American Bar Association news stories on Newser

Are Jail Strip Searches Unconstitutional?

Rob Quinn — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:06:15 CDT

Is it unconstitutional to strip-search every new inmate entering a jail? The Supreme Court will consider that question next month when it hears the case of Albert Florence, a 35-year-old New Jersey man who spent a week in jail because of a warrant that wrongfully said he was wanted for...

Groups Move to Disbar Bush Lawyers Over Torture

Kevin Spak — Mon, 18 May 2009 12:42:00 CDT

A coalition of mostly left-leaning organizations is attempting to get a gaggle of Bush officials disbarred for sanctioning torture, the Legal Times reports. In complaints filed with five state bar associations today, the groups accuse ex-attorneys general Michael Mukasey, Alberto Gonzalez, and John Ashcroft—along with nine others—of violating...

Judge Draws Ire for Shelving Capital Trial

Kevin Spak — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 19:18:46 CDT

Judge Hilton Fuller has drawn ire for shelving a Georgia death penalty case, but other states are hitting the same snag: low funds for capital court costs, the New York Times reports. Georgia can’t afford the $1.2 million to defend Brian Nichols, charged with killing four in a 2005...

Bar Association Seeks to Halt Executions

Colleen Barry — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 05:42:50 CDT

After a three-year study of the death penalty in eight states, the American Bar Association is calling for a nationwide moratorium on executions until prevalent problems in the system are rectified. Defense attorneys nationwide are under-qualified and underfunded, cases are plagued by sloppy evidence gathering, and race influences sentencing, the...