supreme court

Pro-Choice States Should Protect the Right to Travel for Abortion

Placeholder while article actions load

Suppose Roe v. Wade is overturned. A recent fanfare of concern worries that a state would then be able to punish its citizens for traveling to other states to seek medical assistance in ending their pregnancies. Missouri is considering a statute that would do exactly that, and Texas activists are pushing a similar proposal. Other states may follow.

Would such a law be constitutional? It’s hard to be sure.  The doctrine is a confusing mishmash, and the Supreme Court has declined to offer definitive guidance. Although legal scholars have been arguing since the 1990s in favor of a right to travel to seek an abortion, the last time the justices directly addressed the issue of a state’s power to punish crimes beyond its borders was … um … 1941.

In short, we can’t predict how a court would treat an effort by one state to bar its citizens from obtaining abortion in another. But one need not be pro-choice to see the strength of the argument against such a law.

Let’s start with a basic question: Can a state punish its citizens for breaking the state’s laws while beyond its boundaries? It would seem that

… Read the rest
June 13, 2022 by LEGAL

Partisan Politics Invades OJCC in Violation of the Judicial Code of Ethics.

OK, let’s shine a light on the 800-pound gorilla in the room. Let’s talk about something no one likes to talk about, especially attorneys: attorneys’ fees.

Yes, greedy attorneys who want to get paid. I know. I know. It is impossible to talk about attorneys’ fees without immediate outcry about greedy attorneys. Why is that? Are attorneys greedy? I am an attorney, and I can say: to the extent that I someday want to retire on more that my social security check, yes, I am greedy. I am motivated, at least in part, by my desire to earn money. What capitalist isn’t? Isn’t that the point of business? I don’t see insurance companies crying on their way to the bank. I see them crying when attorneys like me make them pay what they should pay on their own without attorneys like me dragging them to court.

It’s Just Business

So, what happens when attorneys don’t get paid enough? They find other ways to make money. Just like any businessperson would. At times, that leads them to change their areas of practice. I have been practicing Florida Workers’ Compensation Law since 1995. During my 27 years in practice, I have watched

… Read the rest
June 10, 2022 by LAW

Former Rep. John Lesch apologizes to St. Paul City Attorney Lyndsey Olson after legal settlement – Twin Cities

Former Rep. John Lesch apologizes to St. Paul City Attorney Lyndsey Olson after legal settlement – Twin Cities

A four-year legal defamation case between St. Paul City Attorney Lyndsey Olson and former St. Paul lawmaker has been settled out of court. Terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, but John Lesch, a former state representative, has written Olson a letter of apology and shared it with St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s office.

Olson will receive an undisclosed amount of money from Lesch as well.

“I appreciate the closure the letter brings,” said Olson on Friday. “Receiving an apology is the right result.”

The lawsuit centered around allegedly disparaging remarks that Lesch made about Olson in January 2018, in a wide-ranging letter to then newly-elected St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter listing reasons why Olson would be a bad choice for city attorney.

Lesch, who had previously served in the city attorney’s office and alongside Olson in the Minnesota National Guard, called into question her reputation within the MN Guard’s Judge Advocate General corps. He also asked the mayor for Olson’s disciplinary history within the Guard.

Carter ignored Lesch’s advice and, a few weeks later, Olson sued Lesch for defamation. She argued that he had gone too far in both contacting her employer and raising unsubstantiated claims about

… Read the rest
June 4, 2022 by ATTORNEY

Pennsylvania’s highest court could give cities the go-ahead to craft their own gun laws · Spotlight PA

Pennsylvania’s highest court could give cities the go-ahead to craft their own gun laws · Spotlight PA

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters.

HARRISBURG — While Pennsylvania voters might look to the General Assembly to take action on new gun laws after the massacre of nearly 20 children in Texas, the judiciary will likely determine the direction of the commonwealth’s firearms policies in the coming months.

Three distinct suits are being appealed to the state’s highest court, all arguing that cities and municipalities in Pennsylvania should be allowed to pass their own gun laws.

The suits — which involve the state’s two largest cities, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh — seek to either loosen or overturn a nearly three-decade-old precedent that gives the legislature the sole authority to regulate gun ownership throughout the state.

Advocates for and against stricter gun policies in Pennsylvania say court action could have broad consequences. In one of the cases involving Philadelphia, the state Supreme Court is being asked to strike down as unconstitutional a 1995 law that preempts local jurisdictions from enacting stricter gun regulations — which could in turn force the legislature to rewrite it.

“Ours is a

… Read the rest
June 4, 2022 by LEGAL

Washington AG wins sanctions against attorney behind voter fraud lawsuit

Washington AG wins sanctions against attorney behind voter fraud lawsuit

Washington state’s attorney general Bob Ferguson (C) speaks to the media next to Washington state solicitor general Noah Purcell (R) outside the U.S. federal courthouse in downtown Seattle. REUTERS/Dan Levine

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Register

  • Top state prosecutor will also ask Washington bar to discipline Virginia Shogren
  • Dozens of lawsuits claiming fraud in the 2020 elections rejected by courts

(Reuters) – Washington State’s top prosecutor said Wednesday that his office won court sanctions against an attorney behind a post-2020 presidential election lawsuit alleging state officials were illegally registering non-citizens to vote, and said he will also ask bar officials to discipline the lawyer.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson said the Washington Supreme Court last month ordered lawyer Virginia Shogren to pay nearly $19,000 in attorneys fees for violating a rule against frivolous appeals. The court also directed Shogren’s client in the lawsuit, the Washington Election Integrity Coalition United, to pay about $9,500 in costs.

Shogren on Wednesday declined to comment, saying the case is still pending. The Washington State Bar Association website lists her as a solo attorney admitted to the association in 2003 and eligible to practice.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Register

… Read the rest
June 3, 2022 by ATTORNEY
December 2024
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031