justice

Elena Kagan completed a swift transition from top US government lawyer to judge on the highest US court Saturday after being sworn in to become the 112th US Supreme Court justice. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the judicial oath that marks the beginning of her tenure as the fourth woman to sit on the top US court. Kagan pledged to “faithfully and impartially” administer justice to people from all walks to life, grinning broadly as her new colleague offered his congratulations. “Welcome...

For the US Supreme Court, the only qualification is to be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate per Art III of the US Const. No law degree is required, although in modern practice, a law degree and extensive judicial experience is a must to prevail in the age of electronic media. For US District Courts and US Courts of Appeals, and other inferior courts, a law degree is required because those courts are established by Congress rather than the Constitution and Congress has required...

A court rejected a bias claim lobbed by the San Francisco District Attorney against a judge overseeing evidence issues in the crime lab scandal, ending prosecutors’ efforts to remove the judge from the case. The San Francisco District Attorney’s office claimed San Francisco Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo could not fairly preside over narcotics cases being challenged due to possible evidence tampering because she is married to a defense attorney who handled one federal case involving...

Many people are unaware of what the difference between a private criminal lawyer and a public attorney is. The explanation is rather straightforward. A public defender is the legal representation that is provided to a person who is unable to afford one. The public defender is thus charged to protect the interests of the clients while being paid by the government. But before a public defender is awarded to the accused individual, an eligibility test is carried out involving an assessment of a...