Summary: Too busy to keep up with all the news that’s fit to print? Read about this week’s biggest headlines here.
We know you lawyers are busy, which makes it hard to stay on top of the news. To keep you up to date, we’ve compiled a list of this week’s top stories:
1. Russia Drops a Bomb. Or More Like Several Bombs. On Wednesday Russia launched its first round of airstrikes in Syria. Putin claims the strikes were aimed at ISIS, but the US says they actually hit Syrian rebels, and that Russia is “throwing gasoline on the fire” of Syria’s civil war. Syria’s war has been dragging on for four years. An estimated 9 million refugees have fled their homes, overwhelming Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Europe. Iran has announced it is sending foot soldiers to aid Russia. [The Guardian, syrianrefugees.eu]
2. Shooter Takes Down Victims at Oregon College. On Thursday morning a gunman opened fire at Umpqua Community College in rural southwest Oregon. Nine people and the gunman were killed and 20 were injured. [The New York Times]
3. Judge Nixes Courtroom Selfies. After obtaining a not-guilty verdict for his client in a first-degree homicide case, criminal defense attorney Anthony Cotton was so overjoyed he pulled out his phone . . . and took a selfie with his client. Cotton soon posted the photo on his Facebook page. The judge got wind of it, dragged Cotton back to his courtroom, and ordered the lawyer to delete the photo. Cotton obeyed and quickly apologized. Theoretically, the judge could have ordered Cotton into custody for contempt, if he had witnessed the photo being taken. “I know that [the] younger generation sees that social media stuff differently,” the judge said, but “[t]o me it’s undignified.” [Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Senitel]
4. Palestine President Disses the Oslo Accords. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas pulled a no-he-didn’t moment while addressing the UN. Abbas floored the international community by saying Palestinians are no longer bound by the Oslo accords. The Palestinian President claims Israel has violated the agreements by building too many settlements and occupying the West Bank, which Israel denies. Israel and Palestine signed the accords in the 1990s, setting up their own states. The accords are considered the foundation of the Middle East peace process. [The New York Times]
5. Government Shutdown Narrowly Averted . . . Again. With just hours to spare before the end of the fiscal year, Congress averted a government shutdown Wednesday, approving a temporary spending measure that will keep federal agencies open through December 11. Political analysts think House Speaker John Boehner’s resignation announcement may have garnered Democratic support for the bill and ultimately pushed it across the finish line. However, as The New York Times reports, “[T]he bill does nothing to resolve the core disputes over fiscal policy between Republicans and President Obama, setting up even larger and potentially more calamitous battles in the month ahead.” [The New York Times]
6. Jurors Still Deciding the Dewey & LeBouef Case. Jurors are nine days into deliberations in the criminal trial of Dewey & LeBouef’s former executives. Three of Dewey’s execs have been accused of altering the firm’s financial records to hide its money troubles from lenders and investors. The defendants have been charged with a scheme to defraud, conspiracy, New York state securities violations, 15 counts of grand larceny, and more than 30 counts of falsifying business records. Deliberations continued today, prompting some to wonder, “What’s taking so long?” Speculation is the prosecutors are getting nervous; the jurors seem to be locked and divided, which doesn’t bode well for proving the case “beyond a reasonable doubt.” [The American Lawyer]
Read more breaking news.