence.

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After Spending Blitz, Pa. Judicial Election Turnout Booms

By James Boyle

Months of focused campaigning and an unprecedented blitz of spending on television ads helped serve to double the number of Pennsylvania voters who turned out on Tuesday to cast ballots over whether to grant new 10-year terms to three Democratic members of the state's Supreme Court.

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