Courts

Texas Atty Ethics Commission Drops Suit Against AG Paxton

By Lynn LaRowe

The Texas bar's Commission for Lawyer Discipline has dropped its ethics complaint against Attorney General Ken Paxton over a failed lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results in other states, saying the case should end in light of a recent Texas Supreme Court decision nixing a similar case against his first assistant.

NC Justices Lob GOP Judge's Ballot Challenge To Trial Court

By Hayley Fowler

The North Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday kicked Republican Judge Jefferson Griffin's ballot challenge in his contested race for an associate justice seat back to trial court, saying state law necessitates a ruling from the lower court before the state's top court can weigh in.

'Unicorn Prosecution' Could Upend Legal Practice, Court Told

By George Woolston

Brown & Connery LLP partner William Tambussi told a New Jersey state judge Wednesday that the entire practice of law in the Garden State rests on his impending decision on the charges against him in the state's sweeping racketeering case targeting power broker George E. Norcross III, arguing that a lawyer has never been prosecuted for routine legal work.

Drug Co. Wants To Keep Judge On Alopecia IP Case

By Andrew Karpan

The developer behind an Eli Lilly & Co. alopecia drug has called allegations the company's lawyers deliberately hired a New Jersey federal judge's former law clerk both "low and baseless" and a "transparent attempt to remove the judge who decided against it."

Mich. Justices Doubt Boss Can 'Trap' Workers In Meeting

By Carolyn Muyskens

Michigan Supreme Court justices struggled with the proposition Wednesday that a supervisor has some ability to keep employees in a meeting by force, during oral arguments in a former assistant county prosecutor's whistleblower appeal.

Sotomayor Halts 2nd Circ. Ruling In Landmark Graft Case

By Elliot Weld

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor halted a decision from the Second Circuit on Wednesday that would have set up a second trial against four men whose convictions were overturned in a landmark 2023 high court ruling in which the justices narrowed certain types of public corruption cases.

Justices Seem Willing To Reopen Cornell Workers' ERISA Suit

By Kellie Mejdrich

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed inclined to revive a federal benefits lawsuit from Cornell University workers alleging their retirement plan was mismanaged and charged excessive fees, with several justices appearing open to arguments that the Second Circuit overreached when it shut down the case.

#MeToo Claims Against Ex-Defender's Boss To Stay Sealed

By Hayley Fowler

A federal judge on Wednesday shot down a former assistant public defender's renewed attempt to lay bare certain #MeToo complaints against her one-time employer as part of a long-running case casting a spotlight on the judiciary's internal complaint process for workplace misconduct.

Conn. Top Justice Nominee Touts Tech, Defends Salary Stance 

By Brian Steele

Connecticut Supreme Court interim Chief Justice Raheem L. Mullins heard praise for his technology advocacy and pushback for his outspoken stance on judicial salaries Wednesday from the state legislature's Joint Committee on Judiciary, which is considering his nomination to the high court's top spot for a full eight-year term.

Feds Drop Case Against Atty's Accomplice In COVID Loan Fraud

By Ryan Boysen

A Savannah, Georgia, man who conspired with two attorneys to defraud the federal pandemic relief effort of $300,000 has had the charges against him in Georgia federal court dropped, after he completed a year of a pretrial diversion program.

Kentucky, New Mexico Federal Judges To Take Senior Status

By Lynn LaRowe

Chief U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves of the Eastern District of Kentucky and U.S. District Judge James O. Browning of the District of New Mexico announced this week that they are taking senior status over roughly the next year.

Administrative Leader Of NJ Courts To Retire In March 

By Carla Baranauckas

New Jersey Judge Glenn A. Grant will retire in March after serving as the administrative leader of the state judiciary for 16 years, a career arc in which he steered the courts through the COVID-19 pandemic, the controversial implementation of bail reform and the digital transition of court filings. 

Committee's Trump Probe Subpoenas Are Moot, Willis Says

By Emily Johnson

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has urged a Georgia state court to quash a bid to enforce subpoenas from a state Senate committee investigating her handling of the prosecution of President Donald Trump, arguing the subpoenas are moot because "the old special committee no longer exists."

Menendez Loses 2nd Bid For New Trial As Sentencing Nears

By Elliot Weld

A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday denied former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez's latest motion for a new corruption trial a week before his sentencing, rejecting his claim that the jury could have been swayed by improperly redacted exhibits that were loaded onto a computer containing the evidence in the case.

What Lawyers Really Think About Working In-House

Law360 Pulse asked corporate counsel to identify some common misconceptions about working in-house and share their thoughts on the rewards and challenges of their jobs. Here's what they said.

In-House Attorneys Have Saner Schedules, But Long Hours

By Aebra Coe

It may once have been that the typical in-house lawyer worked a 40-hour week, but that no longer appears to be the case for many corporate counsel, with more than 40% reporting they exceed 50 hours at work each week in a recent survey by Law360 Pulse.

How Happy Are In-House Attorneys At Work?

By Xiumei Dong

In-house attorneys report high job satisfaction when it comes to schedule flexibility, team collegiality, and compensation, but concerns linger about workload and career advancement, particularly for mid-level lawyers seeking to climb the career ladder, according to a new Law360 Pulse report.

In-House Etiquette — Tips For Outside Counsel

By Sue Reisinger

While most in-house lawyers seem generally happy with their outside counsel, about 9% of participants in Law360 Pulse's first In-House Counsel Satisfaction Survey want more, saying they are fed up with being nickel-and-dimed while receiving low quality work and poor communication from their outside attorneys.

Atty Seeks Appeal In Failed Bid To Unwind 'Varsity Blues' Plea

By Chris Villani

A former attorney and television executive wants to ask the First Circuit whether her guilty plea in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions case should stand after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that she argues invalidates the government's theory.

Ch. 11 Judge Slams Firm's 'Extraordinary' Lack Of Knowledge

By Dorothy Atkins

A New York bankruptcy judge has refused a fee bid and ordered a debtor's firm to return a nearly $30,000 retainer in a scathing opinion that warns lawyers against tiptoeing into bankruptcy practice and slams counsel for having an "extraordinary lack of basic Chapter 11 understanding."

Trump Names Interim Top Prosecutors In Manhattan, Brooklyn

By Elliot Weld

President Donald Trump named two high-ranking prosecutors to be interim U.S. attorneys in the Southern and Eastern districts of New York while his long-term picks for the posts await Senate confirmation, spokespeople for the offices confirmed Tuesday.

No Recusal Needed After Clerk Barred From Cases, Panel Rules

By P.J. D'Annunzio

The Pennsylvania Superior Court backed the rejection of the Cumberland County District Attorney's Office's request that the county president judge be excluded from hearing all criminal cases because of his law clerk's alleged aggressiveness toward attorneys, reasoning there was nothing in the record to show that the judge was biased.

SDNY Prosecutor Returns To Debevoise In San Francisco

By Andrea Keckley

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP announced the return of one of its litigators Tuesday after eight and a half years with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, most recently as deputy chief of the Criminal Division.

Bondi Pledges To Consult DOJ Ethics Team On Trump Matters

By Courtney Bublé

Following last week's hearing for President Donald Trump's attorney general nominee, Democrats further questioned Pam Bondi on how she would maintain independence from Trump due to her past relationships with him.

Justices Doubt Retailers Are 'Bystanders' In FDA Challenge

By Katie Buehler

Several U.S. Supreme Court justices appeared to agree Tuesday that Texas and Mississippi retailers could join a North Carolina e-cigarette manufacturer in challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's denial of its marketing application, and Justice Clarence Thomas questioned the agency's motivation to argue otherwise.