Weekend Roundup

U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) is saying that former UNLV law professor and current 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Jay Bybee would not have been approved as a federal appeals judge if the Senate had known Bybee signed a controversial memo regarding interrogations of suspected terrorists. (Review-Journal)

A former Washoe County water engineer surrendered to sheriff's deputies in Reno to face charges that he embezzled millions of dollars from the county water division and gambled away more than $1 million of it at a local casino. (Review-Journal)

A federal grand jury indicted a Las Vegas real estate broker and her husband who were charged in March with defrauding federally-insured financial institutions of millions of dollars in order to inflate housing values, using straw purchasers and limited liability companies. The couple is also charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, 13 counts of bank fraud and criminal forfeiture. (Las Vegas Sun) The U.S. Attorney expects more arrests to come. (Reno Gazette-Journal)

Congratulations to California attorney Monica R. Dean, who joined the law firm of Lovaas & Lehtinen, P.C. (PR Web)

The effort to recall two Boulder City politicians is headed towards the Courts. (Las Vegas Sun)

There aren't many fines being issued for violations of the smoking ban. (Las Vegas Sun)

Attorneys on both sides are working on voir dire questions to choose a jury for the O.J. trial [pt 2]. (Las Vegas Now)

An interview with Josh Resiman from Ballard Spahr about oral argument before the Ninth Circuit in the landmark affordable housing/disability rights case. (In Business Las Vegas)

A letter to the editor says Judge Mosely may have some ethical problems, but he's tough on criminals. (Review-Journal)

The Las Vegas City Council may have found a compromise in the marriage soliciting wars: solicitors would have to stand in designed soliciting zones. (Las Vegas Sun)

Federal government attorneys are pushing for U.S. District Judge Philip Pro to intervene and save the possible sale of the Crazy Horse Too strip club. (Las Vegas Sun)

Embattled Ninth Circuit Judge Kozinski has hired Mark Holscher of Kirkland & Ellis to represent him in a pending judicial misconduct inquiry. (WSJ)

Emails sent by University of Nevada-Reno police will be scanned by school administrators to ensure campus police are no longer circulating porn. (Review-Journal)

Judge Kozinski Update--discrediting a Judge as trial strategy?

Is the assault on Ninth Circuit Judge Kozinski and resulting ethical investigating simply an attorney's litigation strategy? Apparently the attorney who leaked the website to the press, Cyrus Sanai, has been the subject of charges by Judge Kozinski's wife.

Overlawyed reports:

Cyrus Sanai tells Patterico that his triggering an investigation of Judge Alex Kozinski’s web site is all “part of a litigation strategy” but does not reveal what the other two steps of his three-step strategy is, or more insight into his strategic genius.

In addition, Overlawyered notes that this isn't the first time Sanai has used questionable tactics or arguments:

You may recall the previous post where I discussed criticism of Sanai from Judges Zilly (W.D. Wash.) and Grimes (L.A. Superior Court).

On Patterico, Cyrus Sanai has made available his brief arguing why Zilly’s sanctions order was incorrect. We highly recommend everyone read it, as the brief gives experienced attorneys a strong sense of the merits of Sanai’s arguments.

[hat tip to Overlawyered for the outstanding coverage]

Also, if you're interested Above the Law has news on the judges appointed to investigation Judge Kozinski and a story on how the legal tabloid site is getting pushback over the decision to support Judge Kozinski. (Above the Law)



Finally, from the Onion:
A Los Angeles pornography trial was suspended when it came to light that the judge had bestiality-tinged photos on his personal website. What do you think?

Katla Braidwood, Financial Adviser: "Well, good luck finding a judge that doesn't run a bestiality site."

Jon Harwood,Systems Analyst: "That's nothing. Have you ever seen the stuff on Justice Scalia's website?"

