DALLAS, Texas (Legal Newsline)-Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has been asked to opine as to whether Dallas County Commissioners have the authority to hire outside lawyers to represent the county in certain civil cases, his office said Friday.

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline)-The U.S. Supreme Court met today in closed session to discuss Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox's lawsuit to close Chicago-area shipping locks to prevent Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes.

HOUSTON, Texas (Legal Newsline)-Setting aside a $100 million verdict, a federal judge has ruled that 10 workers who sued BP over injuries from a chemical release at a Texas oil refinery did not prove the company was grossly negligent.

BOISE, Idaho (Legal Newsline)-The Idaho attorney general must file a lawsuit if the federal government acts in its proposed health care overhaul to require individuals to buy medical insurance, under a new state law.

DENVER (Legal Newsline) - Attorneys for the state of Colorado have reached a settlement with an Internet marketer and seller of nutritional supplements to bring them into compliance with consumer protection laws, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers has announced.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)-If California Republican attorney general candidate John Eastman has his way, his job description on the June primary ballot will be "assistant attorney general," a designation that has sparked some controversy.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)-California attorney general hopeful Chris Kelly has put another $2 million into his race, bringing the total that the former Facebook executive has given to his campaign to $4 million.

PHOENIX (Legal Newsline) - Several defendants in an alleged real estate scheme have agreed to a $120,000 settlement, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard has announced.

BISMARCK, N.D. (Legal Newsline)-North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem plans this year to seek a fourth term in office, the state Republican Party said Wednesday.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A Florida jury has awarded more than $17 million to a widow whose husband died in 1995 after a lifetime of smoking cigarettes.

NEWARK, N.J. (Legal Newsline) - Following an investigation, an Ohio-based pool construction company will pay $180,000 and change its business practices, New Jersey Attorney General Paula Dow has announced.

BOISE, Idaho (Legal Newsline)-Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden could be in store for a pay cut to help the state make ends meet if he is reelected in November, and that is fair, said the House Republicans' point-man on the budget.

CONCORD, N.H. (Legal Newsline) - A settlement has been approved between a New Hampshire man and the state to resolve allegations of violations of the state's asbestos management and control regulations.

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - Pharmaceutical drug maker Alpharma is paying $42.5 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit concerning its marketing of the morphine-based drug Kadian.

CHICAGO (Legal Newsline)-Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's federal corruption trial will begin as planned on June 3, a judge ruled Wednesday, rejecting the defense's request for postponement.

LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline)-Candidates for Michigan governor should disclose their personal financial information for at least the last four year, said state Attorney General Mike Cox, who is running to be the state's next chief executive.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)-Republican Meg Whitman for the first time has a narrow lead in the nationally-watched California governor's race, a poll released Wednesday indicates.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)-There is little doubt that California attorney general candidate John Eastman is conservatives' favorite, but a leading political analyst said the former law school dean could have serious electoral trouble down the road if he fails to also reach out to Democratic constituencies.

PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - A brief filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit says the Delaware Supreme Court would not recognize a claim for medical monitoring.

CARSON CITY, Nev. (Legal Newsline)- A federal appeals court decision upholding a Nevada law that bars legal brothels advertising where prostitution is illegal has won praise from state Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto.