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The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this week that Title IX protections apply to sports scheduling, in addition to funding. Noting that non-primetime games result in a loss of audience, conflict with homework, and foster feelings of inferiority, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals found that discriminatory scheduling practices are actionable through a Title IX gender discrimination lawsuit. Amber Parker and Tammy Hurley filed identical gender discrimination lawsuits on behalf of their minor daughters, both of whom played on Franklin County High School’s girls’ varsity basketball team....

In plaintiff’s copyright-infringement case against defendant for infringement of its copyright on George Clinton’s song, based on the use of the phrase “Bow wow wow, yippie yo, yippie yea”, district court’s finding that defendant willfully infringed plaintiff’s rights in the song and an award of statutory damages of $88,980 are affirmed where: 1) the jury instructions were not erroneous as a matter of law; and 2) the district court did not abuse its discretion in declining to give the instructions requested by the defendant....

Judge Michael Dow, Jr., who is presiding over a high-profile case on police reforms, knows a lot. He holds doctorates of philosophy and law from the nation’s finest educational institutions. But that’s not what makes him smart enough to handle the case. With hundreds of people trying to get into the courtroom, the judge decided to let 76 voice their opinion. What he knows – perhaps more than anybody – is that they need to be heard....

Chances are, you’ve never thought of cockfighting as a religious experience. But there are people who at least claim to view deadly combat by chickens as something downright godly. One of them is a Louisiana man, Lloyd Plumbar, who claims to be the pastor of a church called Holy Fight Ministries. Plumbar filed suit in federal district court in Louisiana last month. In his complaint, Plumbar said that he was driving to Holy Fight Ministries on April 29 to lead its “Sunday religious service” when he was pulled over by Livingston County sheriff’s deputies, who charged him with several counts of illegal cockfighting....

Here’s an interesting case from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals involving private tuition rights for a student with disabilities. The appellate court upheld a district court ruling on the matter, which essentially overturned a ruling by a PennsCylvania Due Process Hearing Officer. Earlier, a Pennsylvania Due Process Hearing Officer had ruled that Ridley School District violated the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) and the Rehabilitation Act. The student involved was a child with learning disabilities and severe allergies....

Here’s an interesting case about tax fraud and the admissibility of evidence. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently dealt with a case involving over half a million dollars in unpaid taxes. When the taxpayers alleged that they had made a willful attempt at paying the tax and that the non-payment was not, in fact, willful, the government threw in damning evidence that hurt the taxpayers’ case. The DeMuros, a married couple, owned and managed an engineering company....

When writing a last will and testament, if you are married or in a domestic partnership, you may wonder what property is “yours” to give to beneficiaries. Property ownership is confusing, especially if you are married or in a community property state. Property Distributed by a Last Will and Testament First, you should know what you can and can’t give away in your will. A will distributes certain types of property but not all....

We’re all pretty familiar with distracted driving laws by now, and, hopefully, we’re careful to minimize our cell phone use while behind the wheel. But what if we’re riding around on two wheels? Do the same traffic laws apply to drivers of motor vehicles and pedaled ones? While there are statutes that assign cyclists the same legal responsibilities and liability as drivers of vehicles, there are exceptions, and many have looked at distracted driver laws and concluded they don’t apply in the same way to those riding bicycles....

In a recent editorial opinion penned for the New York Times, retired United States Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens had a clear message for the youth of today: Repeal the Second Amendment. Justice Stevens explains that repealing the Second Amendment is now the clearest path to undoing the impact of the 2008 case District of Columbia v. Heller, which he believes was decided incorrectly. Heller effectively invalidated gun control legislation and held that there is an individual right to bear arms within the Second Amendment....

When a Wells Fargo branch was robbed in Aurora, Colorado, police took it seriously, stopping every car at a nearby intersection and holding them at gunpoint while they attempted to locate the pilfered cash. The mass detention of 29 people lasted over two hours and led to two lawsuits; one by fourteen people who were detained and another by the bank robber, who was caught in the stop. If that’s not bizarre enough, consider how the robbery itself....

Last month, we reported that the Pennsylvania legislature had passed Senate Bill No. 508, a law that would allow a crime victim to prevent the crime perpetrator from talking about the crime if doing so would make the crime victim feel bad. The Pennsylvania law in this case was pretty squarely targeted at Mumia Abu Jamal, convicted in 1983 of murdering a Philadelphia police officer. Almost immediately after Gov. Bill Corbett signed it into law, Mumia supporters sued to block its enforcement....

Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association is heading back to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and Entertainment Merchants Association filed a motion in the Supreme Court in July asking for reimbursement of over $1 million in legal expenses they incurred in fighting a California law restricting the sale of violent video games to minors. In June, the Supreme Court decided in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association that the law violated the First Amendment right to free speech....

In plaintiffs’ ERISA action against the Pension Fund claiming that they should have received pension credit for the time they spent as instructors at a Chicago trade school, district court’s grant of defendant’s motion for summary judgment is affirmed as the plan language provides for pension credit only if an employer has made contributions to the fund on an employee’s behalf. Read Perry v. Sheet Metal Worker’s Local No. 73 Pension Fund, No....

It’s a rare occasion indeed when a federal court upholds a state prisoner’s federal habeas corpus claim. The procedural bar to getting relief – showing that a state court’s decision was “contrary to, or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law, as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States” – is quite high. But Shawn Jackson made it over the hurdle. Miranda protects suspects only when there’s a custodial interrogation going on....

The vice-president shoots a man in the face, and walks. A man touches the vice-president’s shoulder, and is arrested by Secret Service. If this sounds in any way unfair to you, then you’ll be delighted to learn that the Supreme Court granted a writ of certiorari this morning in Reichle v. Howards, a qualified immunity case out of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2006, Respondent Steven Howards spotted then-Vice President Dick Cheney at the Beaver Creek Mall in Beaver Creek, Colo....

Antonin Scalia has been historically recognized for his influence on the law, and now two researches have quantified it. In a treatise, the authors show how often Scalia’s ideas are explored in casebooks on constitutional law. They say he ranks among the highest of Supreme Court justices who are referenced in the cases. However, the study also reveals Scalia did “not tower over” other jurists. It may have something to do with the justices who had power to assign opinions....

To say most lawyers are “busy” would be a colossal understatement. But, in most cases, the way to get new clients through the door is to pick up the phone when they call - or to answer their email. A recent study published by Clio took on a thorn that sticks in many attorneys’ sides: Responding to client inquiries. And, well…the results aren’t great. Please Leave a Message The research firm conducting the survey attempted to contact 1,000 law firms via both email and phone to assess their responsiveness....

Many of us — maybe even most of us — avoid thinking about our tax obligations until April 15 draws near. But there are good reasons to start thinking about taxes well before then. In fact, you probably should be thinking about them before New Year’s Eve. If you do, you might save a few bucks. First, though, here’s a brief look at a few ways the federal tax return you’ll be filing by April 15 will differ from previous ones....

If you are looking for the best-paying lawyer jobs, you should probably look elsewhere. That’s because the top salaries are probably not where you are. According to U.S. News & World Report, the highest mean salaries for lawyers are in Washington, DC, at $186,560. California is a distant second with $168,200. Location, location, location, however, is more the mantra of real estate professionals. Lawyers are more like fisherman. You have to go where the fish are if you want to catch the big ones....

Well, that was surprising, right? If you were like most of us – those of us who spent the last few days obsessively checking presidential polls, that is – a Trump victory on Tuesday wasn’t what you were expecting. But it happened, leaving Donald Trump in charge of the White House and primed to make his impact felt on the Supreme Court. What a Trump administration looks like remains somewhat of a mystery....