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Court: Some NC legislator emails must be released
Court Line |
2014/11/22 00:11
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North Carolina legislators aren't required to give up emails with other lawmakers and staff to those suing over the state's election-overhaul law, but correspondence with third parties is largely fair game, a federal judge ruled Thursday.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Joi Peake ruled on the extent of legislative confidentiality in three lawsuits filed against the state and officials including Gov. Pat McCrory and challenging provisions of the 2013 law. Attorneys are collecting evidence for trial on the lawsuits next summer.
Those who sued demanded emails and other correspondence from more than a dozen state legislators that they hoped would provide insight to why the law was approved. The lawsuits, filed by civil rights groups, the U.S. government and voters among others, say that elements of the law are unconstitutional and discriminatory under the Voting Rights Act because they harm minority voters.
The lawsuits seek to overturn provisions that reduced the number of early voting days by one week, ended same-day registration during the early-voting period and mandate photo identification to vote in 2016.
In her ruling, Peake said legislative privilege applies to communications between legislators and their aides but not between lawmakers and constituents or interest groups. The state's attorneys cited no authority by which lawmakers should receive the privilege simply because they expected privacy with the communications, she wrote.
Peake rejected a request by the suing groups to require state attorneys to create a log of specific documents with lawmakers or staff corresponding with each other and that lawmakers believe are subject to the privilege — presumably for Peake later to decide whether the documents should be disclosed.
The privilege log "would itself significantly intrude into the legislative sphere, and would also place a heavy burden on the legislators in contravention of one of the aims of the legislative privilege," she wrote. |
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Nags Head homeowners get federal court victory
Court Watch |
2014/11/13 23:45
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Nags Head homeowners banned from repairing their beachfront property for five years because the town declared them a public nuisance are back at work, getting those homes renovated.
The Virginian-Pilot reported a U.S. District Court judge ruled last week for the homeowners on part of their claims, allowing them to start repairing their houses.
The dispute started with a winter storm in November 2009 that damaged parts of the town.
Nags Head wanted nine houses removed after the storm to protect the public and to maintain use of the beach, Town Manager Cliff Ogburn said. The homes take up most of the beach and block passage of rescue vehicles, he said.
"You can't walk north and south because of these houses," Ogburn said.
The town sent notices to homeowners saying the damaged houses sat on public trust property and would have to be removed or razed. Also, the town wouldn't issue building permits for repairs.
U.S. District Court Judge James Dever ruled the town is responsible for the homes becoming nuisances.
"But even assuming the damage from the November storm caused the cottages to become nuisances, no evidence suggests the cottages would have continued to be nuisances had the town allowed the owners to repair them, as North Carolina law obligated the town to do," Dever wrote in his decision, dated Nov. 6.
The decision involves a lawsuit brought by Roc Sansotta, owner of Cove Realty. He manages the nine cottages for the owners and has a partial ownership in five of them, the decision says. |
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Aggressive Securities Arbitration Services
Attorney News |
2014/11/13 23:43
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Conway & Conway law firm, located in New York, are impassioned about representing public customers and industry professionals all over the world with a team of devoted futures, securities, and commodities arbitration attorneys. Constantly keeping abreast of developing and current regulatory reforms, U.S. securities laws, and other topics of interest to professionals and investors, our firm is responsive and agile. We are large enough to handle many cases and simultaneously provide personalized service to each client for their futures, securities, or commodities case.
Founded in 1988, Conway & Conway has been a successful New York City securities arbitration law firm, yielding fantastic results in securities arbitration cases from their 565 Fifth Avenue headquarters.
At Conway & Conway, the firm's attorneys have the know-how to deal with litigation and business counseling. At all points of negotiation and acquisition, along with wrongful termination and other corporate matters, we have advocated on behalf of our corporate clients. In addition to corporate clients, the firm works with commercial clients in all types of commercial and business litigation as well.
In the financial services industry, Conway & Conway gives exceptional legal counsel to the public. Whether its investors in dispute or issues with registered representatives and other associates, they have the high-caliber legal counsel to help. Fraud lawyers at the firm are well-versed in all things concerning the laws that apply to the securities and futures industries.
The commodity merchant attorneys at Conway & Conway provide litigation and arbitration services for international commodity merchants related to trade disputes. Their extensive trial experience, combined with a unique familiarity with the commodities industry foreign exchange and futures markets, enables Conway & Conway dedicated commodity arbitration attorneys to resolve serious commodity trade disputes in a timely and cost-effective manner.
For international commodity merchants, the commodity merchant attorneys at Conway & Conway administer arbitration and litigation services pertinent to trade disputes. |
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Kansas watches high court justice on gay marriage
Attorney News |
2014/11/11 21:24
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Kansas gay-rights advocates are watching the U.S. Supreme Court as they hope same-sex couples can get marriage licenses this week.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Monday temporarily blocked gay marriages in Kansas, but it wasn't clear how long she or the high court would continue to do so.
Sotomayor put on hold a federal judge's injunction preventing the state from enforcing its gay-marriage ban. The lower-court ruling was to take effect at 5 p.m. CST Tuesday.
The judge's injunction came in a lawsuit filed last month by the American Civil Liberties Union. Kansas wants to keep enforcing its ban while the lawsuit is reviewed.
Sotomayor directed the ACLU to respond Tuesday. If the justice reconsiders, gay couples could head to Kansas courthouses Wednesday morning. |
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New York Adoption, Foster Care Litigation and Family Law
Attorney News |
2014/11/11 21:24
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Representing clients from New York City to the surrounding counties in southern New York State and New Jersey, Rosin Sterinhagen Mendel is a law firm committed to representing clients in all aspects of family law.
We strive to provide each client with superior representation and careful analysis of their individual case. Our attention to detail and preparedness extends from custody hearings, to guardianship, to administrative proceedings, and permanency hearings.
Rosin Sterinhagen Mendel has the privilege of representing Foster Care Agencies in New York City from the Family Court to the New York State Court of Appeals on multiple occasions for over 30 years. You can also find our attorneys representing them in the Supreme Court and Appellate Divisions in New York as well. We provide them counsel as
well as supplementing them information concerning procedural changes in Family Court practice, as well as providing training for their staff.
Along with the Foster Care Agencies, you will find us representing foster parents in Family Court as well. Persons seeking everything from visitation, guardianship, and adoption are all able to seek counsel from Rosin Steinhagen Mendel.
We represent parents in abuse and neglect proceedings, expungement proceedings, and other administrative hearings. Our firm has represented several Native American Tribes in Family Court proceedings.
In addition to these responsibilities, we also represent parents in abuse and expungement, administrative, and neglect proceedings. Rosin Sterinhagen Mendel has even had the privilege of representing the interests of many Native American Tribes in Family Court. |
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