State appeals court: not all private conversations with pastors privileged.
A conversation with a religious leader is not protected from being revealed in court unless it occurred in private and the leader was acting as a spiritual adviser, a New Jersey appeals court has ruled. A unanimous three-judge panel of the New Jersey Appellate Division ruled on...

In our running critique of judicial activism--better described as the judicial usurpation of politics--you must not think we are oblivious to the number of judges who observe the self-denying ordinances appropriate to their role in this constitutional order.
* In our running critique of judicial activism-better described as the judicial usurpation of politics-you must not think we are oblivious to the number of judges who observe the self-denying ordinances appropriate to their role in this constitutional order. Such a judge is Michael W. McConnell of the Tenth...

Judge denies motion by Catholic Workers; Group faces charges for prayer protest.
Byline: Lee Hammel WORCESTER - A federal magistrate judge has denied a motion for a "necessity defense" for five people in the Catholic Worker Movement charged with obstructing the U.S. District courthouse when they prayed there for an end to the war in Iraq. The...

Supreme Court rules against D.C. gun-control law.
On June 26, by handing down a 5-4 decision in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which had struck down provisions of the District's Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975...

Federal Court Enjoins Enpath from Sales and Marketing of Its ViaSeal and FlowGuard Products.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY CLOSE-UP-23 August 2008-Federal Court Enjoins Enpath from Sales and Marketing of Its ViaSeal and FlowGuard Products(C)2008 - CloseUpMedia - newsdesk@closeupmedia.com Following a unanimous jury verdict that Enpath's ViaSeal and FlowGuard devices infringe key patents held by Pressure Products, a Federal District Court in Texas...

Eugene planners reject appeal of zone change consent.
Byline: Joe Mosley The Register-Guard Another step forward was taken this week in what promises to be an unhurried process to build a 23-acre, mixed-use development on riverfront property along Goodpasture Island Road in Eugene. The Eugene Planning Commission rejected a neighboring landowner's appeal of...

A decent reversal.
Byline: The Register-Guard One of the more idiotic regulatory overreactions in the history of federal government efforts to prevent the unauthorized exposure of human skin bit the dust - at least temporarily - when a federal appeals court on Monday threw out a $550,000 indecency fine against...

Police public files costly; $4,092.62 charge for a records search.
Byline: Thomas Caywood WORCESTER - A series of state court rulings in a case that originated in the city firmly established that police internal affairs files are public records in Massachusetts. The state Appeals Court noted in a key ruling nearly five years ago that...

Court pro business? Not so fast.
A highly watched Supreme Court case has added uncertainty to the finality of insurer-administrators' employee benefits denials. Ending its 2007-2008 term, a divided high court ruled that an insurer that both decides and pays benefits has a conflict of interest that may be weighed by a federal court in...

Changing the rules to foster growth; Zoning plan for village, Grafton St.
Byline: Nick Kotsopoulos WORCESTER - In its continued effort to foster redevelopment of existing buildings in mixed-use neighborhoods outside downtown, the city administration has recommended eliminating loading and off-street parking requirements in the lower Grafton Street area and in part of Quinsigamond Village. In addition...