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Minnesota court upholds aiding suicide conviction
Topics in Legal News |
2012/07/20 11:36
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The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld the convictions of a former nurse who hunted for suicidal people in online chat rooms and encouraged two to kill themselves, saying his actions were not protected speech.
William Melchert-Dinkel, 49, of Faribault, was convicted in 2011 of two counts of aiding suicide. He acknowledged that what he did was morally wrong but argued that he merely exercised his right to free speech. The appeals court disagreed.
"We are confident that the Constitution does not immunize Melchert-Dinkel's morbid, predatory behavior simply because it appears in the form of written words," the justices' 31-page decision said.
Melchert-Dinkel's attorney, Terry Watkins, said that while his client's actions are unsavory, he still believes they are protected by the First Amendment. He plans to appeal to the state Supreme Court.
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Goldman agrees to settle mortgage debt class action
Law & Court News |
2012/07/18 16:35
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Goldman Sachs Group Inc has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit with investors who claimed losses on $698 million of securities backed by risky mortgage loans issued by defunct subprime lender New Century Financial Corp.
Lawyers for the investors said in a letter filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Tuesday that a proposed settlement had been reached. Terms were not immediately disclosed, though they are expected to be included in court papers filed by July 31.
Goldman is one of many banks accused by U.S. legislators and regulators of fueling the nation's housing and financial crisis by misleading investors about the quality of mortgage debt they sold.
A federal judge in February ordered Goldman to face the class-action lawsuit that accuses it of defrauding investors in GSAMP Trust 2006-S2, a $698 million offering of certificates backed by second-lien home loans.
The loans were made by New Century, a subprime mortgage specialist that went bankrupt in 2007.
The investors, led by the Public Employees' Retirement System of Mississippi, contend the offering documents contained materially untrue statements about the underwriting and appraisal standards used by California-based New Century, the mortgage originator. Goldman securitized and issued the certificates.
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Court hears ex-officers' appeals in Katrina case
Top Court Watch |
2012/07/11 15:50
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Two former New Orleans police officers have asked a federal appealscourt to throw out their convictions on charges stemming from thefatal shooting of a man whose burned body turned up in HurricaneKatrina's aftermath.A three-judge panel from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also onWednesday heard the Justice Department's appeal of a judge's decisionto order a new trial for a third officer, Travis McCabe.McCabe was convicted of writing a false report on Henry Glover's 2005 shooting.The panel didn't indicate when it would rule.David Warren, who was convicted of shooting Glover withoutjustification, argues he shouldn't have been tried alongside otherofficers charged in the case, including Gregory McRae, who wasconvicted of burning Glover's body in a car. |
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Texas Voter ID Law to be Tested in a Federal Court
Topics in Legal News |
2012/07/09 15:43
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The fate of Texas' controversial new voter ID law - which requires voters to show photo identification at the polls - is set to be decided this week in a federal court in Washington.
The state, which claims the law will prevent voter fraud, is seeking to persuade a three-judge panel to uphold the statute. The Justice Department and a slew of intervening groups say the law disproportionately affects minority voters, violating the federal Voting Rights Act. They want it thrown out.
The case will be a test of the Voting Rights Act, passed in 1965, which was designed to protect minorities' rights to vote.
The Justice Department set up this week's court fight when it blocked implementation of the law in March. Texas quickly filed a lawsuit in federal court, bringing the two sides back to Washington for the second time in months.
The two sides spent two weeks earlier this year arguing in front of a similar three-judge panel about Texas' redrawn congressional maps. As now, the Justice Department claimed Texas was violating the federal Voting Rights Act. No final decision has been made in that case, but a federal court has approved interim maps that have allowed Texas elections to go ahead. |
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Wis. court won't rehear union case without justice
Law & Court News |
2012/07/06 16:36
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The state Supreme Court won't reconsider a lawsuit challenging Gov. Scott Walker's collective bargaining law without Justice Michael Gableman.
Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne had argued Republicans violated the state's open meetings law during debate on the measure. The Supreme Court ruled in June 2011 the law stands.
Ozanne in December asked the court to reconsider the case. He argued the Michael, Best & Friedrich law firm both defended the law and gave Justice Michael Gableman free legal help in the past, raising questions of impropriety.
The prosecutor demanded Gableman recuse himself from further proceedings. Gableman refused, saying he could be impartial.
The Supreme Court tied 3-3 Friday on Ozanne's request to rehear the case without Gableman. It would have taken four votes to proceed. |
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