News published on Legal Newsline in August 2024

Attorney General Raoul highlights efforts to protect workers in annual Labor Day report

All Maine Judicial Branch courts and the Administrative Office of the Courts will be closed Monday, September 2, 2024, in observance of Labor Day.

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that a Warren man has been sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve 40 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) after pleading guilty to attempting to kill his mother in 2021.

Judges in Steele County have appointed Stacy Ashley as the new court administrator for the Steele County Courthouse.

Attorney General Raoul charges Cumberland County man with production, possession of child sexual abuse material

The Post-Adjudication Reparative Program Working Group (PARPWG) will hold a meeting on Wednesday, September 4, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Members of the public are invited to join via Microsoft Teams.

LANSING – Rafael Rodriguez, 44, of Florida, pled guilty today to one count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year felony, in the 42nd Circuit Court in Midland County for rent thefts across the eastern half of the state, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. As part of the plea, Rodriguez has agreed to a restitution order of $36,235. Juan Miguel Rodriguez-Venegas, 55, of Florida, who pled guilty to one count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise for the same crime earlier this month, has also agreed to pay $36,235 in restitution.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced a settlement with professional fundraiser Ride to The Chip, LLC (RTTC) and its founders Tyrone Creer and Alice Arenson. In an Assurance of Discontinuance, Attorney General Ellison alleges that RTTC improperly withheld a portion of the funds raised for its charitable partner, the Magnus Veterans Foundation (MVF). The Assurance also claims that RTTC misleadingly stated that 100% of the funds raised would go to charity while some were used for profit and failed to provide legally required disclosures about its for-profit status....

State Court Administrator Sally Holewa was awarded the Gerald W. VandeWalle Medal at the 2024 annual meeting of the State Bar Association of North Dakota. The recipient of the VandeWalle Medal is chosen by the State Bar Association’s Board of Governors and recognizes individuals for their significant dedication and contributions to the administration of justice or the improvement of the judicial system.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has expressed approval of recent decisions issued by the Michigan Supreme Court concerning Covid-19 emergency orders and a former Shelby Township clergyman’s conviction.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has joined a multistate coalition of attorneys general urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to uphold a 2021 district court decision that supports a Florida law prohibiting individuals under the age of 21 from purchasing firearms. The law also prevents federally licensed firearms dealers from selling firearms to anyone younger than 21. This legal brief, filed in the case National Rifle Association v. Commissioner, cautions that overturning the Florida law could weaken state efforts to implement similar age...

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Timothy Ray Taylor, 26, of Greenville, S.C., on six charges connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office made the arrest. Investigators with the Attorney General's Office, also a member of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with this investigation.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has filed a response to the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) appeal against Ohio’s trial court decision upholding the state's ban on medical interventions aimed at transitioning the sex or gender of minors.

Attorney General William Tong has joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, urging the court to uphold Florida's law that prohibits individuals under 21 from purchasing firearms.

The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in two cities in Massachusetts for the Sept. 3 primary election. The department will monitor in the cities of Methuen (in Essex County) and Lowell (in Middlesex County).

The Vermont Legal Community Fighting Hunger Food Drive will commence its eighth annual event on Friday, September 6th, and run until Friday, September 20th. This year, the drive will again include a collection of diapers to support families experiencing diaper need. The initiative is spearheaded by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and involves the Vermont Foodbank, the Vermont Bar Association (VBA), and various law offices across the state.

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ Office of Special Investigation (OSI) released its report on the death of Raul Hardy, who died on July 9, 2022, after an encounter with members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in Queens. Following a thorough investigation, which included a review of body-worn camera footage, interviews with involved officers, and comprehensive legal analysis, OSI concluded that a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officers’ actions against Mr. Hardy were justified under New York law.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured a nationwide stay that prevents the Biden Administration from mandating federally-funded healthcare providers to conduct “gender transition” surgeries. This follows a prior legal victory for Texas, which obtained a stay of agency action blocking the rule's enforcement in Texas and Montana. The court has now extended this relief nationwide.

(Montgomery, Ala.) – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall joined a coalition of 24 attorneys general in demanding answers from the nation’s top asset managers to determine if they are neglecting their fiduciary duty to their clients. The letter sent to 25 of the nation’s top asset managers raises concerns that the asset managers may be violating their fiduciary duties to their clients by supporting environmental shareholder proposals recommended by Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), which were flagged by the environmental activist group Ceres. Because it does not...

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined a coalition of 24 attorneys general in seeking explanations from the nation’s top asset managers regarding their adherence to fiduciary duties. The coalition aims to determine if these managers are prioritizing environmental and social agendas over their clients' best interests.