Breaking Legal News

New legal issue: Payment for child porn victims

(Breaking Legal News) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:51:38 -0800

It's been more than a decade since "Amy," as she's known in court papers, was first sexually abused by her uncle. The abuse ended long ago and he's in prison, but the pictures he made when she was 8 or 9 are among the most widely circulated child pornography images online.

Now the 20-year-old woman is taking aim at anyone who would view those images and asking for restitution in hundreds of criminal cases around the country.

Her requests and those filed by other victims of child pornography are forcing federal judges nationwide to grapple with tough legal questions: Is someone who possesses an abusive image responsible for the harm suffered by a particular child? And how much should that person have to pay?

"It is hard to describe what it feels like to know that at any moment, anywhere, someone is looking at pictures of me as a little girl being abused by my uncle and is getting some kind of sick enjoyment from it. It's like I am being abused over and over again," Amy wrote in court papers.

Dear John At Top, Charlie Sheen in Court

(Breaking Legal News) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:49:47 -0800

Charlie and Brooke Sheen are due in court today. The actor faces arraignment on his Christmas Day domestic violence arrest in Aspen, Colorado. Their attorneys want the restraining order thrown out so the couple can be back together for their twins and to work on their relationship.

This despite, Brooke telling officers that her husband put a knife to her throat, threatening to kill her. The couple will arrive separately and the judge will decide if they can leave together.

Law Firm Logo & Brand Identity Design by Law Promo

(Breaking Legal News) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:00:00 -0800

Law firm logos are an essential part of your business, and are featured on your website, on your business card, on your letterhead and in advertisements. Logos are the cornerstone of your firm's identity, and Law Promo's logo and brand identity design team is among the best in the business.

- Our experienced logo designers have created hundreds of successful law firm logos.
- High quality logos are completely custom made to your specifications.

Your new law firm logo design will inspire confidence and brand loyalty in the eyes of your clients.

Charges in Jackson’s death to be filed Monday

(Breaking Legal News) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:54:00 -0800

Dr. Conrad Murray, personal physician to Michael Jackson, will surrender to authorities Monday afternoon, his attorneys said.

Murray will turn himself in at a courthouse at 1:30 p.m., they said in a written statement.

Los Angeles County prosecutors have said criminal charges related to Jackson's death last summer would be filed Monday. Prosecutors have not said who would be charged or what the charges would be, but Murray's attorneys have said he expected to be charged.

Charges originally were expected to be filed last Friday, but they were delayed because prosecutors and Murray's chief defense lawyer, Ed Chernoff, failed to reach agreement on a surrender deal for the doctor, a law enforcement source with detailed knowledge of the talks said.

Campaign case may have set course for Supreme Court

(Breaking Legal News) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:49:00 -0800

As the Supreme Court nears the midpoint of its annual term and prepares to hear several momentous cases, one question looms: Will the justices' split decision reversing past rulings and allowing new corporate spending in political races set the tone for the term, or will Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission be an exception?

"Is this a turning point?" asks Pamela Harris, director of Georgetown Law's Supreme Court Institute. Harris notes that Chief Justice John Roberts' concurring opinion in the campaign-finance case defended reversing past rulings that have been, as Roberts wrote, "so hotly contested that (they) cannot reliably function as a basis for decision in future cases."

"That is an incredibly muscular vision of when you would overrule precedent," which usually guides justices in new cases, Harris says. "That makes it look like this is a court that's ready to go."

Several pending cases — some that already have been argued, some that will be argued in upcoming weeks — are likely to show the reach of the Roberts Court and its boldness.

Temple University law professor David Kairys expects the Citizens United to distinguish the Roberts Court for years. "I think it will actually define more than this particular term," he says. "It might define the Roberts Court."