Cynthia Holcomb Hall, a federal appeals court judge whose rulings frequently took a conservative view, has died in Pasadena. She was 82.
The Los Angeles Times says Hall died Saturday at her home from cancer.

Hall was appointed to the U.S. Tax Court in 1972. In the 1980s, she was appointed to the U.S. District Court and then to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Though semi-retired in 1997, she continued to hear some cases.

Hall often took a conservative tack. She dissented in 2003 when the court majority reinstated a lawsuit against gun manufacturers in a Los Angeles hate crime.

However, she voted with the majority in a 2006 ruling that upheld the right of an Alaskan high schooler to display a banner reading: "Bong Hits 4 Jesus."

Federal court officials say a senior judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco has died after an illness. Judge David R. Thompson was 80.

Officials say Thompson, of San Diego, died Saturday in San Francisco, where he was in town to hear oral arguments in several cases.

He was nominated to the appeals court by President Ronald Reagan and was appointed in December 1985. The court says he ranked 19th in seniority among its 48 active and senior judges.

Before he became a judge, Thompson's private law practice was in business litigation and general trials. He also served for three years on a committee that advises the judiciary's national governing body.

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Bill Bablitch has died at age 69.

Court officials say Bablitch died Wednesday evening at his winter home in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Bablitch retired in 2003 after serving 20 years on the court. Justice David Prosser tells the Journal Sentinel that Bablitch wrote many important and memorable decisions and that he was proud to call him a friend.

Bablitch was the Portage County district attorney until his election to the state Senate in 1972. He served seven years as Senate majority leader.

The former director of South Carolina's Corrections Department is joining a Columbia law firm.

Jon Ozmint said Thursday he has joined the Collins & Lacy law firm.

Ozmint is a lawyer and led South Carolina's prison system for eight years. He previously served as deputy attorney general, chief prosecutor of the State Grand Jury and general counsel for the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

Ozmint currently serves as a member of the Sentencing Reform Oversight Commission. He says he chose Collins & Lacy for the firm's commitment to helping South Carolina businesses.

Ozmint received the state's highest award, the Order of the Palmetto, earlier this year.

Michael Thurmond, who served three terms as Georgia's labor commissioner, has joined the Atlanta law firm of Butler, Wooten and Fryhofer.

In making the announcement on Tuesday, the firm said Thurmond will focus on personal injury cases, product liability, class actions and whistleblower claims.

Thurmond ran for the U.S. Senate last year rather than seek re-election as labor commissioner. He won the Democratic nomination but lost in the general election to incumbent Republican Johnny Isakson.

Before becoming labor commissioner, Thurmond served in the Georgia Legislature, representing a district in Athens, and practiced law there.

Former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan is joining a law and lobbying firm in Washington, D.C.

Dickstein Shapiro LLP announced Tuesday that the Holland Republican has been hired as a senior adviser.

Hoekstra plans to offer legislative and regulatory counseling in the areas of national security, defense, foreign relations, intelligence and international business, as well education and labor.

He skipped a 2010 re-election bid for his 2nd District congressional seat in west Michigan so he could run for governor, but lost to fellow Republican Rick Snyder.

During his 18 years in Congress, Hoekstra was the top-ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee and served as chairman some years.

At Dickstein Shapiro, the 57-year-old will be working with former House Speaker Dennis Hastert and former Arkansas Sen. Tim Hutchinson.