NEW FORMAT….

Inthiscase is on hiatus while changing format. Please look for our return in spring of 2009.

CA family argues right to home-school

The case of In re: Rachel L brought scores of educators and parents into a California courtroom Monday. Supporters of the case argued that California families have a constitutional right to educate their own children. The lower court held that families must provide state-credentialed tutors for their home-schooled children. Analysts say the case will likely end up before the California Supreme Court. (Post Chronicle, Washington Times)

Gay couple who sued first to wed

Robin Tyler and Diane Olsen, who filed the first California lawsuit challenging the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, will be the first gay couple in Los Angeles to legally marry. County officials will grant the two women an early license this coming Monday evening in recognition of their historic role. Licenses will be granted to other same-sex couples beginning Tuesday morning. (LA Daily News)

Paralegal for Civil Rights claims discrimination

Joi Hyatte spent 13 years as a paralegal at the Justice Department, Civil Rights Division. An African-American, Hyatte alleges she was repeatedly passed up for promotions in violation of regular procedure, denied cash bonuses, and given downgraded evaluations. DOJ has not yet responded. (Legal Times blog)

Four sex offenders have tracking bracelets removed

A North Carolina judge has ruled that four sex convicted sex offenders could not be subjected to lifetime monitoring—their ankle bracelets and waist transmitters have been removed. The constitutional issues of lifetime monitoring are unresolved. (Charlotte Observor)

Disabled travelers sue airline and local airport.

Five disabled travelers have sued Northwest Airlines and Metro Airport in Detroit, alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal regulations that ensure equal access. The suit was filed by Richard Bernstein, a blind man who flies out of the Detroit airport weekly. The suit describes damaged wheelchairs, lack of boarding assistance, and other concerns. (Detroit Free Press)

Student downloaders stay anonymous.

Boston University students have all been assured of more privacy for their internet activities since last week, when a federal judge ruled that BU cannot turn over the names of students who have used sites suspected by the recording industry of enabling illegal downloads of music files. Recording companies have brought some 20,000 cases nationwide for copyright infringement, many against students. (Boston.com)

No fines for reporter protecting sources

Toni Locy, a former reporter for USA Today, has told a federal court that she will not reveal her confidential sources for a story on the 2001 anthrax attacks. The trial judge ordered Locy to pay daily sanctions of up to $5,000 out of her own pocket, despite the fact that she is still appealing her case. An appellate judge suspended the order. (AP/LexisONE, National Press Photographers Assoc.)

Get back to your cell.

FIRST-PERSON….I had to go to jail because in 1998 I got a DWI, and then last April I got pulled over after a couple of beers. When you have a prior these days, they’re much more harsh about drinking and driving. The penalty could have been one year in jail if I had gone to trial and lost. My lawyer said, your best bet is to plead and take the DC mandatory, five days in jail. I pleaded and took the five days. It’s not a full five days, it’s called a weekend. You go at seven at night on a Friday and you’re released on Tuesday morning at seven. Leading up to my weekend I read about the DC jail, about the people that have died there and the mayhem that goes on there, and I got pretty nervous. I read one article about the lawsuits that are pending for people that were left in there and forgotten about. For days, weeks, months….

Ex-inmate says prison exec shouldn’t become a judge

Alex Friedmann spent six years in a Tennessee prison run by the world’s largest private prison company, Corrections Corporation of America. During his sentence Friedmann sued CCA, alleging the company retaliated against him for critical comments made to the press. Now an editor at Prison Legal News, Friedmann has found that Gus Puryear, general counsel for CCA, has been nominated to the federal bench, despite a record of only two federal trials. If still confirmed, Puryear would oversee dozens of criminal cases a year, potentially sentencing defendants to private prisons run by his former employer. Friedmann, ever vigilant, is organizing opposition to the appointment. (AP, Mother Jones, Corpwatch)