National News
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U.S.: Seat reclining dispute aboard flight from MSP ends in legal thicket
MPR News: "On July 9, 2015, two passengers had a heated argument aboard a Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. It started when Monique Lozoya tried to recline her seat and the passenger behind her, Oded Wolff, traveling with his wife, jostled the seatback." -
Conference of Chief Justices adopts guidelines to make family courts work for the families they serve
News Release: "In an important step toward making family courts more user-friendly and less adversarial, the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) has adopted new guidelines to help courts evolve to meet changing needs and expectations. -
With Washington victory, the 'necessity defense' for environmental protesters is gathering steam
Legal News Line: "A Washington appeals court’s decision to overturn the conviction of a man who claims he had no choice but to break into a pipeline facility to save the planet from global warming represents the most important endorsement yet of a legal strategy that once was considered impossible." -
N.D. Attorney General opinions: April 11
Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem has issued an opinion that the City of Dickinson violated the open records laws because it did not provide records within a reasonable time and that the City of Arnegard violated the law by holding committee meetings without providing public notice. -
Nation: Beware of even the fine print, attorneys warn of ALI's insurance law Restatement
PennRecord: "The industry should be wary of more than just the main points in the American Law Institute's project on insurance liability law, because danger also lurks in the comments section, said several panelists at a University of Connecticut Law School conference." -
Mountain West tribes and states join Indian Child Welfare Act lawsuit
Wyoming Public Media: "So far, 325 tribes and states, including Montana, Idaho, Utah and Colorado, have joined forces to preserve a law that gives Native families preference in adoption of Native children. Texas, Indiana and Louisiana argue the Indian Child Welfare Act creates a special and unequal status for Native children that's unconstitutional." -
Nation: 3 months into new criminal justice law, success for some and snafus for others
Wyoming Public Media: "After spending 15 years in prison for a drug offense, Randy Rader had almost lost hope that he might get out of prison before his release date in 2023. If Rader's conviction for 5 grams of crack cocaine — his third drug offense — had happened after 2010, he would have received a much shorter sentence." -
Calif.: Single mom wins $153K in child support 50 years after divorce
ABC News: "A California woman was finally awarded child support 50 years after her ex-husband moved to Canada without making any of the court-ordered payments." -
U.S. court: Cop can’t stop driver for flipping him off
MPR News: "The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit was short and to the point in ruling this week that giving the finger to a cop is free speech and you can’t be pulled over for doing so." -
U.S.: Judicial Conference approves package of workplace conduct reforms
News Release: "The federal Judiciary’s national policy-making body [March 12] approved a package of workplace conduct-related amendments stating the obligations of judges and Judiciary employees to report reliable information likely to constitute misconduct."