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Congressional debt reduction panel kicks off work
U.S. Legal News |
2011/09/08 16:16
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Republicans and Democrats on the special supercommittee warned of a financial crisis threatening future generations as the congressional debt reduction panel kicked off its work Thursday with an imperative to slash the deficit and lift the sluggish economy.
In a series of speeches, the six Republicans and six Democrats stressed the importance of compromise, shrugging off the bitter rhetoric of the summer's partisan brawl over raising the federal debt limit. That fight ended with a hard-fought deal between President Barack Obama and lawmakers that created the supercommittee.
"I approach our task with a profound sense of urgency, high hopes and realistic expectations," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling, a panel co-chair. "Our task to achieve $1.5 trillion of bipartisan deficit reduction will not be easy but it is essential."
The Texas Republican said he will not "sit idly by and watch the American dream disappear for my 9-year-old daughter and my 7-year-old son."
Members of the committee insisted that all elements of the federal budget will be part of any final product. Democrats want a mix of spending cuts and revenue increases while Republicans say entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare should be in any deficit-cutting plan. |
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Hundreds in Fla. want out of Chinese drywall deal
Class Action News |
2011/09/08 13:17
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Hundreds of Floridians potentially want to opt out of a proposed $55 million federal settlement over faulty Chinese drywall in hopes of pursuing individual lawsuits in state courts, the attorney for two families said Wednesday.
The lawyer, David Durkee, said a key hearing Friday in Broward County could be a major step in determining whether people dissatisfied with the class-action settlement can take their cases before juries in Florida courts.
"They don't want any part of that settlement," Durkee said. "They have chosen state court. They want to proceed individually and they want their day in court."
The settlement, first announced in June, involves Banner Supply Co., a major distributor of Chinese drywall, and thousands of affected homeowners, builders, installers and others in Florida. U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon in New Orleans - where lawsuits in several states were consolidated for pretrial purposes - gave the deal preliminary approval in July.
Thousands of homes mainly in the South were affected by installation of Chinese drywall that has a foul odor, can corrode wiring and metal in appliances and cause health problems. The Banner settlement involves mostly Floridians.
Fallon also ordered a temporary halt to drywall lawsuits filed against Banner in state court. The hearing Friday before Broward County Circuit Judge Charles Greene concerns whether cases filed by the families represented by Durkee can proceed despite the federal order and settlement. |
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Court tosses Sivak's death sentence
Court Feed News |
2011/09/08 12:05
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The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed the death sentence of an Idaho man convicted of brutally slaying a former coworker because the state allowed a jailhouse informant to lie on the witness stand.
Lacey Mark Sivak was sentenced to death for the 1981 murder of Dixie Wilson at the Baird Oil gas station in Garden City. In a ruling handed down Wednesday, the appellate court said that while Sivak's murder conviction was appropriate, the outcome of his sentencing hearing might have been different if prosecutors hadn't knowingly presented the testimony of an inmate who lied on the stand.
Still, the appellate court said state attorneys may decide to hold a new sentencing hearing if they still want to seek the death penalty for Sivak's crimes. |
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US Space Scientist Pleads Guilty To Attempted Espionage
Court Feed News |
2011/09/07 14:51
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U.S. government space scientist Stewart David Nozette has pleaded guilty to one count of attempted espionage for trying to sell classified information to an FBI agent posing as an Israeli intelligence officer, the Associated Press reported Sept. 7.
The plea agreement includes a sentence of 13 years in prison, with credit for two years of time served, AP said. Nozette has been in jail since his arrest in 2009.
Nozette had high-level security clearances during decades of government work on science and space projects at NASA, the Energy Department and the National Space Council. He was known for his involvement with President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative missile defense effort. |
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Citigroup ex-VP pleads guilty to embezzling $22M
Court Feed News |
2011/09/07 14:48
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A former Citigroup vice president in New York City has admitted to embezzling more than $22 million from the bank for his personal use.
Gary Foster pleaded guilty to bank fraud charges in Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday.
The New York Post says that under the plea agreement, he faces up to 10 years in prison.Prosecutors say Foster also could be fined as much as $44 million.
Authorities say he used the money to buy luxury cars and homes in Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey.
Foster was arrested in June. He was vice president of the treasury finance department until quitting in January.
According to court papers, Foster siphoned funds from various Citigroup accounts and wired the money into his private account at another bank. |
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NY jail guard pleads guilty to murders, kidnapping
Criminal Law Updates |
2011/09/07 11:49
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A New York jail guard has pleaded guilty to murder and other charges for killing her ex-girlfriend and uncle, and wounding her grandfather.
Kim Wolfe entered the plea Wednesday to two counts of murder, one count of kidnapping, assault and a weapons charge. The judge said he will sentence her to 22 years to life on Nov. 2.
Stacie Williams, a 45-year-old nurse's aide, was gunned down last year outside the Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow on Long Island. The pair had met to discuss a possible reconciliation.
Wolfe then went to a relative's home about three miles away in Hempstead. There, she killed her uncle, wounded her 88-year-old grandfather and took a 23-year-old niece hostage following a dispute over life insurance policies. The niece was not harmed. |
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