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01 May 2009 11:16

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U.S.: The Supreme Court’s losing David Souter to retirement

  • Outta here in June Souter, who’s served on the court since 1990, will be leaving to retire at the end of the term in June. Compared to other justices (looking at you, John Paul Stevens), he’s not particularly old, but he is 69, and would be eligible for social security if he wanted it.
  • The balance won’t change In terms of political balance, Souter’s departure likely won’t change things much. A George H.W. Bush appointee, he actually became one of the court’s most noted liberals. Unless Obama leans right, the makeup of votes won’t change. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Apr 2009 22:20

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Culture, U.S.: Sad news, everyone! Blago can’t travel to be on a reality show. :(

  • He’s on trial for a bunch of bad, bad things. Rod Blagojevich, the impeached Illinois governor who’s slowly evolved into a walking punchline, attempted to cash in on his notoriety by preliminarily joining the cast of “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!” Unfortunately for Blago, the judge thinks it’s too soon for him to leave the country and go to Costa Rica to embarrass himself. “I don’t think this defendant in all honesty…fully understands the position he finds himself in,” commented U.S. District Judge James Zagel. You weren’t supposed to let him do it for him, James. You were supposed to let him do it for us! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Apr 2009 21:12

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Offbeat, Tech: Being on disability ≠ being on Facebook all day

  • A guy in British Columbia is getting his PC checked for FB usage. The guy, Brendon Bishop, is asking for permanent disability payments, claiming that a 2005 car crash made him too fatigued to work. But a ton of wall posts and pokes and Scrabulous games apparently claim otherwise, as the judge in his trial agreed to a defense motion asking for a scan of his social-networking usage. Someone’s totally getting defriended. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Mar 2009 13:53

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U.S.: Texas Judge Sharon Keller: Heartless about an execution?

  • They did not tell us they had computer failure. And given the late request, and with no reason given, I just said, ‘We close at 5.’ I didn’t really think of it as a decision so much as a statement.
  • Judge Sharon Keller • A Texas judge who is facing heavy criticism, along with a number of charges, including incompetence, after not allowing a defendant facing execution extra time to submit their last-minute appeal in 2007. Opinions on Keller, and her handling of the situation, are mixed. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Mar 2009 21:11

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U.S.: Courtroom chaos: A judge attacked, a defendant shot dead

  • Whoa! That’s crazy! What happened? During a murder trial in Stockton, Calif., the defendant, accused of murdering his girlfriend, apparently became agitated and attacked the judge during a recess, called after the defendant’s mother stormed out of the courtroom. David Paradiso started punching the judge, and deputies shot at him, killing him. Whew. Talk about scary. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2009 21:38

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Culture: Roman Polanski’s statuatory rape case: Still in the courts

  • 15 years since the original judge, who was trying to send Polanski to prison for having sex with a 13-year-old girl, died
  • 32 years since Polanski fled the country; a new judge said that for the director to get a ruling, he has to come to the U.S. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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