U.S. Courts

Lady Justice

John Errol Ferguson Will Be Executed Despite The Fact That He's Completely Insane

No one denies that John Errol Ferguson is insane. Ferguson's been having psychotic visions for more than four decades, and for years has firmly believed that he's the "Prince of God" who will ascend directly to the right hand of God when he dies. The last judge to consider his case conceded that he' ... More >>

Rick Scott's Early Voting Law Would Suppress Black Votes, Federal Court Rules

Also read "New Voting Laws Could Take Out Obama This Fall."It's becoming a regular morning routine for Floridians: Roll out of bed, sip a cafecito, open the paper to read about the latest bananas Rick Scott law getting tossed out by a federal court. This morning's edition comes courtesy the U.S. Dis ... More >>

Feds Drop Charges Against Miami Doctor Because They've Got Too Much Evidence

Back in 2007, the feds indicted a Miami doctor for allegedly writing bogus prescriptions for hydrocodone and other addictive medicines shipped across the country through an online pharmacy. The case was more than solid; in fact, prosecutors gathered more than 400,000 pages of records to bolster thei ... More >>

Rick Scott Appeals "Docs vs. Glocks" Decision

The latest shot has been fired in what may be Gov. Rick Scott's dumbest legal battle yet.Earlier this month a federal judge struck down the so-called "Docs vs. Glocks" law that Scott had signed into law last year. Now Scott has ordered the Florida Department of Health to appeal the decision. Keep in ... More >>

Katherine Fernandez Rundle Is No Janet Reno

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke takes on the Miami-Dade state attorney.Katherine Fernandez Rundle is no Janet Reno. Miami-Dade's top prosecutor, who is a Democra ... More >>

Kathy Rundle Is No Janet Reno

Rick Scott's "Docs vs. Glocks" Law Struck Down

Another month, another one of Rick Scott's controversial laws struck down by a federal court. This time around it's a strange NRA-backed provision that banned doctors from asking patients about owning a gun. A Miami-based federal judge had already placed an injunction on the law, and last week struc ... More >>

Obamacare Ruled Constitutional By Supreme Court; Sorry, Pam Bondi

In a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court has upheld President Obama's health care mandate, with Chief Justice John Roberts casting the surprising, deciding vote that the sweeping reform is constitutional. The ruling is a blow to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who spearheaded the first national court ch ... More >>

New Voting Laws Could Take Out Barack Obama This Fall

Florida Cop Dresses as Electric Company Worker to Snoop For Pot Without Warrant

​Florida cops, it seems, will do just about anything to find that marijuana plant growing in your closet. The U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide whether Miami police violated the Constitution by routinely sniffing around suspected grow houses with drug-smelling dogs without first getting a search ... More >>

Liberty City Seven Denied A New Trial Despite Juror Shenanigans

photo by Tim ElfrinkNaudimar Herrera, who was cleared of charges in the Liberty City Seven case. His co-defendants' appeal was denied.​Next time someone argues that justice is the end result after a trip through American courts, here's the only rebuttal you need: "Liberty City Seven." The informan ... More >>

Casey Anthony Verdict Justifies Guantanamo Bay Tribunals Claims Republican Leader Mitch McConnell

​Who knew the Casey Anthony verdict would have implications on the United States' interpretation of the Geneva Conventions? According to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, the failure of a Florida jury to convict Anthony proves the need to try terrorist suspects at military tribunals outsid ... More >>

Florida's Death Penalty Laws Deemed Unconstitutional

​Florida's particular method of sentencing prisoners to death has been deemed unconstitutional by Miami U.S. District Judge Jose Martinez today. The decision will not immediately strike down the law and didn't find the death penalty in and of itself unconstitutional. Though, it will guarantee conv ... More >>

Confederate License Plates? Ruling Might Mean They Could Be Coming to Florida

​A Federal Judge has ruled that Florida should have approved the request of a group looking to honor a group of rebels who waged war against the United States in the name of slavery. U.S. District Judge John Antoon II ruled the state's specialty license plate law unconstitution ... More >>

Former Lee County Commissioner Vicki Lukis Is No Longer A Convicted Felon

Vicki Lukis ​Fourteen years after New Times chronicled her free fall out of public office and into the slammer, Vicki Lukis has won her redemption. On Monday, federal Judge John Steele of the U.S. District Court in Lee County vacated her 1997 conviction on honest services fraud. Her case was a fas ... More >>

Jack B. Thompson, Disbarred Porn & Video Game Opponent, Now Enrolled in Virtual Seminary

wikimedia commonsJack B. Thompson​John "Jack" B. Thompson, the Coral Gables attorney disbarred in 2008 for -- among other things -- sending swastikas, gay porn, and pictures of gavel-wielding kangaroos to the state supreme court, is now changing careers.Thompson, who once scrapped with Miami rap g ... More >>

2010 was not a good year for African Americans

Elena Kagan helped 2 Live Crew and blacks, so confirm her already

Elena Kagan Will Make A Fine Supreme Court Justice

​Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke analyzes Elena Kagan's nomination to the highest court in the land. I'm happy to see that Barack Obama nominated El ... More >>

Supreme Court gives rapist Dewayne Pinacle another chance

Scott Rothstein's work as a Mafia informant might help him in his Ponzi case

Judge Approves Third Gay Adoption in South Florida Since 2008

There's something wrong when ABC sitcoms are more progressive than Florida laws.​Another blow to Florida's gay adoption ban was served as the third adoption since 2008 by a gay parent was approved by a Miami-Dade judge. The ruling follows a decision by Monroe Circuit Judge David J. Audlin in Augus ... More >>

