• California's Bid to End Prison Oversight Denied in Federal Court
• BY: McClatchy News   |   April 12, 2013
• A three-judge federal court on Thursday rejected Gov. Jerry Brown's attempt to avoid the court's order to reduce California's prison population. They also threatened to find state officials in contempt if they do not further reduce prison populations.

• Bigger Police Presence in Schools Puts More Kids in Court
• Source: New York Times   |   Nation   |   April 12, 2013
• As school districts across the country consider placing more police officers in schools, some are raising alarm about what they have seen in the schools where officers are already stationed: a surge in criminal charges against children for misbehavior that many believe is better handled in the principal’s office.

• Wisconsin GOP Lawmakers Want to Limit Court's Influence
• Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   |   Wisconsin   |   April 11, 2013
• With some of their major legislative achievements thwarted by the courts in the past two years, Wisconsin Republicans are advancing a bill that would limit the ability of circuit judges to block state laws for the long term.
• 2 Comments

• Is NYC's Bike-Tour Fee Legal?
• Source: New York Times   |   New York   |   April 11, 2013
• An effort by New York City to charge a nonprofit bicycling group nearly $1 million for the cost of policing its annual citywide bike tour appeared to be in jeopardy.

• North Dakota AG Seeks $400k to Defend New Abortion Laws
• Source: Inforum   |   North Dakota   |   April 10, 2013
• The state’s top attorney is asking lawmakers to include $400,000 in his budget to fight any litigation resulting from passage of what some say are the most restrictive anti-abortion measures in the country.
• 2 Comments

• Fracking Foes Win in California Court
• Source: San Francisco Chronicle   |   California   |   April 9, 2013
• A federal magistrate ruled that federal authorities broke the law when they leased land in Monterey and Fresno counties to oil drillers without studying the possible risks of hydraulic fracturing.

• Ruling a Blow to Plan to End Federal Oversight of California Prisons
• Source: Los Angeles Times   |   California   |   April 8, 2013
• A federal judge rejected Gov. Jerry Brown's claim that California has improved its mental healthcare for inmates enough to end 17 years of court oversight.

• Colorado Governor Orders Audit of Sentencing Records
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   April 5, 2013
• The order comes two weeks after DOC executive director Tom Clements was shot to death at his Monument home. The chief suspect is parolee Evan Ebel, a man released from prison about four years early because of a court's clerical error.

• Sequester Squeezes Massachusetts Judiciary
• Source: Boston Globe   |   Massachusetts   |   April 4, 2013
• Nationwide, the judiciary’s budget has been cut nearly $350 million for the 2013 fiscal year, leading to the layoffs or involuntary furloughs of 2,000 employees, according to the court system.

• In Atlanta Cheating Scandal, All But 4 Turned Themselves In
• Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution   |   Atlanta   |   April 3, 2013
• Some of the educators spend several hours in jail before posting bond amounts starting at $40,000.

• Judge Overturns Colorado Election Law
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   April 2, 2013
• The law required that petition circulators be paid on an hourly basis, rather than on a by-signature basis. Critics argued it made it more difficult for citizens to place a measure on the ballot.

• California Governor Grants 65 Easter Pardons
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   April 1, 2013
• On the day before Easter, Gov. Jerry Brown pardoned 65 people who served sentences years ago for various crimes.

• Atlanta School Officials to Start Turning Themselves In
• Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution   |   Atlanta   |   April 1, 2013
• The first of almost three dozen indicted educators are expected to walk through the doors of the Fulton County Jail Monday to be processed as accused felons related to alleged cheating on standardized test scores and the covering up of those actions.

• D.C. Government Judges Fighting to Unionize for the 1st Time
• Source: Washington Post   |   District of Columbia   |   April 1, 2013
• Now a group of city administrative law judges is seeking to organize for the first time, and the months-long effort has generated frustration among union advocates who think Mayor Vincent C. Gray has failed to match his pro-labor rhetoric with action.
• 1 Comments

• Stockton Bankruptcy Sets Stage for Pension Battle
• BY: Liz Farmer   |   April 1, 2013
• Some say the ruling in Stockton, Calif.'s case could lead to a U.S. Supreme Court decision on how bankrupt cities deal with their pension liabilities.