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N.Y. governor signs gay marriage into law
Lawyer Blog News |
2011/06/25 09:16
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed New York's gay marriage bill, starting what is expected to be a crush of gay weddings starting in 30 days.
The Democratic governor signed the measure shortly before midnight Friday, following up on a promise to put his name on the legislation as soon as he received it rather than wait the usual 10 days to sign it for it to become law.
New York lawmakers narrowly voted to legalize same-sex marriage, handing activists a breakthrough victory in the state where the gay rights movement was born.
New York will become the sixth state where gay couples can wed and the biggest by far.
“We are leaders and we join other proud states that recognize our families and the battle will now go on in other states,” said Sen. Thomas Duane, a Democrat.
Gay rights advocates are hoping the vote will galvanize the movement around the country and help it regain momentum after an almost identical bill was defeated here in 2009 and similar measures failed in 2010 in New Jersey and this year in Maryland and Rhode Island. |
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Judge orders investigators to give Clemens notes
Lawyer Blog News |
2011/06/24 17:07
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The authors of the Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball were ordered to give pitching legend Roger Clemens more of the evidence they used to accuse him of using steroids and human growth hormone. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, in a ruling filed Thursday, said Clemens needs the investigators' notes of interviews with his accusers to defend himself in a criminal trial next month on charges he lied when he denied using drugs. The notes were taken when the investigators questioned steroids dealer Kirk Radomski and longtime Clemens trainer Brian McNamee. Both said they provided drugs for the seven-time Cy Young winner. Clemens has denied the accusation. Walton gave the Mitchell Report investigators until Saturday to say whether they plan to appeal. An appeal could threaten to delay the July 6 scheduled start of the trial. Clemens issued a subpoena in February on the DLA Piper law firm, where former Sen. George Mitchell led an investigation into drug use for Major League Baseball. The Mitchell Report came out in December 2007 and named Clemens as one of several players who used steroids and human growth hormone. Clemens denied the charges, raising questions about the report's credibility, and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held hearings in February 2008 to investigate the dispute. Clemens testified he never used drugs in his 24-year career. Prosecutors say that was a lie and have charged him with false statements, perjury and obstruction of Congress. |
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Suspect in NY fire pleads not guilty
Court Feed News |
2011/06/24 15:03
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An 18-year-old student has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder in a case that has brought unusual attention to a Hasidic Jewish enclave in New York. Shaul Spitzer of New Square is accused of severely burning a neighbor, Aron Rottenberg, with gasoline on May 22. Rottenberg claims Spitzer was acting at the direction of the village's chief rabbi because Rottenberg had stopped praying at the rabbi's synagogue. Spitzer was arraigned Friday in Rockland County Court on charges of attempted murder, attempted arson and assault. His lawyer entered not-guilty pleas to all charges. He said outside court that Spitzer did not intend to harm anyone or to burn down Rottenberg's house. He also said the chief rabbi had no involvement. |
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Economic worries pose new snags for Obama
Law & Politics |
2011/06/24 12:06
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Increasingly troubled by the economy, more Americans are convinced the country is headed in the wrong direction and fewer approve of President Barack Obama's economic stewardship. The sentiments pose a new complication for the president's re-election hopes and create an obstacle to a recovery that relies in part on public perceptions. For the first time this year, less than 50 percent of respondents to an Associated Press-GfK poll say Obama deserves re-election. The new poll shows a virtual split of 48-47 in favor, raising a new hurdle for the president as economic concerns strip away the gloss he briefly gained in May after the death of Osama bin Laden. What's more, four out of five now believe the economy is in poor shape, with 36 percent calling it "very poor," a new high in AP-GfK polling. The survey findings track with recent independent data that show a dip in consumer confidence, and they reflect the May uptick in unemployment and a stubbornly depressed housing market. Amid anemic hiring, high gas prices and financial turmoil in Europe, Americans are increasingly interested in saving — not spending — their money, adding yet another constraint to the economic recovery. Yet, 16 months before the November 2012 elections, Obama also is perceived favorably by 56 percent of respondents and 52 percent approve of his job performance overall. Despite the overwhelming sentiment that the national economy is in poor shape, more than three of five of those polled rated the financial situation of their own households as good. And, echoing previous findings, about three-quarters of the survey participants said it is unrealistic to expect noticeable results on the economy in one term. |
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McCourt lawyer: Selig hasn't acted in good faith
Headline News |
2011/06/24 12:04
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Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig hasn't acted in good faith by rejecting a proposed television deal involving the Los Angeles Dodgers and appeared determined to run Frank McCourt out of the sport, an attorney representing the embattled owner said Tuesday. A day after Selig announced he wouldn't approve a Dodgers TV deal with Fox Sports — reportedly worth up to $3 billion — lawyer Robert Sacks questioned the commissioner's intentions and warned that any potential takeover of the team by Major League Baseball would be met with resistance. "There seems to be a predetermined result to drive Frank out of baseball without a good faith basis," Sacks said. "This isn't going to go away quietly." McCourt hoped Selig would sign off on the transaction that would have provided him with $385 million up front and was vital to a binding settlement reached between him and his ex-wife and former Dodger CEO Jamie McCourt last week. McCourt now faces the potential of missing a June 30 team payroll without the TV funds and that could lead to a MLB takeover. Rob Manfred, MLB's executive vice president of labor relations, wouldn't say what Selig's next move would be, but noted the league has treated McCourt fairly and wasn't interested in seeing him take on further debt or pull future revenues to be used for non-baseball expenses. |
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Prescription drug data mining law struck down
Business Law Info |
2011/06/23 15:34
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The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that states cannot limit drug manufacturers' use of information about which prescription drugs doctors like to prescribe. The court voted 6-3 to strike down a Vermont data-mining law aimed at boosting the use of generic drugs by controlling the flow of information about brand-name medications. The ruling imperils similar laws in Maine and New Hampshire. The laws prevent the sale of information about individual doctors' prescribing records without the doctors' permission. Pharmacies get that information when they fill prescriptions. They sell the information, without patient names, to data mining companies that, in turn, provide drug makers with a detailed look at what drugs doctors choose for their patients. Drug company sales representatives can use the information to tailor their pitch to individual doctors. Justice Anthony Kennedy said in his majority opinion that the Vermont law violates the speech rights of the data-mining and pharmaceutical companies. Kennedy said that law grew out of a desire to control health care costs by increasing the use of generic drugs. But he said, "the state cannot engage in content-based discrimination to advance its own side of a debate." In dissent, Justice Stephen Breyer said the law should have been upheld as a constitutional regulation of business activity. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan also signed on to Breyer's dissent. |
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