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Court strikes down Arizona 20-week abortion ban
Legal Network |
2013/05/23 18:54
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A federal court in San Francisco Tuesday struck down Arizona's ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the law violates a string of U.S. Supreme Court rulings starting with Roe v. Wade that guarantees a woman's right to an abortion before a fetus is able to survive outside the womb. That's generally considered to be about 24 weeks. Normal pregnancies run about 40 weeks
Several states have enacted similar bans starting at 20 weeks. But the 9th Circuit's ruling is binding only in the nine Western states under the court's jurisdiction. Idaho is the only other state in the region covered by the 9th Circuit with a similar ban.
A trial judge had ruled that the ban could take effect. U.S. District Judge James Teilborg ruled it was constitutional, partly because of concerns about the health of women and possible pain for fetuses.
But abortion-rights groups appealed that decision, saying the 20-week ban would not give some women time to carefully decide whether to abort problem pregnancies. |
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Appeals court allows capital retrial of Wolfe
Court Issues |
2013/05/22 18:54
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A federal appeals court will allow a capital murder case to proceed against an accused drug kingpin from northern Virginia.
In a 2-1 ruling, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond overturned a federal judge in Norfolk who had ordered a halt to the prosecution of Justin Wolfe and his immediate release.
That judge said misconduct by prosecutors in Prince William County made it impossible for Wolfe to get a fair trial.
But a majority on the appellate court disagreed. The judges ruled that a new trial can be done fairly. A dissenting judge said the misconduct was so bad that freeing Wolfe was the only proper outcome.
Wolfe was sent to death row in 2002 for a drug-related murder, but his original conviction and sentence were overturned. |
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Los Angeles jeweler pleads guilty in KPMG case
Press Release |
2013/05/21 18:55
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The owner of a Los Angeles jewelry store pleaded guilty Monday for his role in an insider-trading case involving a former senior partner at accounting firm KPMG.
Bryan Shaw, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and was scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 16 when he faces a maximum of five years in prison.
"In this guilty plea, Mr. Shaw continued his path to fully accepting responsibility for his actions and doing the right thing," said Shaw's attorney Nathan Hochman.
Authorities said Shaw made more than $1 million in illicit profits by trading in advance of company announcements on earnings results or mergers for KPMG LLC clients, including Herbalife Lt., Skechers USA Inc. and Uggs maker Deckers Outdoor Corp.
In exchange, Shaw gave former KPMG accountant Scott London bags filled with cash, along with a $12,000 Rolex watch and jewelry for his wife, among other items, prosecutors said. The Securities and Exchange Commission, which filed civil charges in the case, estimates London received at least $50,000.
London, 50, who was fired from KPMG, also is charged with conspiracy and is scheduled to be arraigned next week. |
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Calif. to ask US high court to reject inmate order
Court Watch |
2013/05/15 07:25
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Gov. Jerry Brown's administration filed notice Monday that it will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to again weigh in on the long-running prison population case.
It wants the high court to reject a lower court order requiring California to reduce its prison population by an additional 9,000 inmates by year's end. The Democratic governor had promised to appeal.
The state filed its three-page notice of appeal about a month after federal judges threatened to cite Brown with contempt if he fails to comply with a previous order upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2011.
California is required to reduce its prison population to about 110,000 inmates as the best way to improve inmate medical and mental health care but remains about 9,300 inmates over the limit. Brown has said further inmate reductions are expensive, unnecessary and dangerous to the public.
"The Court did not fully or fairly consider the evidence showing that the State's prison health care now exceeds constitutional standards," the state said in its filing. |
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