Election Rules Tossed: U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle threw out provisions of a Republican-backed Florida election reform bill from 2011 that called for tighter restrictions on groups that organize voter registration drives, the Florida Times-Union reported. Hinkle had called the restrictions "harsh and impractical."
Holder Summoned to Court: U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson took the unusual step of asking Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. to come to her courtroom and explain why the Department of Justice is fighting to keep sealed records about a civil rights photographer from Memphis, The Commercial Appeal reported. Jackson is questioning why they're protecting decades-old material involving a now-deceased informant.
Commission's Prayers to Continue: U.S. District Judge Sandy Mattice has allowed a Tennessee county commission to continue weekly prayers before meetings despite a lawsuit from two men who say the practice violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports.
Free Legal Advice: U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman told a lesbian couple trying to jointly adopt three children that they should amend their lawsuit to target Michigan’s constitutional amendment that prohibits same sex couples from marrying, The Detroit Free Press reported. "I’m not looking for work," Friedman told the plaintiff's lawyers at the end of the hearing. "I don’t want to push them into something they don’t want to do."
Trade Thief Sentenced: U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo sentenced a woman to four years in prison for a "very purposeful raid" of millions of dollars of trade secrets from Motorola, The Associated Press reports. "In today's world, the most valuable thing that anyone has is technology. ... The most important thing this country can do is protect its trade secrets," Castillo said.
Comments