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Girl pleads guilty in Seattle bus tunnel beating
Criminal Law |
2010/06/09 05:50
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A 15-year-old girl has pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in a Seattle bus tunnel beating of another girl that was captured on surveillance video. The Seattle girl who entered her plea Tuesday had been charged with first-degree robbery in the Jan. 28 attack. However, the King County prosecutor's office says there wasn't enough evidence to prove that count. Friends and relatives of six people arrested in the attack say the 15-year-old defendant and the now-16-year-old victim had a long-standing dispute. Two other juveniles have pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault. Three adults await trial on robbery counts. The widely viewed video showed uniformed security guards doing nothing to stop the beating. The attack prompted changes in bus tunnel security, including allowing security guards to intervene in tunnel fights rather than merely "observe and report."
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Court weighs whether to release militia members
Court Watch |
2010/06/09 05:48
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A federal prosecutor has told an appeals court in Ohio that five jailed members of a Midwest militia are a threat to public safety. The prosecutor says they should stay in jail until they're tried on charges of plotting to overthrow the government. But attorneys for the defendants told the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday that the government hasn't proven their clients are dangerous. The defendants are among nine members of the Michigan-based Hutaree (hoo-TAH'-ray) accused of conspiracy to commit sedition. Two from Michigan and two from Ohio have been released as they await trial. A federal judge has said the remaining five, from Michigan and Indiana, could go home with electronic monitors. The government is appealing that order. The appeals court did not issue a ruling Tuesday.
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Ohio couple plead not guilty to terror conspiracy
Court Watch |
2010/06/09 04:54
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An Ohio couple have pleaded not guilty to charges that they conspired to provide thousands of dollars to a Mideast terrorist group. Hor Akl and his wife, Amera Akl, appeared in federal court Tuesday in Toledo on charges they planned to conceal up to $500,000 to give to Hezbollah on behalf of anonymous donors in the United States. Amera Akl's family says they're planning to post a $750,000 bond and that it's possible she could be released later this week. The couple were taken into custody last week after prosecutors said an FBI informant provided them with $200,000 in cash. The couple were alleged to be preparing to hide the money in a vehicle that prosecutors said was to be shipped to Lebanon. |
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Supreme Court blocks Ariz. campaign finance law
Politics |
2010/06/08 09:13
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The U.S. Supreme Court derailed a key part of Arizona's campaign finance system on Tuesday by at least temporarily blocking extra money for publicly funded candidates outspent by privately financed rivals or targeted by independent groups' spending. The court said in a brief order that it will prevent the state from using its system of so-called matching funds at least until the justices decide whether to hear the full appeal of opponents of the key provision of the state's campaign funding system. Distribution of matching funds was to start June 22, but it could be the fall before the court decides even whether to accept the case. Arizona's primary election is Aug. 24. Publicly funded candidates get matching funds when they're outspent by privately funded rivals or targeted by independent groups' spending. Critics contend matching funds chill free-speech rights of privately financed candidates and their contributors by inhibiting fundraising and spending. State officials defend matching funds, saying they help combat contributions-for-favors corruption and encourage more people to run for office. Also, blocking matching funds would be disruptive to candidates already committed to running with public funding, officials argued.
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NM high court to hear arguments in emissions case
Court Watch |
2010/06/08 06:14
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The New Mexico Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Monday afternoon in a legal battle over an environmental group's effort to establish a cap on greenhouse gas emissions in the state.
State regulators and the New Mexico Environmental Law Center are asking the justices to order a District Court judge in Lovington to reverse an earlier decision that halted the effort by New Energy Economy to control greenhouse gas emissions. Judge William Shoobridge granted a preliminary injunction in April that prohibited the state Environmental Improvement Board from continuing proceedings on New Energy Economy's petition. Petition supporters argue that if allowed to stand, the judge's ruling would cripple state agencies' ability to carry out appointed responsibilities. They say the high court must hear the case because it raises questions about separation of powers and judicial interference in an administrative process. New Mexico's largest utility, four state lawmakers and other industry groups sued in January to stop the Environmental Improvement Board from considering the petition. New Energy Economy and regulators countered with a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, a move that Shoobridge rejected. Public Service Company of New Mexico, one of the plaintiffs, has argued that a state cap on greenhouse gas emissions would be costly for businesses and utility customers and that the emissions debate should be settled by the federal government. |
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EU court rejects challenge to cell phone cap
International |
2010/06/08 05:13
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The European Union's highest court rejected a challenge Tuesday by four British cell phone companies to a Europe-wide price cap on fees for using a phone abroad. The British branches of Vodafone, Telefonica O2, T-Mobile and Orange had argued against the EU's imposing maximum price limits for "roaming" charges or extra fees for making or receiving calls outside the user's home nation. The European Court of Justice dismissed their arguments, saying the EU's executive commission did not abuse its powers when it fixed limits for roaming fees across the 27-nation bloc in 2009. Europeans have long complained about high roaming fees they were being charged. "That high level of retail charges had been regarded as a persistent problem by public authorities and consumer protection associations," the court said in a statement. It said the average level of roaming charges in the European Union was euro1.15 ($1.37) per minute, more than five times the actual cost that telecommunications companies paid to transfer the calls to each other. The court also backed the maximum price set by EU regulators, saying they had carefully examined the economic impact. |
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LA judge in banana workers case cites threats
Law Center |
2010/06/08 02:14
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A California judge said Monday threats had been made against her and witnesses in connection with lawsuits claiming Nicaraguan workers on Dole Foods banana plantations were harmed by pesticides. Judge Victoria Chaney met with lawyers in closed session regarding new claims of witness tampering, then took the bench to abruptly announce there had been threats to her and to witnesses in radio addresses in Nicaragua. She said she was notifying the judicial protective unit. "This appears to be flagrant witness tampering," she said. "I have even more grave concerns about witness safety than I did before." Chaney didn't reveal the source of the threats, and transcripts of the broadcasts haven't been released. She did say the tampering didn't appear to involve plaintiff's attorney Steve Condie. |
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