(a very slow legal news) Tuesday Roundup

Las Vegas police found Oakland Raiders wide receiver Javon Walker unconscious after he was robbed on a street off the strip. (Nevada Appeal)

Las Vegas Municipal Judge George Assad is going to have to apologize formally to a woman he jailed for two hours because her boyfriend did not show up in court to pay four-year-old traffic tickets. (Las Vegas Sun)

Chief Justice Roberts has appointed five East Coast judges to investigate the ethical issues involved in Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Kozinski's hosting of a publicly accessible website with humorous and explicit pictures. (WSJ)

Photos from the trial of former UMC CEO Lacy Thomas. (Review-Journal)

The ABA Journal details how a client letter left on the copier led a Las Vegas attorney to report his partner for misappropriation of client funds. (ABA Journal)

Judge Kozinski declares mistrial and recuses himself over website story

Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski declared a mistrial in the L.A. obscenity case and recused himself due to the public controversy regarding humorous and explicit pictures on his website. (WSJ)

[Even I think this is a tempest in a teapot. The pictures on the judge's website were humorous, rather than pornographic. Sure Catholic priests and some women would be offended by the pics, but a mistrial? Wow. It takes a lot for me to say the media's gone too far in scrutinizing a judge, but this whole website story is too over-the-top and irrelevant to the obscenity trial to not call the whole "scandal" ridiculous]

As a result, the L.A. trial of the creator of bestiality and scat porn will have to wait. Intrigued by what the Grand Jury would have to say about bestiality and scat porn? You can read the indictment here.

[hat tip to UsLaw.com]

Thurs Roundup

Chief Judge of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, Alex Kozinski, was scheduled to preside over the obscenity trial of a Hollywood adult filmmaker until it was revealed the Judge he had a publicly accessible website hosting explicit pictures, including women naked on all fours and painted as cows. You can see the cow pic and other NSFW pics from Judge Kozinski's website by clicking here. (LA Times) [honestly, the pics from the website are hilarious. I'll take a Judge with a sense of humor over the train wreck of Halverson anyday]

Staff from the Attorneys General's offices in Utah, Arizona and Nevada gathered in Vegas yesterday to discuss polygamy. (Fox News)

Speaking of affairs, Governor Gibbons has helped put the state back in the national spotlight as a result of his having an [alleged] affair while Governor and sending 860 text messages to his [alleged] mistress using a government text phone. (AP) George Knapp theorizes what the messages might have been. (Las Vegas City Life) [maybe Gov. Gibbons and Judge Halverson should team up for a traveling Nevada side show]

The Nevada Supreme Court is conducting its first hearing via webcast. (Harmful Error)

Congratulations to Lisa W. Lackland and Anthony L. Martin, who Lewis & Roca named as partners in their Las Vegas office. (JLNS)

The wives of two Chinese men accused of stealing more than $400 million from the Bank of China distanced themselves from their husbands yesterday, claiming they were not aware of the scheme to steal from the bank. (Review-Journal)

Clark Co. officially suspended Shadow Mountain Surgical Center's business license after reports that the surgery center continues to use unsafe injection procedures. (Review-Journal) [if Clark Co. keeps putting these unsafe medical practices out of business, where are Las Vegans going to go to get Hep-C when they really need it?!?]

Hulk Hogan's former wife wants the former wrestler cited by a Florida judge for failing to pay his share of a $4.2 million Las Vegas condo. (AP)

As part of a federal lawsuit brought by the SEC against Las Vegas-based Gold-Quest International, a North Dakota group of Native Americans calling themselves the Little Shell Indian nation (although they are not recognized as an Indian nation by U.S. or Canada) is seeking $1.7 million in damages. The matter is before U.S. District Judge Kent Dawson. (Review-Journal)

Street Preachers have dropped their First Amendment lawsuit (brought by the ACLU) against a Clark Co. ordinance limiting the size of signs that can be used on Strip sidewalks. The ordinance was changed to state signs may not pose an obstruction. (Review-Journal) [thank the Lord! Now Bellagio fountain visitors can again look forward to a nutjob screaming that they will burn in hell--the Founding Fathers would be proud]

In the Fernley flood trial, the chief government engineer overseeing an irrigation canal that broke and flooded 590 homes in Northern Nevada in January sought to reassure a U.S. District Judge Lloyd George on Wednesday that current reduced flows in the canal are safe. (Review-Journal)

Judge Mosley's competition for the District 14 judicial seat is coming out swinging. His signs declare "Tired of Corruption? ChrisDavisFor Judge.com." (Review-Journal)