Winning officer can appeal civil rights case

Big stakes in Supreme Court health care challenge

By Kimberly Atkins
Published: March 15, 2012
Tags: U.S. Supreme Court

WASHINGTON – If the complex legal issues arising from the constitutional challenge to the federal health care law weren’t enough, lawyers are bracing for the practical impact the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the case will have on their clients. During the week of March 26 the justices are scheduled to hear an extraordinary five-and-a-half [...]

‘Supreme Court 101’ in session at high court

By The Associated Press
Published: March 1, 2012
Tags: Law Schools, U.S. Supreme Court

WASHINGTON (AP) George Mason University law student Matthew Long still has three months of schoolwork before graduation, but this week he and two classmates had a case before the Supreme Court. The group of students is part of a new class dedicated to Supreme Court work at the Fairfax school. Nationwide, more than a half [...]

U.S. Supreme Court signals continuing preference for arbitration

By Correy E. Stephenson
Published: February 6, 2012
Tags: ADR, Consumer Protection, U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court solidified its pro-arbitration stance in its decision last month interpreting the Credit Repair Organizations Act. In CompuCredit v. Greenwood, the justices said the CROA was silent on whether claims can proceed in arbitration, despite a prohibition on waivers of a consumer’s rights and a disclosure provision that informed consumers of a [...]

New case could impact sex-abuse, job-bias cases

By Kimberly Atkins
Published: January 23, 2012
Tags: Constitutional, Employment, U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that the First Amendment’s ministerial exception bars job-bias suits against religion-based employers likely will have an impact far beyond discrimination claims. The affirmative defense could be invoked in other cases, including those alleging sexual abuse by members of the clergy. “Yes, I think that churches and religious organizations who are [...]

Credit Repair Act claims are subject to arbitration

By Correy E. Stephenson
Published: January 17, 2012
Tags: ADR, Consumer Protection, Federal Courts, U.S. Supreme Court

Because the Credit Repair Organizations Act is silent on whether claims can proceed in arbitration, the Federal Arbitration Act mandates the parties’ arbitration agreement be enforced, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Jan. 10. A group of consumers brought suit in federal court against CompuCredit, a company that marketed a credit card that purported to [...]

Scalia to Richmond Bar: Persuade judges with good writing, accuracy

By Sarah Rodriguez
Published: October 17, 2011
Tags: Bar Associations, Practice Tips, U.S. Supreme Court

As long as there have been judges, there have been people telling you how to persuade judges, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia told a crowd of 500 lawyers and judges at the annual Richmond Bench Bar conference Oct. 13. But Scalia, known for his wit on the bench, received many a laugh as he [...]

Breyer pays tribute to Merhige at UR law school

By The Associated Press
Published: October 7, 2011
Tags: Law Schools, U.S. Supreme Court

Unlike politicians, judges cannot let popularity influence their decisions, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer said Thursday. “Congress is the expert on popularity,” Breyer told an invitation-only gathering of lawyers, judges and academics at the University of Richmond School of Law. Breyer spoke at a ceremony dedicating the law school’s moot courtroom in memory [...]

Railroad, maritime lawyers see victory in ruling

By Sylvia Hsieh
Published: July 11, 2011
Tags: Maritime, Personal Injury, U.S. Supreme Court

Although the case was closer than expected, attorneys who represent railroad workers are applauding the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last week that applied a relaxed causation standard to injury claims under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act. In a 5-4 ruling in which Justice Clarence Thomas was the unusual swing vote, the court held in CSX [...]

Parent facing jail time for support may get lawyer

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: July 4, 2011
Tags: Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, Domestic Relations, U.S. Supreme Court

A parent facing jail time for back child support has minimal due process rights, the U.S. Supreme Court said late last month. An initial review of current practice in Virginia indicates courts in the commonwealth provide even greater protection than the new case requires, lawyers said. The U.S. Supreme Court said in Turner v. Rogers [...]