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Court: Iowa must recognize both lesbian parents
Court Line News |
2013/05/09 23:38
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An Iowa agency's refusal to list both spouses in a lesbian marriage as parents on their children's birth certificates is a violation of their constitutional rights and must stop, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday.
The court, which made history by legalizing gay marriage in 2009, ordered the Iowa Department of Public Health to start listing the names of both female spouses on the birth certificates of their children. The ruling was backed by all six justices who participated.
Iowa had been the only state in the nation that allowed marriage or civil unions for same-sex couples, but refused to list both spouses on birth certificates of their children, according to Camilla Taylor, an attorney for Lambda Legal, a gay rights group involved in the case.
Justice David Wiggins said the state government "has been unable to identify a constitutionally adequate justification" for treating lesbian parents differently than parents of opposite sex. He said the only explanation for doing so was "stereotype or prejudice" that violated their rights to be treated equally under the Iowa Constitution. |
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Court dismisses lawsuits in power plant deaths
Legal News |
2013/05/09 23:37
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The Colorado Court of Appeals has dismissed lawsuits against three companies in the deaths of five workers at a power plant in 2007.
The appeals court agreed Thursday with a judge that there was no evidence that the companies violated duties or failed to provide adequate warnings of a fire hazard.
The workers died after a fire broke out inside a pipeline at Xcel Energy's Cabin Creek hydroelectric plant near Georgetown, about 40 miles west of Denver. The men were inside the pipeline resealing it at the time.
The workers were trapped in the tunnel when a flammable solvent they were using to clean an epoxy paint sprayer ignited on Oct. 2, 2007.
Families of the men and four injured employees sued KTA-Tator Inc., Structural Integrity Associates Inc. and Graco, Inc., claiming the companies were negligent.
The court, however, noted that the sprayer used by the workers carried a warning that "flammable fumes, such as solvent and paint fumes, in (a) work area can ignite or explode" and offered safety options.
The workers communicated by radio for 45 minutes with colleagues and rescue crews. But reaching them would have involved using ropes or ladders to go down a 20-foot vertical section of tunnel then along a 1,000-foot section at a 55-degree slope, to reach the horizontal section where they were located. |
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Crone Hawxhurst LLP
Law Firm News |
2013/05/09 23:33
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We are trial lawyers based in Los Angeles, California. We focus on business litigation, including intellectual property, employment and consumer class action defense. Although headquartered in California, we represent clients in courts and arbitrations throughout the U.S.
Our partners graduated from top law schools. Before founding the Firm, they practiced at two of the country’s most prominent law firms—Quinn Emanuel and Simpson Thacher—where they worked alongside with and were trained by some of the country’s best lawyers.
We have developed a reputation as a “go-to” alternative to large, top tier firms (who often are our adversaries). Clients often hire us to represent them in cases that are already pending, either to replace their existing counsel or work alongside them. While we are aggressive and independent thinkers, we take pride in our ability to work well with co-counsel.
Our philosophy is to staff and run every case as if we were the client. Before embarking on a litigation strategy, we take the time to understand the client’s business and litigation goals. Our efforts are directed at obtaining efficient results, not racking up legal bills. We manage cases leanly and efficiently. Most often, two lawyers and a paralegal handle a case, even through trial.
Crone Hawxhurst LLP
10880 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 1150
Los Angeles, California 90024
Tel: (310) 893-5150
Fax: (310) 893-5195
http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Crone.Hawxhurst.LLP.310-893-5150
http://www.cronehawxhurstllp.freeindex.com
http://citysquares.com/b/crone-hawxhurst-llp-20167047 |
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LulzSec hacker pleads guilty to cyberattacks
Court Line News |
2013/04/12 15:34
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A British computer hacker affiliated to the group Lulz Security pleaded guilty Tuesday to cyberattacks on institutions including Sony, Britain's National Health Service and Rupert Murdoch's News International.
Ryan Ackroyd admitted one count of carrying out an unauthorized act to impair the operation of a computer.
Prosecutors say the 26-year-old accessed websites belonging to Sony, 20th Century Fox, the NHS, Nintendo, the Arizona State Police and News International between February and September 2011.
He will be sentenced May 14 at Southwark Crown Court in London. Other charges against him are being dropped.
Three other British hackers — 18-year-old Mustafa Al-Bassam, 20-year-old Jake Davis and Ryan Cleary, 21 — had previously pleaded guilty to launching distributed denial of service attacks on organizations including the CIA and Britain's Serious Organized Crime Agency. Denial of service attacks work by overwhelming sites with traffic. |
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Court to mull Arizona's immigrant harboring ban
Headline Legal News |
2013/04/02 11:19
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An appeals court is scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday in Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's bid to let police enforce a minor section of the state's 2010 immigration law that prohibits the harboring of illegal immigrants.
The harboring ban was in effect from late July 2010 until U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton ruled in September that it was trumped by federal law and barred police from enforcing it. Brewer has asked the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn Bolton's ruling.
Brewer's lawyers argue the ban doesn't conflict with federal policies, is aimed at confronting crime and that the law's opponents haven't shown they have legal standing to challenge the prohibition. The governor's attorneys also say there's no evidence that the ban has been enforced against any people or organizations represented by a coalition of civil rights groups that have challenged the law in court.
The coalition has asked the appeals court to uphold Bolton's ruling, saying the state law is trumped by a federal harboring law that leaves no room for state regulation. The coalition also argues that Bolton has repeatedly confirmed that it has standing to challenge the harboring ban.
Another federal appeals court has barred authorities from enforcing similar harboring bans in Alabama and Georgia. |
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US appeals court grants Hobby Lobby full hearing
Headline Legal News |
2013/03/30 16:10
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A federal appeals court has granted Hobby Lobby's request for the entire court to hear its challenge of a federal requirement that it provide insurance coverage for the morning-after pill and similar emergency contraceptives.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals announced its decision Friday. Appeals are usually decided by a three-judge panel, but a total of nine judges will hear the appeal from the Oklahoma City-based arts and crafts chain.
Hobby Lobby is challenging a requirement in the new federal health care law that says the company must provide and pay for emergency contraceptives. The company says the requirement violates the beliefs of its Christian owners.
The Denver-based court also said it would hear Hobby Lobby's appeal on an expedited basis, with oral arguments expected this spring. |
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