Prosecutorial Immunity Case Dropped: The U.S. Supreme Court has dropped an undecided prosecutorial immunity case following a settlement, stopping a case that could have generated a landmark decision holding prosecutors accountable for their actions as government lawyers, The National Law Journal reports. The case, Pottawattamie County v. McGhee and Harrington, was brought by two former inmates who sued Iowa prosecutors on allegations of falsified evidence.
Playing Cards: The New York Times explores how Visa, the dominant payment network for credit and debit cards, hatched a fee strategy that has critics saying Visa isn't fighting fair. Billions of dollars are at stake over whether a customer signs a receipt at the time of purchase or instead enters a PIN. The Justice Department, according to the Times, is investigating whether certain rules imposed by payment networks on merchants are anticompetitive.
Petition Rejected: A federal judge in Brooklyn has refused to overturn the conviction of a disbarred Long Island appellate lawyer who served nearly two years in prison for forging a federal magistrate judge's order, The New York Law Journal reports. Judge Nicholas Garaufis of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York ruled against Perry Reich, who claimed, among other things, that he was denied effective assistance of counsel and denied exculpatory material.
Courthouse Shooting: Federal officers fatally shot a man who opened fire in a federal courthouse lobby in Las Vegas after the man killed a security officer and wounded a deputy U.S. marshal, The New York Times reports. The alleged shooter, Johnny L. Wicks, had filed a complaint against the Social Security Administration in 2008 over a reduction in his benefit. The shooting came on the same day the Justice Department issued a report criticizing the law enforcement effort to protect federal judges and prosecutors. Click here and here for reports.
Come One, Come All: The Washington Post is reporting on a third uninvited guest to the White House state dinner in November. The guest, who reportedly attended the dinner with the official Indian delegation, was identified as Carlos Allen, a D.C. party promoter.
Second Shot: A D.C. Court of Appeals ruling has given a former Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal partner, Douglas Rosenthal, a second shot at litigating damages in a compensation battle against his old firm, The National Law Journal reports. The appeals court granted a new trial for Rosenthal, who is now a partner at Constantine Cannon in Washington.
Comments