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Lawmakers push back against Washington high court
Top Court Watch |
2014/01/27 14:24
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Washington state's highest court has exercised an unusual amount of power on education funding, and it's prompted some lawmakers to raise constitutional concerns.
Before last year's legislative session, the court ruled that the state wasn't meeting its obligation to amply pay for basic education. In response, the Legislature added about $1 billion in school-related spending, and lawmakers widely agree they'll add more funding in coming years.
Earlier this month, the court went a step further, analyzing specific funding targets while telling lawmakers to come back with a new plan by the end of April.
Those specific demands have irked budget writers in the Legislature.
"They are way out of their lane," said Republican Sen. Michael Baumgartner.
Baumgartner expects lawmakers will continue adding "substantially new resources" to the state education system, but he said the court's position could erode the proper balance of power in Olympia. Baumgartner hopes lawmakers will ignore the court's latest demands, or he fears justices may exercise more power going forward. |
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2 killed in attack at German court
Topics in Legal News |
2014/01/24 14:26
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Two men were killed Friday in a shooting and stabbing at a court complex in Frankfurt in what may have been a revenge attack, authorities said.
Frankfurt prosecutors said the case appeared to be linked to the fatal stabbing of a car dealer near Frankfurt in 2007, which the court was considering this week, news agency dpa reported.
Deputy police chief Gerhard Bereswill said the suspected assailant is believed to be the brother of the 2007 victim and was injured himself in the earlier attack, while the two men who died Friday — who also were car dealers — were suspects.
The suspect is believed to have fired shots in a courtyard at the courthouse in the German financial capital at about 8:45 a.m., fatally wounding one of the victims. The other apparently fled inside the building, but the assailant followed and stabbed him, police spokesman Ruediger Reges told N24 television.
The two victims were aged 45 and 50. One died at the scene and the other shortly afterward at a hospital, police said.
The suspected attacker fled on foot but was arrested near the courthouse, he said. A police statement said he was a 47-year-old Afghan national and resident of Eschborn, a town near Frankfurt. |
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Supreme Court Upholds Hawaii Reapportionment
Law Firm Press Release |
2014/01/24 14:26
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The Supreme Court has upheld Hawaii's reapportionment plan that leaves out some military personnel and students when calculating population and determining state legislative districts.
The justices affirmed a lower court ruling without comment Tuesday.
Voters challenging the reapportionment plan said it wrongfully excluded more than 108,000 military members, their families and university students. But a three-judge court in Hawaii found that the plan did not violate the Constitution's right to equal protection.
The case is Kostick v. Nago, 13-456. |
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Italian court hears final rebuttals in Knox trial
Law Firm Press Release |
2014/01/20 14:28
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A prosecutor urged a court on Monday to take steps to make sure that American Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend would serve their sentences, if they are convicted of murdering British student Meredith Kercher.
Prosecutor Alessandro Crini preceded his request by noting that Knox has remained in the United States for this trial, while co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito has traveled abroad during it.
The defense and prosecution were both making their final rebuttals on Monday before the court begins deliberations on Jan. 30. A verdict is expected later that day.
Crini has requested guilty verdicts and jail sentences of 26 years for both defendants, and that the court increase to four years Knox's three-year sentence for a slander conviction, which has been upheld.
In the case of Sollecito, who told reporters Monday that he intends to remain in Italy for the verdict, the precautionary measures could include immediate arrest, house arrest or the confiscation of his passport.
The court's reach in Knox's case is limited by her presence in the United States, where she returned a free woman after the 2009 guilty verdicts against her and Sollecito were thrown out by a Perugia appeals court in 2011. Italy's highest court ordered a second appellate trial after blasting the acquittal. |
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Court hearings for 2 arrested in student stabbing
Topics in Legal News |
2014/01/20 14:27
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A 23-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy arrested in the stabbing of a Seattle University student have been ordered held after initial court appearances.
The Seattle Times reports that bail for the man was set Thursday at $1 million while the teen was ordered held in juvenile custody. Prosecutors say they expect to file charges Friday.
A 16-year-old girl arrested in the attack early Wednesday was released pending further investigation.
The suspects were arrested for investigation of robbery and assault. Police allege they followed a 23-year-old student, pushed him to the ground and stabbed him in the chest. He called for help from an emergency kiosk on campus. The student was hospitalized in serious condition. |
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