Sep 22, 2024
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Unstructured Clinical Judgments Barred from Civil Commitment Proceeding

A mentally disordered woman, sentenced to 17 years in state prison, then transferred to a state mental hospital, will not be recommitted because those who examined her failed to present sufficient evidence that showed she “currently represents a substantial danger of physical harm to others” beyond a reasonable doubt. In... Read More »

Photo Source: The New York Times via Kim Chandler/Associated Press
Federal Court Rejects Alabama’s Supreme Court-Ordered Redistricting Plan

Back in 1812, Elbridge Gerry, then the Governor of Massachusetts, created an odd-shaped Congressional district in his state, manipulating the boundaries to create an advantage for his political party. His legacy, called “gerrymandering,” lives on, and Alabama’s latest attempt to use it to avoid giving Black Alabamans what a federal... Read More »

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Sexually Violent Predators Must Get Timely Trials

A series of new laws, petitions and amendments has kept a convicted sexually violent predator (SVP) in a California state hospital, without a trial, since 1993. The Supreme Court of California has now considered his constitutional rights and ruled that “persons facing SVP commitment have a due process right to... Read More »

Image Source: Shannon Broderick/Laramie Boomerang via AP, File
Wyoming Lawsuit Against Transgender Sorority Sister Dismissed

A Federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit that challenged a transgender woman's induction into the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority at the University of Wyoming. The lawsuit made national headlines and was dubbed an intentional effort to further curb transgender rights and protections. Last week’s ruling to dismiss the lawsuit... Read More »

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YouTube Mom Ruby Franke Arrested on Child Abuse Charges

Widely popular YouTube “momfluencer” Ruby Franke has been arrested on charges of aggravated child abuse. Franke's business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, has also been arrested on similar charges. Officers were dispatched to Franke's household after one of Franke's children climbed out of a window and ran to a neighbor's home just... Read More »

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Unethical for Judges to Attend Law Firms’ Social Events

While the nation continues to bemoan questionable behavior by United States Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor, the California Supreme Court is actually doing something to prevent its judges from unethical actions. The California Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Ethics issued a Formal Opinion on August... Read More »