Three once-powerful members of Mexico's Arellano Felix drug cartel have pleaded guilty to criminal charges in San Diego.

Jorge Aureliano Felix admitted Wednesday to working with members of the Tijuana-based cartel to smuggle hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States and bringing hundreds of millions of dollars in proceeds back to Mexico.

The U.S. Attorney's office says Armando Martinez Duarte pleaded guilty Friday. Efrain Perez pleaded guilty Monday.

The defendants were arrested in Mexico between 2002 and 2004 and extradited in late 2008. A 2003 federal indictment calls them "second-level managers" of the cartel.

Last week, Jesus "Chuy" Labra, pleaded guilty in the same case. He was a top cartel leader until his arrest in 2000.

A 45-year-old District man has pleaded guilty to threatening the life of a federal prosecutor, according to court records and trial testimony.

Darryl Tipps and a co-defendant, Wayne W. Pannell, 47, were charged with threatening the life of Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah Sines and threatening to kidnap her son. A jury convicted Pannell of all charges Oct. 7. Tipps pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors and testified against Pannell at his trial early this month, according to court records.

During his testimony, Tipps disclosed he had pleaded guilty to threatening to injure or kidnap a person and to obstructing justice in the case, according to lawyers and others who attended the trial.

Further details about Tipps's plea deal could not be learned because the agreement and supporting documents are sealed. Court papers filed by Pannell's defense lawyer disclosed the secret agreement but did not specify the charges. Pannell is scheduled to be sentenced in January. It is not known whether a sentencing date for Tipps has been set. At the time of Pannell's conviction, the status of Tipps's case was not clear.

With another round of state budget cuts looming, Margaret H. Marshall, chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, warned yesterday that financial troubles are clogging the courts, pulling probate officers from Boston schools, and decimating the ranks of court-appointed guardians.

Problems could range from long delays for hearings to get protective orders in family court to less court oversight of troubled youth to routine business taking months rather than weeks as courthouses are forced to eliminate workers.

“In my judgment, justice is in jeopardy in Massachusetts,’’ she said at her annual address to the legal community in downtown Boston. “These are strong words, and I use them with care.’’

For the first time in Marshall’s decade as chief justice, she focused her talk on a single topic and struck an unusually foreboding and political tone.

Littler Mendelson, P.C. (Littler), the nation's largest employment and labor law firm representing management, is pleased to announce the addition of Margaret A. ("Maggie") Clemens, a Rochester-based, nationally recognized ERISA litigator. Ms. Clemens recently joined Littler to open its 49th office in Rochester, New York.

Clemens is a much sought-after trial attorney with significant experience in ERISA and employment litigation - with a specialization in trial and appellate work. She has worked with some of the nation`s largest employers and has counseled clients in a variety of industries, including: manufacturing, communications, health care, higher education, and echnology and defense. Clemens joins Littler from the Rochester office of Nixon Peabody LLP, where she was a partner and the chair of that firm`s ERISA litigation practice group.

"We are thrilled that Maggie has decided to join the Littler team. Her depth of knowledge and experience working with Fortune 100 companies and counseling clients on their complex ERISA and employment litigation needs will strengthen Littler`s presence in the Northeast," said Marko Mrkonich, president and managing director of the Firm.

Morrison & Foerster LLP, the San Francisco-based law firm, will cut starting salaries to $145,000 for associates based in U.S. cities except New York, where they will remain $160,000, the firm said.

“The market for first-year salaries among national firms is undetermined at this time,” the firm said today in an e-mailed statement. “Given that, we will continue to assess starting salaries, in light of market trends, and may elect to adjust as required based on larger market developments.”

Large U.S. law firms including Nixon Peabody LLP, Baker & McKenzie LLP and Chadbourne & Parke LLP have cut attorney salaries this year. Also this year law firms including Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, Latham & Watkins LLP and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP have delayed start dates for incoming associates and asked lawyers to take time off in exchange for a reduced salary.

Law firms in New York City and across the U.S. raised associate salaries from $145,000 to $160,000 in early 2008.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday temporarily blocked Washington state officials from releasing the names of people who signed referendum petitions to bring expanded rights for gay couples up for a public vote in November.

The court's action maintains a hold placed Monday by Justice Anthony Kennedy, who temporarily blocked a federal appeals court ruling that had ordered the release of the names. Justice John Paul Stevens was the only member of the court who indicated he would have turned down the stay request.

The court said its order would remain in effect while it decides whether to take up a request by Protect Marriage Washington, the group that wants to reverse the ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Referendum 71 asks voters to approve or reject the so-called "everything but marriage" law, which grants registered domestic partners the same legal rights as married couples. While most domestic partners are gay and lesbian couples, under state law opposite-gender seniors also can register as domestic partners.

Conservative Christian groups that sponsored R-71 want to keep the signed petitions out of public view because they fear harassment from gay-rights supporters, some of whom have vowed to post the names of petition signers on the Internet.