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Ex-judge Camp sentenced to 30 days in prison
Court Watch |
2011/03/11 11:55
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| pJack Camp, the former federal judge ensnared in a scandal involving drugs and a stripper, was sentenced Friday to 30 days in prison and 400 hours of community service./ppSenior U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan said he could not give a sentence of only probation because Camp had breached his oath of office./ppHe has disgraced his office, Hogan said. He has denigrated the federal judiciary. He has encouraged disrespect for the rule of law./ppBefore being sentenced, Camp apologized for what he had done and thanked his family and friends, many of whom filled the courtroom./ppI have embarrassed and humiliated my family as well as myself, Camp said. I have embarrassed the court I have served on and I am deeply sorry for that. When I look back at the circumstances which brought me here and look at what I did, it makes me sick./ppCamp said that at the end of the day, the only thing I can say is that I'm so very sorry./ppAs a judge, Camp often meted out harsh sentences and rarely gave breaks to defendants who presented mitigating circumstances to explain their conduct. On Friday, Hogan was asked by Camp's lawyers to grant leniency because of the ex-judge's decades-long battle with a bipolar disorder and brain damage caused by a 2000 biking accident./p |
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Mississippi high court upholds price-gouging law
Headline News |
2011/03/11 11:55
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pThe Mississippi Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the state's price-gouging law./ppThe justices Thursday unanimously overturned a Winston County judge's ruling that the law was unconstitutionally vague./ppChancellor J. Max Kilpatrick's ruling came in 2008 as he rejected Attorney General Jim Hood's lawsuit accusing a Mississippi oil company of charging too much for fuel after Hurricane Katrina. Kilpatrick has since retired from the bench./ppThe Supreme Court sent the case back to Winston County to determine if Fair Oil Co. in Louisville violated the law./ppFair Oil was one of two companies Hood sued in 2007. The lawsuit, which represents only one side of a legal argument, accused the company of gouging consumers after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.
/p |
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Court blames LA County for ocean pollution
Court Watch |
2011/03/11 11:55
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| pA California appeals court has sided with environmentalists in a decision that blames Los Angeles County and its flood control district for sending polluted runoff into the Pacific Ocean./ppThe 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the county is responsible for the heavily polluted storm water flowing untreated each year down the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers./ppThe Natural Resources Defense Council and Santa Monica Baykeeper environmental groups say the ruling is a turning point in the battle for clean water. Council attorney Aaron Colangelo says the county must now eliminate the flow of pollutants./ppThe Los Angeles Times says the Flood Control District argued its channels were simply conduits for upstream polluters, but the court says the district controls the flow to the ocean./p |
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Disgraced Pa. judge wants convictions tossed
Law Firm News |
2011/03/04 08:47
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| pA former Pennsylvania juvenile court judge convicted in a $1 million kickback scheme involving privately-owned juvenile detention centers wants his conviction on racketeering charges overturned./ppFormer Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella (shiv-uh-REL'-uh) filed motions Friday asking a federal judge to toss his convictions on charges including racketeering and money laundering conspiracy./ppCiavarella was convicted last month of taking payments from the owner of two detention centers in a scheme involving another judge. The scandal prompted the state Supreme Court to toss thousands of juvenile convictions issued by Ciavarella, saying they were tainted./p |
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Fla. high court: Governor can reject rail funding
Headline News |
2011/03/04 08:46
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pU.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced Friday that $2.4 billion in high-speed rail funding intended for Florida will be sent to other states after the state Supreme Court upheld Gov. Rick Scott's decision to reject the money./ppThe Republican governor's decision effectively kills the Tampa-Orlando route./ppUntil Scott's election in November, it had been on track to become a leading example of how the Obama administration's stimulus plan is creating jobs and reviving the nation's passenger rail system./ppSeveral states, including New York and Rhode Island, have asked LaHood for Florida's rail funds, but the only project that would achieve the high speeds associated with bullet trains in Asia and Europe would be California's./ppI know that states across America are enthusiastic about receiving additional support to help bring America's high-speed rail network to life and deliver all its economic benefits to their citizens, LaHood said in a statement.
/p |
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Delaware court upholds Barnes Noble ruling
Law Center |
2011/03/03 08:46
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| pThe Delaware Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by billionaire Ron Burkle in a lawsuit challenging a poison pill plan adopted by Barnes amp; Noble Inc. after he doubled his stake in the company./ppAfter hearing arguments Wednesday, the court on Thursday affirmed a judge's ruling last year upholding the poison pill plan, which limited a shareholder's stake in the company to 20 percent./ppBurkle argued that New York-based Barnes amp; Noble had created an unfair playing field favoring the family of chairman and founder Leonard Riggio, which owns more than 30 percent of its common stock./ppBurkle waged an unsuccessful proxy fight after the ruling but said he would continue to press for changes at the nation's largest brick-and-mortar book seller./p |
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