A judge on Monday ordered the release of a man who spent 13 years behind bars for trying to steal food from a church, his third offense under California's three-strikes law.

Tears streamed down Gregory Taylor's face when Judge Peter Espinoza amended his sentence to eight years already served. The judge asked a bailiff to get him a tissue.

He was taken back into custody and will be released when his paperwork is completed in at least two days.

Family members and supporters applauded and the 47-year-old Taylor quietly thanked the court and his lawyers for "giving me another chance ... and my family for sticking by me."

The Stanford Law Project filed a writ of habeas corpus seeking freedom for Taylor, who was sentenced in 1997 to 25 years to life under California's three-strikes law. The district attorney did not oppose the group's move.

A lawyer for former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay says the Justice Department has ended a probe of the Texas Republican and will not file any criminal charges.

The six-year criminal investigation focused on DeLay's ties to disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was released from a minimum-security prison camp in June.

One of DeLay's lawyers, Richard Cullen, said Monday the Justice Department's Office of Public Integrity informed DeLay's legal team early last week that it was ending the investigation.

Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney declined to comment, which is normally the case when the department ends a criminal probe without filing charges.

Abramoff served about 3 1/2 years in prison for fraud, corruption and conspiracy. He spent three days in a halfway house in Baltimore before he was placed in home confinement. Abramoff currently is working in a kosher pizzeria in northwest Baltimore.

A Northern California appeals court has struck down a shopping mall's policy barring people from approaching strangers to chitchat.

The 3rd District Court of Appeal this week said the rules at Roseville's Westfield Galleria violate the California Constitution's free speech guarantee.

The mall prohibited people in its common areas from approaching people they didn't know to talk unless the conversation was about business involving the mall or its tenants. The case arose after mall officials issued a citizen's arrest of a 27-year-old pastor who tried to talk about his faith.

The appeals court says the policy effectively bars shoppers from chatting about the weather or offering directions.

A spokeswoman for Westfield says the mall is considering appealing to the California Supreme Court.

A former money manager convicted of trying to fake his own death in a Florida plane crash has agreed to plead guilty to securities fraud charges in Indiana.

Marcus Schrenker could face 10 years in prison in exchange for pleading guilty to five of 11 counts under a proposed plea agreement with Hamilton County prosecutors.

He could also be required to pay more than $600,000 in restitution. Schrenker is accused of bilking friends, family members and other investors of more than $1 million.

A hearing on the deal is set for Sept. 15 in Hamilton Superior Court in the Indianapolis suburb of Noblesville. A judge still has to accept Schrenker's plea before the agreement can take effect.

The only remaining dispute is whether Schrenker should serve his Indiana sentence at the same time as a four-year federal sentence out of Florida, Jeff Wehmueller, administrative chief deputy prosecutor in Hamilton County, said Thursday.

New Orleans rapper Juvenile has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge in Louisiana.

The St. Bernard Parish sheriff's office says the 34-year-old, whose real name is Terius Gray, entered the plea Thursday. The rapper and an aquaintance were arrested Feb. 25.

He received a suspended sentence of three months in jail and must serve six months probation and pay a $250 fine and court costs.

Juvenile, best known for the song "Back That Thing Up," has been arrested at least four times on charges ranging from failure to pay child support to resisting an officer at a Florida mall in 1999. Most of the charges have been dismissed. In 2003, he was sentenced to 75 hours of community service for hitting a man on the head with a champagne bottle.

Kimmel and Silverman, a lemon law firm in the Northeast, says that the fuel pump issue with BMW vehicles is on the rise. The law firm reports it has successfully resolved numerous lemon law and breach of warranty claims dealing with this BMW fuel pump issue for both refunds and significant cash recoveries. The firm has seen this problem with 1-series, 3-series and 5-series vehicles.

The Lemon Law firm indicates that BMW is working to correct the problem and has extended the warranty on the fuel pump to 10 years/120,000 miles. In the meantime, some BMW drivers are dealing with multiple repairs for the same problem. Fuel pump failure can lead to stalling so it is essential that shops continue to monitor the problem on vehicles they service.

To assist your customers and prevent problems on your end, make sure that all clients receive invoices for service done to their vehicles. These invoices should specifically identify the problem the consumer is complaining of, the amount of the days that the car was in service, a detailed explanation on how the problem was fixed and a list of all the components replaced in the vehicle.

Five attorneys at Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C., in St. Louis have been selected for the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, a publication that lists attorneys rated as “the best” by more than 15,000 of their peers in legal practice nationwide. 

The attorneys, all partners at the firm, chosen among The Best Lawyers in America are Sanford S. Neuman, Thomas H. Mug, Glenn E. Davis, Kenneth Solomon, and Nichole Y. Wren.

Mr. Neuman is recognized in the Tax Law and Trusts & Estates categories. He is a founding partner of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman and has been ranked among The Best Lawyers in America since 1995. 

Mr. Mug is recognized in the Tax Law and Trust & Estates categories. This is the third time that Mr. Mug has been chosen among The Best Lawyers in America.

Mr. Davis is recognized in the Antitrust, Commercial Litigation and Franchise Law categories. This is the 17th time that Mr. Davis has been chosen among The Best Lawyers in America.

Mr. Solomon is recognized in the Intellectual Property Law category.  

Ms. Wren is recognized in the Trusts & Estates category. 

Published since 1983, The Best Lawyers in America is considered the preeminent referral guide to the legal profession in the United States. Best Lawyers lists are compiled through surveys in which thousands of lawyers in the U.S. confidentially evaluate their professional peers.

Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C., a full service law firm of 80 attorneys, has provided legal services to clients in diverse industries since its founding in 1976 and is one of the largest law firms in St. Louis. The firm serves public corporations; privately-held companies; entrepreneurs and start-up enterprises; individuals and families; trustees and trust beneficiaries; charities; and non-profit entities. The firm is located at 101 South Hanley Road, Suite 1700, in Clayton, Missouri. 

For more information about Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, please contact Lois A. LaDriere at 314.615.6100 or visit the website www.gjn.com.