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Blagojevich Wants Tapes Played in Court
Court Watch |
2010/02/11 09:15
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When his corruption trial begins in June, Rod R. Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois, wants jurors to be allowed to hear all of the audio recordings — some 500 hours’ worth — that federal authorities secretly made of his telephone conversations. In papers filed here on Wednesday, Mr. Blagojevich asked Judge James B. Zagel of Federal District Court to allow far more than just snippets of the calls, some of which have been made public. “Play all the tapes,” Mr. Blagojevich told reporters after a hearing. He said that he planned to testify at his trial, and that all the tapes — not just parts — would provide the full picture and prove his innocence. “Play the truth, and play the whole truth,” he said. A lawyer for Mr. Blagojevich, Sam Adam Jr., said jurors did not necessarily have to hear all of the tapes, which were made in Mr. Blagojevich’s home and campaign offices and on cellphones in the three months leading up his arrest in December 2008 on bribery, racketeering and a host of other charges. But, Mr. Adam said, the defense team does want to play any parts that are related to the charges against Mr. Blagojevich or that give context to any of his statements on the tapes. That prospect, political analysts here said, was likely to cause queasiness for Illinois politicians, some of whom are thought to be heard on those audio recordings and might have hoped their comments would never become public. In a year when the state is electing a new governor and a United States senator, such an open airing of hundreds of hours of tapes — even for those who did nothing criminal — might be especially awkward.
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Court halts rules on Edwards sex tape retrieval
Court Watch |
2010/02/10 08:53
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A North Carolina court has temporarily stopped the security rules that a judge issued for the retrieval of the John Edwards sex tape. The North Carolina Court of Appeals issued a stay on Tuesday without giving a reason. The court, however, did not halt an initial order that requires former Edwards aide Andrew Young to turn over the tape by Wednesday afternoon. Superior Court Judge Abraham Penn Jones last week ordered that Young's copies of the tape be turned over so they can be placed under seal. Jones has threatened Young with penalties if he doesn't hand them over. Jones later ordered that a security official accompany Young to collect the video from a safety deposit box in Atlanta, a requirement that Young's attorneys protested.
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San Diego teen curfew struck down by court
Court Watch |
2010/02/09 05:40
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A state appeals court has struck down a San Diego curfew law for teenagers, calling it unconstitutionally broad.
The 4th District Court of Appeal ruled last week that the ordinance doesn't allow teens to travel to certain legal nighttime events, such as school or religious activities, because to get there they have to be accompanied by an adult. The city ordinance makes it a misdemeanor for anyone 18 to be out from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. unless they're going to a job or have an adult with them. A similar ordinance was struck down in 1997 but then revised. The San Diego city attorney's office says it will revise the law again and hopes to have a new version ready in two weeks. |
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Charges in Jackson’s death to be filed Monday
Court Watch |
2010/02/08 07:54
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Dr. Conrad Murray, personal physician to Michael Jackson, will surrender to authorities Monday afternoon, his attorneys said. Murray will turn himself in at a courthouse at 1:30 p.m., they said in a written statement. Los Angeles County prosecutors have said criminal charges related to Jackson's death last summer would be filed Monday. Prosecutors have not said who would be charged or what the charges would be, but Murray's attorneys have said he expected to be charged. Charges originally were expected to be filed last Friday, but they were delayed because prosecutors and Murray's chief defense lawyer, Ed Chernoff, failed to reach agreement on a surrender deal for the doctor, a law enforcement source with detailed knowledge of the talks said.
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Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig Settle Lawsuit Over Ads
Court Watch |
2010/02/05 11:19
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Weight Watchers International Inc. settled a lawsuit in which it accused rival Jenny Craig Inc. of running a misleading ad campaign. “Jenny Craig has permanently agreed to terminate its advertising campaign,” Weight Watchers said today in a statement that didn’t mention money damages. Jenny Craig said it paid no damages or costs and admitted no wrongdoing. In advertisements featuring the actress Valerie Bertinelli, Jenny Craig falsely claimed that independent clinical trials showed its clients on average lost twice as much as customers on “the largest weight loss program,” New York-based Weight Watchers said last month in a federal court complaint in New York. A judge on Jan. 20 issued a temporary court order blocking the ads. |
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Court says family can sue CHP over leaked photos
Court Watch |
2010/02/03 14:09
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An appeals court says an Orange County family can proceed with a lawsuit against the California Highway Patrol over graphic crash photos that were leaked by the agency.
The Fourth District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana on Monday reversed a lower court's dismissal of the lawsuit against the CHP and two of its employees for leaking the photos of a decapitated teenager that ended up on the Internet. In the ruling, the court said the family of Nicole "Nikki" Catsouras can pursue damages for negligence, invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress. The CHP admitted that two employees e-mailed nine photos of Nikki's body to friends and family for apparent shock value on Halloween day in 2006. An attorney for one of the employees says he is considering an appeal. |
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Gambling officer says south Ala. machines illegal
Court Watch |
2010/02/02 05:58
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The undercover officer who obtained a search warrant for a planned raid at the Country Crossing gambling hall in Dothan, Ala., said its electronic machines aren't bingo because they can be played blindfolded. In papers filed in federal court Monday, Lt. Mike Reese of the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board said he is the officer who obtained search warrants for a successful raid of a gambling hall in White Hall on March 19 and for a raid at Country Crossing on Jan. 6 that was blocked by a judge. Reese, a member of Gov. Bob Riley's Task Force on Illegal Gambling, told the court the Country Crossing games don't meet any of the standards for player interaction that the Alabama Supreme Court laid out in the White Hall case, including marking numbers and recognizing a winning card. "In fact, once money is inserted, the game can be played blindfolded or with the eyes closed by simply pressing the button three times, and can be played without ever looking at the bingo card," Reese said in an affidavit presented to U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson. Reese's search warrant for the Jan. 6 raid expired without ever being used. The task force is now fighting in court with Country Crossing's attorneys over whether the task force can stage a new raid on the gambling hall's 1,700 machines. A planned raid last Friday was called off when a judge sought more information before issuing a new search warrant. |
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