Cuba Ordered to Pay $27.5 Million for Jailing Dissident Journalist

Cuban dissident journalist Omar Rodriguez Saludes was arrested in 2003 and sentenced to 27 years in prison simply for telling the truth. Today a U.S. federal judge ordered the government and communist party of Cuba to pay $27.5 million to Rodriguez Saludes's mother.    "During hi ... More >>

United States Will Officially Have It's First Hispanic Justice

Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed by the Senate today. No big surprise there. Every member of the Democratic caucus, save for Ted Kennedy who remains ill and could not attend, voted for Sotomayor. That would include, of course, Bill Nelson.While only nine republicans offered their "yays," including ... More >>

Charlie Crist Finally Makes up His Mind About Sotomayor

Charlie Crist had been awkwardly mum on whether he would support the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Now that it's almost assured she'll get confirmed, he has finally decided to let everyone know that, no, he would not vote to confirm this lady. Here's his statement (via Nake ... More >>

Mel Martinez Takes Pride in Sotomayor's "Historic Achievement"

The Senate's lone Hispanic Republican, Florida's Mel Martinez, says he'll vote for the Supreme Court's first Hispanic nominee. Martinez is the second Republican senator to announce his intent to vote for Sonia Sotomayor. (Olympia Snowe quickly become the third after Martinez's announcement.)Here's ... More >>

Al Franken Finally Wins, Karma Makes Up For 2000 Florida Election Fiasco

via CPBlotterThe Minnesota Supreme Court has unanimously declared Al Franken the winner of the 2008 Minnesota Senate race. Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty is widely expected to certify the results and send the SNL-alum to the highest legislative body in the land. The win will gi ... More >>

Where's Timoney Now? In D.C. Supporting Sotomayor

We all know Miami Police Chief John Timoney likes to get out of town every chance he gets, so he couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet Vice President Joe Biden and talk up President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. "She's done all right for herself. She's the quintessential America ... More >>

Where's Timoney Now? Up in DC Supporting Sotomayor

We all know Miami Police Chief John Timoney likes to get out of town every chance he gets, so he couldn't pass up a chance to meet Vice President Joe Biden and talk up President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. "She's done all right for herself. She's the quintessential American s ... More >>

Marco Rubio Takes a Swipe at Sonia Sotomayor

Wing-nut Cuban-American criticizes first Hispanic Supreme Court justice.

The Same People Who Brought You Amendment Two Gear Up For Gay Adoption Fight

It's been a long time since we've heard from the folks at the Liberty Council, the religious right wing organization that played a huge role in Amendment Two -- the ban that threatens any recognition of homosexual commitment in Florida. Wonder what they're up to? Oh, doing everything in their power ... More >>

Florida Convict Isn't Joking This Time

 When death row inmate Michael Lambrix applied to be a Florida Supreme Court Justice in January, the nominating committee had a good laugh. "It's tongue-in-cheek," said Chair Robert Hackleman - and it probably was. (Lambrix wrote: "My biggest qualification...is that I'm the only applicant tha ... More >>

One Lawyer's Fight to Change Guantanamo Bay -- At the Expense of His Career

Maj. Tom Fleener was enjoying a quiet life as an assistant public defender in Wyoming when he was thrust into the greatest legal conundrum of our times.Courtesy Wikimedia CommonsFleener, an Army Reservist, became more and more outraged as he read about the military commissions set up in Guantanamo B ... More >>

County's Crane Ordinance Deconstructed in Federal Court

Today there was a minor crane accident on NE 79th street. The crane tipped, but no one was hurt. It was fitting as Miami-Dade's controversial crane ordinance was also tipped over this week in a federal court. The county passed the law in March of last year, the same month a much more serious crane a ... More >>

Wait, So Registered Child Abusers Had More Adoption Rights Than Gays?

Riptide was going to write you up a nice "The Florida Supreme Court for Dummies" post, but in its research found itself caught up in tangents. Our interest was spurred in part by yesterday's overturning of the gay adoption ban by a Miami judge (as well as by future Crist appointments). The issue wil ... More >>

Was it a Tall or a Venti?

Jack Thompson, 2 Live Crew's Greatest Nemesis, Disbarred

Blogger Rumpole Ruffles the Courts

His blog Justice Building keeps judges on their toes.

Jack Thompson Don't Know Jack

Why will the right-wing crusader likely lose his license? Swastikas are just the start.

Water Fight

The Biscayne Aquifer is pristine no more

BEST LOCAL BAND OF ALL TIME

2 Live Crew

In the Rough

A half-century before the Tiger Woods era, black Miamians fought a losing battle to hit the links

News of the Weird

Go Directly to Court

In a high-stakes showdown, Miami hopes to put some muscle on its enfeebled Nuisance Abatement Board

Juris Without Prudence

What litigant is willing to take Madonna, the CIA, and Governor Chiles to court? It's Alfredo F. de Castro, Miami's one-man suit factory.

The Boulder Boys Must Die

When federal prosecutors seek the death penalty in drug-related murders, the defendants are almost always black. Why should Miami's first "kingpin" case be any exception?

Keep It Coming!

Coral Gables officials send taxpayers' money to the lawyers in wheelbarrows. Guess they really don't like pretty red news racks.

Coral Gables Officials to See Red

A federal judge says yes to colorful newsracks

There Ought to Be a Law