Courts

October 24, 2007 -- "Mr. President, I will oppose the nomination of Leslie Southwick to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals because I have serious questions about his ability to be an impartial jurist.

I am concerned that Judge Southwick’s views of racial discrimination in jury selection reflect a lack of adequate respect for Supreme Court precedent. In Batson v. Kentucky, the Supreme Court ruled against preemptory dismissal of jurors without stating a valid cause for doing so may not be used to exclude jurors based solely on their race.    » read more »

October 24, 2007 -- Washington, DC – “I opposed the nomination of Leslie Southwick to serve a lifetime appointment on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. His tenure as a judge on the Mississippi Court of Appeals reveals a record that fails to honor the principles of equality and justice and demonstrates a disregard for civil rights.    » read more »

October 24, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today released the following statement on the Senate’s vote to confirm Judge Leslie Southwick, of Mississippi, to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Obama opposed Southwick’s nomination.    » read more »

Limits to Pollutants Generated by Auxiliary Engines to be Enforced While Lawsuit is Heard

LOS ANGELES (October 24, 2007) – In a major victory for public health, the Ninth Circuit court granted yesterday a request by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and other defendants in a lawsuit involving ships and cleaner marine fuels. The stay of an earlier injunction guarantees the enforcement of California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations while the lawsuit is heard. The regulations require ships to reduce their emissions as they approach the California coast.    » read more »

Oct 24, 2007 -- Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Senator John Edwards released the following statement in response to the Senate's confirmation of Leslie Southwick to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:    » read more »

October 5, 2007 -- ATLANTA – Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the following five judicial appointments:

* Patricia W. Booker – State Court of Richmond County
* Donald W. Gillis – Superior Court of the Dublin Judicial Circuit
* T. Harry Hurt – Superior Court of the Cordele Judicial Circuit
* Carlton LeTain “Tain” Kell, Sr.– Superior Court of the Cobb Judicial Circuit
* Murphy C. Miller – Superior Court of the Enotah Judicial Circuit    » read more »

04 October 2007 -- Acting amid continuing controversy over a recent incident involving Blackwater, the largest American private security contractor in Iraq, the U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved legislation that would subject contractors to prosecution by U.S. courts. A similar measure is expected to be introduced in the Senate.

Approved by a vote of 389 to 30, the legislation revises existing law called the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act.    » read more »

Albany, NY (October 1, 2007)—The U.S. Supreme Court today refused to hear Catholic Charities’ attempt to dismantle New York’s Women’s Health and Wellness Act. The law — which has been in effect since January 1, 2003 — requires insurance plans to cover women’s health services including osteoporosis exams, prescription contraceptives, and breast and cervical cancer screening.    » read more »

September 20, 2007 -- Coinciding with today's march in Jena, Louisiana, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement in response to a recent ruling from the Louisiana appeals court overturning the verdict against a young student in the Jena 6 case:    » read more »

September 20, 2007 -- Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Director Steven E. Chester announced that on September 18, the Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed a ruling against the Bulk Petroleum Corporation that requires the company to pay penalties totaling roughly $2.4 million for failing to properly clean up leaking underground tanks at a gas station in Hartland. The tanks leaked petroleum product during a period from 1986 through 1999 despite repeated efforts by the DEQ to compel the company to properly resolve the problem.    » read more »

19 September 2007, Washington (By Ray McDonald) -- The jury foreman in the murder trial of Phil Spector reported Tuesday that jurors were at a seven-to-five impasse after seven days of deliberation. He did not indicate which way the jury was leaning.

Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler said he is considering giving jurors the option of finding the record producer guilty of a lesser charge than second degree murder, a move which Phil Spector's defense team will likely oppose.    » read more »

17 September 2007 -- Microsoft Corporation suffered a major legal setback Monday when a European Union court rejected the software giant's appeal of a 2004 anti trust ruling. The court also upheld a record fine of more than $600 million which Microsoft has now been ordered to pay. Microsoft has not yet decided whether to appeal the new ruling.

Microsoft had asked the court to overturn a 2004 European Commission ruling that found the U.S. software giant abused its dominant market position by automatically including its media player in every Windows operating system.    » read more »

September 12, 2007 -- Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today hailed a federal court ruling in Vermont that upholds the rights of Connecticut and other states to protect citizens from pollution caused by vehicle emissions.

Today's U.S. District Court decision in Vermont involves one of three lawsuits brought by several auto manufacturers challenging new emissions rules in California, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Connecticut is one of several other states that have adopted the same regulations of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by vehicles that was challenged in Vermont.    » read more »

Judge Lisabeth Hughes Abramson will succeed Justice William McAnulty

Monday, September 10, 2007, FRANKFORT, Ky. – Governor Ernie Fletcher today appointed Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge Lisabeth Hughes Abramson, of Louisville, to the Kentucky Supreme Court. Judge Abramson fills the vacant seat of the late Justice William McAnulty.

“Judge Abramson brings with her the knowledge and ability to fill the very large void left by the passing of Justice McAnulty,” said Governor Fletcher. “I appreciate her willingness to serve in this very important capacity.”    » read more »

September 05, 2007 --“Over the course of the past year, the Attorney General’s Office has conducted a comprehensive investigation into last summer’s fatal tunnel ceiling collapse. That investigation is not yet complete.

Evidence has been presented to a Grand Jury, which upon carefully reviewing that evidence, found probable cause to indict Powers Fasteners, Inc., for manslaughter in connection with the death of Milena DelValle at this time. Powers is innocent until proven guilty.    » read more »