News from March 2009
Bill would force companies to verify workers' immigration status
Sal Esquivel (R-Ore.) SALEM, Ore. (Legal Newsline)-Oregon businesses should be required to verify workers' immigration status or risk prosecution by the state attorney general's office if they knowingly hiring illegal immigrants, a state lawmaker has proposed.
Calif. trial lawyers help bankroll Democrats' junket
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)-A day after California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a fiscal emergency and ordered legislators to meet on a projected $42 billion budget gap, a group of state lawmakers went on a lavish trip paid by three special interests, including the state's trial lawyer group.
U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear Agent Orange lawsuits
U.S. Supreme Court building WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline)-The U.S. Supreme Court has decided not to hear three cases against Dow Chemical Company over the use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.
Panel debates W.Va.'s 'hellhole' status
Hughes CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Legal Newsline) - It wasn't hard to see the ideological division between the plaintiff and defense bars during a panel discussion over whether West Virginia deserves to be called a "judicial hellhole."
Public financing of W.Va. election to be weighed in legislature
Kessler CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Legal Newsline) - Jeff Kessler, chair of the West Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee, thinks public financing of Supreme Court elections may help avoid the unwanted attention the Court has received recently.
Baby bottlers to stop using chemical
Blumenthal HARTFORD, Conn. (Legal Newsline) - Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal on Thursday called the decision by six baby bottle makers to stop using Bisphenol-A a significant public health step.
Think tank proposes drug side effect compensation program
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline)-Two of the nation's leading legal observers on Monday called for a compensation program for patients injured by unknown side effects from federally-approved medications.
Cooper lowers proposed rate increase
Cooper NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Legal Newsline) - Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper says an agreement he recently reached with a natural gas provider will save ratepayers nearly $5 million.
Ads hit the airwaves in Wisconsin Supreme Court race
Shirley Abrahamson MADISON, Wis. (Legal Newsline)-Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, who has a gigantic fundraising lead in her reelection bid, has begun airing campaign ads today.
U.S. Supreme Court sides with Colorado in legal fees dispute
U.S. Supreme Court building WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline)-The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sided with Colorado in a dispute over expert witness fees related to a long-running water dispute.
U.S. Chamber urges 9th Circuit to reverse class action status in Wal-Mart case
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline)-A federal appeals court should reject the class action certification for a lawsuit claiming that Wal-Mart was discriminatory in its pay and promotion policies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said in an amicus brief.
Jerry who? Young voters don't know attorney general
Jerry Brown (D) SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline)--Younger voters have no connection to California Attorney General Jerry Brown, the 70-year-old former governor who is widely expected to run for a historic third term in 2010, a Field poll released earlier this week indicates.
Idaho AG lauds wolf's endangered species delisting
Lawrence Wasden (R) BOISE, Idaho (Legal Newsline)-U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's decision upholding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to immediately remove wolves in Idaho and Montana from the endangered species list drew praise Friday from the Idaho attorney general.
Lynch, Coakley opposing site of LNG facility
Lynch PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Legal Newsline) - Upset with Weaver's Cove Energy's plan to construct a liquefied natural gas facility in Mount Hope Bay, Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch on Friday formally intervened in the matter.
Consumer debt tops list of complaints to AG
Lisa Madigan (D) SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Legal Newsline)-Issues related to the state's home foreclosure crisis and economic downturn topped the list of consumer complaints to the Illinois attorney general's office last year.
Massey lawyers want justices to review Benjamin's voting record
Benjamin WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - Lawyers for Massey Energy are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider West Virginia Chief Justice Brent Benjamin's voting record when it comes to the coal giant.
Washington SC rejects tax limits challenge
Mary Fairhurst OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline)-The Washington state Supreme Court has rejected a state lawmaker's challenge of voter-approved tax increase limits.
Rebate cards the subject of AT&T's settlement with Cuomo
Cuomo WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - AT&T will pay almost $3 million to settle allegations of deceptive advertising, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo recently announced.
Asbestos suits offer X-ray vision
JACKSON, Miss. (Legal Newsline) - Just as X-rays allow patients to see through skin, X-ray lawsuits allow Americans to see through asbestos litigation that swallowed profits of American corporations and carried away their assets through bankruptcy courts.
Cox getting involved in four rate increase cases
Cox LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) - Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox is intervening in four utility rate increase cases, unhappy with the combined $658 million in increases the propositions represent.