Recent Updates
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Texas man with low IQ asks court to spare his life
Court Alerts 12/03/2009A condemned Texas inmate is hoping the U.S. Supreme Court keeps him from the death chamber for the fatal slashing of an 11-year-old girl.Bobby Wayne Woods is set for lethal injection Thursday evening in Huntsville for the April 1997 abduction, rape a...
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W.Va. court asked to reconsider Massey ruling
Court Alerts 12/03/2009West Virginia's Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled against him, but the head of a bankrupt coal company is asking it to reconsider its recent decision in favor of Massey Energy Co.For the third time, the court last month overturned the $50 million ve...
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Arizona high court turns away budget challenge
Court Alerts 12/02/2009The Arizona Supreme Court has turned away a challenge to sweeps of nearly $14 million from a special water projects fund to help balance the state budget.The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to accept a special-action lawsuit filed directly with the...
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Mo. court overturns death penalty for 2002 slaying
Court Alerts 12/02/2009The Missouri Supreme Court overturned a man's death sentence Tuesday because his attorney failed to question the character of a murder victim who had child pornography on his computer.The high court acknowledged in its unanimous ruling that character...
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Court won't revive student's suit over grad speech
Court Alerts 12/01/2009The Supreme Court won't revive a student's lawsuit against a school that punished her for talking about her religion during her high school graduation speech.The high court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from Erica Corder. She was punished for h...
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Walker gets pay plan for casino debt
Court Alerts 11/30/2009Former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker is promising to pay more than $900,000 to settle bad check charges with three Las Vegas casinos and avoid felony criminal charges.Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson approved a deal Monday letti...
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Court to consider beach dispute issue
Court Alerts 11/30/2009A dispute over a beach renourishment project along a 6.9-mile stretch in the Florida Panhandle has become the latest property rights case taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court.The question comes down to who has rights when a state adds tons of sand to a...
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Competency hearing begins in Elizabeth Smart case
Court Alerts 11/30/2009A federal court proceeding is under way in Salt Lake City to determine if the man charged in the 2002 abduction of Elizabeth Smart is mentally competent to stand trial.The hearing for Brian David Mitchell started Monday in U.S. District Court and is ...
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NY can seize property for new NJ Nets arena
Court Alerts 11/25/2009New York's top court ruled Tuesday that the state can use eminent domain to force homeowners and businesses to sell their properties for a massive development in Brooklyn that includes a new arena for the New Jersey Nets.In a 6-1 ruling Tuesday, the ...
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Arizona union challenges law changes on teachers
Court Alerts 11/24/2009The state's largest teachers union is asking the Arizona Supreme Court to rule that recently enacted legislation affecting public school employees is unconstitutional.A special-action lawsuit filed Monday by the Arizona Education Association challeng...
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Ga. high court rules mower isn't a motor vehicle
Court Alerts 11/24/2009A riding lawn mower may have four wheels, a powerful engine and can cost as much as a used car. If it's stolen, however, the Georgia Supreme Court concluded Monday that it's not a motor vehicle.The 4-3 decision overturned the conviction of Franklin L...
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Oregon court says teacher can't take gun to class
Court Alerts 11/23/2009The Oregon Court of Appeals has rejected a request by a high school English teacher to carry a handgun at school, the latest legal setback for the teacher who says she needs the gun for protection from her former husband.Shirley Katz had argued the M...