North Dakota Supreme Court News

Steven M. Light 1970-2012

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:20:47 CST

Fargo lawyer Steven M. Light, 42, died Feb. 8. He was a graduate of the University of North Dakota School of Law and became a member of the North Dakota bar in 1997. His funeral will be Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 11 a.m. at First Lutheran Church, Fargo.
- Steven M. Light Attorney Record

Fargo Public Schools creating history unit based around Judge Davies

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:35:33 CST

WDAY News: "North Dakota students will soon go beyond the textbooks to learn about a Fargo man who helped change the civil rights era. Carl Oberholtzer is on a mission to educate North Dakota elementary and high school students on Judge Ronald Davies."

Pattern Jury Instruction Commission March 1-2 agenda

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:43:37 CST

The agenda for the March 1-2 meeting of the Pattern Jury Instruction Commission has been posted.

Mont.: Bozeman-area lawyers gather to support equal access to justice

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:37:50 CST

KBZK News: "More than 130 attorneys from in and around Bozeman gathered on Friday to show their support for all Montana citizens having access to the courts."

U.S.: States slowly opening courts to cameras

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:40:29 CST

Sacramento Bee: "When the U.S. Supreme Court hears challenges to the national health care law this spring, fewer than 2,000 people, including press, guests and representatives of the public, will be able to see the court proceedings with their own eyes. That's because the nation's highest court imposes an unequivocal ban on cameras in the courtroom."

Wash.: Terminal cancer can't shake Supreme Court Justice's spirit

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:39:11 CST

Spokane Spokesman-Review: "Mary Fairhurst, a Washington state Supreme Court Justice with deep Spokane roots, is living with terminal colon cancer. It could take her life in six months or a year - or in 10 years and beyond. She's hoping for the 10-plus plan."

New Opinion: Feb. 10

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:00:00 CST

The Supreme Court posted a new opinion on Feb. 10.

Friends and colleagues remember Steven M. Light, 42

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:56:13 CST

G.F. Herald: "Steven M. Light, a well-known Grand Forks and Fargo criminal defense attorney, was found dead Wednesday evening inside a rest stop along Interstate 29 just south of Hillsboro, N.D., according to the Traill County Sheriff's Department."
- Fargo Forum: 42-year-old Fargo lawyer found dead at rest stop had baby on the way

Montana justices rule BNSF lawsuit can move ahead

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:31:39 CST

Billings Gazette/AP: "The Montana Supreme Court says that the clock has not run out on Livingston landowners' pollution claims against BNSF Railway. The Livingston Enterprise reports that the court's decision Tuesday blocks an attempt by BNSF to throw out landowners' claims dating back to 2007."
- Montana Supreme Court Cases
- Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Landmark ruling states polluters can be held accountable decades later

Mont. Supreme Court denies request to temporarily suspend corporate spending ban

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:06:37 CST

Great Falls Tribune: "The Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a request by the Washington, D.C.-based Western Tradition Partnership to temporarily suspended enforcement of the Corrupt Practices Act - a 100-year-old Montana law that bans corporate expenditures in political campaigns."
- SCOTUSblog: New Citizens United sequel

U of M Law School hosts discussions during 'Law and Religion Week'

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:57:11 CST

KSTP News: "The University of Minnesota Law School will be taking a look at the role of religion in law during a series of lunchtime events. The school has named Feb. 27 through March 2 'Law and Religion Week.'"

U.S.: Justice delayed, lawyers unpaid?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:55:29 CST

Wall Street Journal: "Last year 42 states cut judicial funding, according to the National Center for State Courts. The reductions come as poverty levels rise and states continue to pass new laws that essentially act as unfunded mandates because they increase the number of cases coming into the court system."

8th Circuit decides N.D. case

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 11:10:43 CST

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has decided a case involving two people who believed that their membership in the Little Shell Nation exempted them from the jurisdiction of the federal courts.
- United States v. Reed and Davis

S.D.: Supreme Court upholds Aberdeen DUI conviction

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 08:35:11 CST

Aberdeen American News: "The South Dakota Supreme Court has upheld an Aberdeen man's third drunken driving conviction in a decade, ruling that a police officer had reasonable suspicion to pull over the driver."
- Opinion Text: State v. Dahl

Minn. Legislature sends Dayton civil legal changes

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 08:56:37 CST

CBS/AP: "The Minnesota Legislature on Wednesday sent Gov. Mark Dayton a set of business-backed bills that change the way civil lawsuits are handled in the state."