Michigan settles lawsuit over teen’s death for $12 million

Judge blocks California’s alligator ban after Louisiana sues

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked a California law banning the import and sale of alligator and crocodile products. U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller also scheduled an April 24 hearing on Louisiana’s request for a longer-lasting order called a preliminary injunction. “The temporary restraining order is the first step in... Read More

Animals, Criminal Justice News, News

alligator

US judge calls for retrial of 1 count in Texas attack

PHOENIX (AP) — A U.S. judge refused to toss out the entire case against a Phoenix man convicted of providing guns and training two friends who attacked a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest outside Dallas but said he should be retried on a a single count of transporting weapons across state lines. Judge Susan R. Bolton... Read More

Criminal Justice News, Guns, News

Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem

Judge: No slander in Alec Baldwin’s comments on parking spat

NEW YORK (AP) — Alec Baldwin didn’t slander a man in interviews about a parking dispute that turned physical, a judge has ruled as dueling lawsuits between the actor and the other driver continue. Baldwin’s remarks — including claims that Wojciech Cieszkowski’s driving was “really fast,” “really aggressive” and made the actor think his wife... Read More

Criminal Justice News, Entertainment, News

Alec Baldwin

Lawyers fight death penalty for synagogue shooting suspect

Lawyers for the suspect in the synagogue shooting that killed 11 people in Pittsburgh have challenged his potential death sentence as unconstitutional. Lawyers for Robert Bowers argued in court papers filed this week that capital punishment violates the Fifth Amendment’s due process clause and the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. They also... Read More

Criminal Justice News, Guns, News

Doctor charged in 25 deaths sues hospital for defamation

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio doctor accused of ordering drug overdoses in the deaths of 25 hospital patients has sued his former employer for defamation, arguing that he did nothing wrong and did not deviate from hospital policy on end-of-life care. Dr. William Husel, who is accused of murder, filed the lawsuit Thursday in... Read More

Criminal Justice News, Doctors, News

William Husel

Catholic Church, Sexual Abuse

Hundreds of accused clergy left off church’s sex abuse lists

Richard J. Poster served time for possessing child pornography, violated his probation by having contact with children, admitted masturbating in the bushes near a church school and in 2005 was put on a sex offender registry. And yet the former Catholic priest was only just this month added to a list of clergy members credibly... Read More

Criminal Justice News, News, Religion, Sexual Abuse

Woman charged with hate crime amid NYC anti-Semitic attacks

NEW YORK (AP) — A woman accused of slapping three people in one of a series of apparently anti-Semitic attacks reported throughout New York during Hanukkah was charged Saturday with attempted assault as a hate crime, court records show. Tiffany Harris, 30, was released without bail after her arraignment on the attempted assault charge and... Read More

California takes lead on laws affecting gig economy, privacy

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s long tradition of advancing nation-leading legislation continues into the new year, with laws reining in the gig economy, boosting online privacy and discouraging shootings by police, among other potential trend-setters. The laws have sent businesses including Uber, Lyft and Google scrambling, not to mention President Donald Trump. The state dominated... Read More

Family: Hanukkah stabbing suspect had mental illness history

MONSEY, N.Y. (AP) — A man accused of storming into a rabbi’s home and stabbing five people as they celebrated Hanukkah in an Orthodox Jewish community north of New York City was raised to embrace tolerance but has a history of mental illness, his family said. “Grafton Thomas has a long history of mental illness... Read More

Grafton Thomas

Bankruptcy judge thrust into spotlight in Purdue Pharma case

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — The judge overseeing the bankruptcy of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma warns that real-life court cases don’t unfold like “Perry Mason.” But he’s afraid this one might come to resemble “Dr. Strangelove.” U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain of White Plains, New York, has a reputation for thorough preparation, deep experience handling... Read More

Criminal Justice News, Drugs, News

Opioids, Purdue Pharma

Rapper DaBaby handcuffed, given pot citation after concert

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Grammy-nominated rapper DaBaby was handcuffed and cited on a misdemeanor marijuana charge in North Carolina hours after he performed a concert and gave away toys to children. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police issued citations to the rapper, whose real name is Jonathan Kirk, on counts of misdemeanor possession of marijuana and resisting an officer... Read More

Criminal Justice News, Drugs, Entertainment, News

DaBaby

Sports company sues in letter ‘O’ dispute with Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Oh no: A New York-based sports network has turned to the federal courts in its trademark dispute with Ohio State University over use of the letter “O.” Overtime Sports Inc., an online network focusing on high school basketball and football, has a capital O with sloping corners as its logo. Its... Read More

Criminal Justice News, News, Sports

Ebert retires after 52 years of high-profile prosecutions

MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — Prosecutor Paul Ebert is a man of few words, but in 52 years before juries and judges he learned to use those words to great effect. He has a particularly pithy way of summing up the two cases that came to define his career: the sniper and the snipper. The snipper... Read More