WASILLA, Alaska (Legal Newsline)-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, announced Friday she will step down in a matter of weeks.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Legal Newsline)-The first Republican has thrown his hat into the 2010 race for Illinois attorney general.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline) - Five pension funds in a securities class action lawsuit on behalf of investors in Bank of America over untrue statements and failure to disclose information about its Merrill Lynch acquisition were granted lead plaintiff status.

SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline)-California attorney general candidate San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris has attracted the support of a handful of Hollywood heavyweights.

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline)-A panel of federal judges has admonished Alex Kozinski, chief judge of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, for placing sexually explicit photos and videos on an Internet server that could be accessed by the public.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline)- The Federal Trade Commission and an alliance of 15 state law enforcement authorities are teaming up to combat debt relief scams, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum said.

LINCOLN, Neb. (Legal Newsline)-Thirty states have reached a tentative agreement with General Motors Corp. over concerns the troubled automaker's bankruptcy plan would trample state laws, Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning announced Thursday.

FAYETTE, Miss. (Legal Newsline) - A Jefferson County, Miss., jury has awarded $7 million to the plaintiffs in a lead paint suit against Sherwin-Williams Co.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Legal Newsline) - The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal of a pharmaceuticals company that says a major plaintiffs firm hired by Gov. Ed Rendell should not be allowed to sue it.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Legal Newsline)-Alabama Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb says she will remain on the state's high court rather than run for governor in 2010.

NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - A third company has signed New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's code of conduct designed to reform public pension systems.

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline)-President Barack Obama on Thursday praised this week's U.S. Supreme Court decision favoring white firefighters in New Haven, Conn.

TULSA, Okla. (Legal Newsline)-A group of large-scale poultry companies being sued by Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson have asked a federal judge to delay the Sept. 21 trial date.

HONOLULU, Hawaii (Legal Newsline) - Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle this week vetoed legislation that would have taxed retailers that have affiliate relationships with online companies such as Amazon and Overstock.

LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline)-Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox has asked the state insurance commissioner to deny an application for an interim rate request from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

HARTFORD, Conn. (Legal Newsline)- The Connecticut Department of Utility Control has agreed to reject a rate increase by Connecticut Natural Gas, state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said.

LINCOLN, Neb. (Legal Newsline)-The arbitrator appointed to resolve a multistate water fight among Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska says Nebraska has violated a U.S. Supreme Court decree.

NEWARK, N.J. (Legal Newsline) - A moving company in New Jersey's Passaic County has settled allegations it operated without a license.

BOSTON (Legal Newsline)- Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has reached a settlement with Merrill Lynch over claims the company misled the city of Springfield into unlawfully investing into auction-rate securities.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)-California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed into law legislation this week that is aimed improving discovery practices for attorneys on both sides of cases.