U.S. Courts

USC Expert David Cruz Predicts Prop. 8 Supreme Court Decision is Unlikely to Make History

Updated at the bottom: David Cruz provides new details of his views. First posted Tuesday afternoon. David Cruz, an expert on civil rights and constitutional law, made his way from USC to D.C. to observe the oral arguments on California's Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage this morning. In a packed ... More >>

Married Gay Men Live Longer, U.S. Supreme Court Should Read Danish Study

So apparently gay married guys live longer than unmarried or divorced men. That's what Danish researchers recently found after going through decades of statistics, and something conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, and Clarence Thomas should consider when ruling i ... More >>

Marijuana Remains 'Schedule 1' Outlaw Under Federal Court Ruling Today

Despite growing evidence that marijuana is more than just a buzz-drug, a federal appeals court rejected an attempt to reclassify pot as a medically recognized substance. The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today voted 2-1 to agree with lower courts that "adequate and well-contro ... More >>

Proposition 8: U.S. Supreme Court Will Rule on California's Gay Marriage Ban

Update: Reactions quotes after the jump. The U.S. Supreme Court has announced today it will rule on the federal lawsuit that seeks to overturn California's gay marriage ban. In August 2010, Proposition 8 was found unconstitutional by U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker. That ruling was appealed and ... More >>

Same-Sex Marriage Could Return To California Under Supreme Court Decision Today

Today is the day that U.S. Supreme Court could take up the legality of same-sex marriage in California. Seems to us that folks who back equality in marriage would rather see the high court turn its back on California's Proposition 8, the initiative that outlawed same-sex marriage in the Golden Stat ... More >>

Prop. 8 Victory: California Ninth Circuit Sticks With Decision to Support Gay Marriage

The court battle to overturn California's infamous Proposition 8, a voter-approved initiative that effectively banned gay marriage in 2008, has been long and grueling. Every decision that comes down from a judge (or panel of judges) plants a little hope in the hearts of same-sex couples up and down ... More >>

Update: Defense of Marriage Act: Federal Appeals Court Says Anti-Gay Marriage Law is Unconstitutional

Update, 11:25 a.m.: California gay rights activists respond to DOMA ruling, after the jump. The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act has been found unconstitutional by a federal appeals court in Boston, Massachusetts. The U.S. Supreme Court may weigh in on the ruling. "Under current Supreme Court authorit ... More >>

SeaWorld Whales Are Slaves Protected by U.S. Constitution? Federal Judge in SoCal Actually Considers It

SeaWorld Facebook​Updated at the bottom: Case dismissed. First posted at 11:51 a.m. on Monday. You might have blown off PETA's claim that whales under the care of SeaWorld San Diego were deserving of constitutional protection barring slavery (we sure did), but a federal judge in the case toda ... More >>

Same Sex Marriage Ban Can be Defended by Religious Nuts, State Supreme Court Rules

Cobra​Updated at the bottom with California Attorney General Kamala Harris rooting for LGBT rights. First posted at 11:02 a.m. The battle over the legality of Prop. 8, the state voter initiative that outlawed same-sex marriage, continued on its epic way today as the California Supreme Court r ... More >>

Stephen Yagman VS. Chemerinsky

A disbarred cop-brutality lawyer blames his friend, a top California legal eagle

Decision Overturning Same-Sex Marriage Ban, Prop. 8, Stands, Federal Judge Says

​Updated at the bottom with reaction from Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and the American Foundation for Equal Rights. One small step for mankind today as Chief U.S. District Judge James Ware said it was okay that a gay jurist struck down Prop. 8 -- the California law banning same-sex marriage. The g ... More >>

California Supreme Court Delays Prop. 8 Hearing Until Fall; 2011 Complete Wash for Gay Marriage

Hope y'all like stale wedding cake​One small step toward repealing Prop. 8 was taken today -- but it's safe to say the California State Supreme Court announcement was no great step for mankind. Basically, the court just set a date for hearing whether or not a website, Protectmarriage.com, can ... More >>

Tucson Massacre: Jared Loughner Case Could End Up Being Heard In Southern California?

Loughner, accused of murder, times six.​A Southern California federal court judge was tapped to takeover the murder case of Jared Loughner, the 22-year-old accused of killing six people and injuring 14 outside a Tucson Safeway over the weekend. Because the Tucson region's U.S. District Court ... More >>

Fantasy Voter Fraud

Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was dissed by Russell Pearce over Prop 200's dismissal

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Approves C-SPAN Request to Televise Proposition 8 Hearing

Ted SoquiGay marriage supporters at a West Hollywood rally in August.​On Wednesday, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals approved a request by C-SPAN to televise a Proposition 8 hearing on December 6. Two cameras will be allowed in the courtroom, which will also serve as a pool feed for ot ... More >>

Venice Boardwalk Will Maintain Its Bohemian, Free-Spirited Vibe Thanks To U.S. Judge's Ruling: Activist Likely To Sue City Of L.A. Over Allged Free-Speech Violation

Zuma DoggZuma Dogg beats an LAPD ticket in a big way.​You are free to do what you want to do on the Venice boardwalk, a federal judge ruled this week. Local activist Zuma Dogg, who brought the case against the city's lottery system of distributing permits to performers and vendors, was victori ... More >>

Albert Greenwood Brown Execution And Six Others On California Death Row Put Off By Judge -- Now, Months Of Wrangling Over Killer Poison

​Updated with Attorney General's office calling off the execution. First posted at 11:46 a.m. That California death row execution of Albert Greenwood Brown, Jr., scheduled for Wednesday, then Thursday, looks like its it might not happen any time soon. Update: California Attorney General Jerr ... More >>

Jerry Brown Wants Wronfully Convicted Man Back In Jail

Attorney General Jerry Brown​ Attorney General Jerry Brown filed papers Wednesday seeking to return a man to prison who spent 26 years in jail for being wrongfully convicted of killing his mother, according to court documents. The motion, filed in U.S. District courts, requested that Bruce Li ... More >>

Same-Sex Marriage: Ruling In Prop. 8 Challenge Due Wednesday

​A federal court ruling on a much-anticipated challenge to California's ban on same-sex marriage, known as Prop. 8, was scheduled for Wednesday. According to the San Jose Mercury News: Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker will release the ruling without holding a hearing, typical in decidi ... More >>

'State Law Does Not ... Require Cities To Allow Dispensaries'

​Bad news for supporters of Los Angeles pot shops, most of which have recently been outlawed by a city law: A judge in Orange County Wednesday upheld the city of Lake Forest's right to prohibit marijuana dispensaries. The attorney representing Lake Forest, Jeffrey Dunn, praised the ruling: "S ... More >>

L.A. Filmmaker John Ireland to Produce Prop. 8 Trial Re-Enact for YouTube

The U.S. Supreme Court probably never saw this coming.John Ireland ProductionsLos Angeles filmmaker John Ireland​Freelance journalist and filmmaker John Ireland, who's based in Los Angeles and regularly examines gay rights issues, will produce a daily re-enactment of the Proposition 8 federal tria ... More >>

Judge Throws Out City's Digital Billboard Settlement

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled today that the city's billboard settlement agreement that allowed 840 digital billboards citywide is invalid. Superior Court Judge Terry Green ruled that the settlement agreement between the city and billboard giants Clear Channel and CBS Outdoor was inval ... More >>

Judge Orders Financial Guardian for OctoMom's Kids

Yesterday an Orange County judge appointed a Santa Ana lawyer to act as the financial guardian for all 14 children belonging to "OctoMom" Nadya Suleman, in anticipation of a reality TV show's filming the La Habra single mother and her brood. Suleman and her attorneys had fought the petition for gua ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

What Summer School? Due to its budget crunch, the L.A. Unified School District is canceling all of its K-8 summer school classes and most of its non-academic programs, while offering only credit-recovery courses for high schoolers. L.A. TimesThe More Things Change Dept. L.A. City Attorney-elect Carm ... More >>

NRDC Sues U.S. Over Clean Trucks Program

The Santa Monica-based Natural Resources Defense Council has sued the Federal Maritime Trucks Entering L.A. HarborCommission to learn why the government agency tried to block implementation of parts of the Clean Trucks Program that the L.A. and Long Beach ports are trying to enforce. The NRDC had fi ... More >>

Toymaker Claims Smackdown Win Over WWE

Jakks PacificThe L.A. Business Journal quotes Malibu-based toymaker Jakks Pacific Inc.'s claim that a U.S. appellate court has thrown out a lawsuit brought by World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. The wrestling-promotion outfit had accused Jakks "of bribery and other actions," according to LABJ. The ... More >>

Scroll Lock: Judge Rules on Disputed Torahs

The L.A. Times reports that the lengthening legal mystery of who owns Rabbi Pauker's Torahs took another inconclusive turn this week as a Superior Court judge overruled a rabbinical panel. For seven years Rita Pauker has claimed the four scrolls were loaned to Rabbi Samuel Ohana, then an assistant t ... More >>

Ninth Circuit Court Retreats to Idaho

Legal insiders point everywhere but at themselves during a sun-filled non-examination

“Supergraphics” Company Continues Attack Against Los Angeles’ Billboard Ban

Last week, attorneys for World Wide Rush filed a motion in federal court asking a judge to permanently block the city from prosecuting building owners who allow “supergraphics” signs on their buildings. The motion was filed after the city began enforcing its sign ordinance against the owners o ... More >>

San Francisco Outdoor Advertising Company Lawsuit Mirrors Billboard Attacks Against Los Angeles

Two Los Angeles court rulings in favor of outdoor advertising companies are playing strong roles in a recent court filing in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Metro Fuel, which is owned by New York based Fuel Outdoor Holdings, which specializes in mini billb ... More >>

Laurence Tribe Tangles with CBS and L.A. City Hall

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit’s Courtroom 3 - a miniature auditorium with comfortable, smoked salmon-colored seats - was mostly filled with law students who seemed to be interested in just one thing: listening to Harvard Law School Professor Laurence Tribe argue constitu ... More >>

Laurence Tribe v. City of Los Angeles

It looks like the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office may have its hands full on June 4 when it goes up against leading First Amendment attorney Laurence Tribe in the case Metro Lights v. City of Los Angeles. Tribe, who is nationally recognized as one of the foremost liberal constitutional law sch ... More >>

Key Moments in the Struggle for Gay Marriage in the U.S.

Holy unions to Supreme Court battles

Trial by Bush

Constitution-shredding in the Jose Padilla case

Supreme Panic

Bush ponders the first of what will be many high-court nominees

Contamination Chamber

Minister of Marijuana

Scott Imler�s war with Ashcroft over the cannabis center

Taking the Pulse

High court healing is on the ballot next Tuesday

Bush Rebuke, Part Two

Detainees case moves from L.A. courts to Washington, D.C.

Aborting Abortion Rights � Then and Now

New details from Blackmun�s papers show how 1992 begets 2004

Light of Justice

Federal judge agrees to take another look at secret deal in Inglewood brutality case

Votes of No-Confidence

Cost of election ending up in court

Disorder in the Court

Gang of Five

The continuing adventures of the Bush-v.-Gore majority

Struggle of Men

Appellate court to consider fate of terror war prisoners

Who Should Die?

Dealing With Druggies

New platitudes from the people who stopped the vote counting in Florida

Whatever It Takes

The Supreme Court makes a mockery of the law to make a president of George W. Bush

Out of Order

Orange County judge wants to know HIV status of players in his courtroom

Death Row Reprieve

Ruling stalls execution for Kelly, dozens more