Comments on the Latest Developments in Mississippi Civil Litigation
Was it worth it? That’s the question I’m left with following Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.
On the plus side, at a normal life expectancy, he will serve on the Court for 30-plus years.
On the negative side, I’m not sure lawyers and judges who saw his loss of self-control at his…
A few weeks ago the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to the lawsuit industry in Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California. In an 8-1 decision, the Court ruled against mass joinder of plaintiffs in state court litigation where the plaintiffs have no connection to the forum state outside the defendant’s home…
Last week a black church in Greenville was burned and “Vote Trump” spray painted on the side of the brick building. NPR reports that the FBI has opened a civil rights investigation into the crime.
Comments from most Mississippi political leaders was on point:
“Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republican who has been campaigning for Donald
…
Being a U.S. Supreme Court justice is a great job. You get to keep it as long as you want, have a huge staff, are surrounded by smart people, are on a court that gets to pick the cases it decides and you get the whole summer off. Who else in the legal profession gets…
On Thursday in Dietz v. Bouldin, the Supreme Court ruled that federal district courts can recall jurors after identifying errors in deliberations.
The decision involved the trial of a car wreck case in Florida. The defendant admitted liability and stipulated $10,136 in damages for plaintiff’s medical expenses. During deliberations, the jury sent out a…
I’ll be the first to admit that on Saturday when I heard that Justice Scalia passed, my immediate thoughts turned to issues surrounding naming his replacement. “Is it too soon to be thinking this?” I thought, “or should I just be focusing on the legacy of a popular justice with a dry…
On Monday the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a 5th Circuit decision that affirmed the District Court’s grant of summary judgment in Johnson v. City of Shelby. Here is the Court’s per curiam Opinion.
The plaintiffs worked as police officers for the City of Shelby. They alleged that they were fired for refusing to…
On June 30, 2014 the U.S. Supreme Court granted cert and vacated a 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Gibson v. Kilpatrick.
The case originated in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, with Judge Michael Mills presiding. The plaintiff was the former police chief of Drew. He alleged that…
This is not going to be another one of those columns about whether Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg should retire from the Supreme Court–she should.
So why doesn’t she? My guess is that it’s a combination of the facts that she likes the job and it makes her feel special. Better in her mind to have…
Blogger Kenneth Jost wrote a post Sunday about the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings limiting class action lawsuits. By Monday, Jost updated the post to mention new Court decisions deemed hostile to civil litigation.
On the issue of class actions, Jost discussed recent Court rulings that allow corporations to circumvent class actions through the use of…