Sam Hananel

October 20, 2005 | National Law Journal

Reacting to a controversial Supreme Court ruling, the Senate moved Wednesday to bar some federal funds from projects where homes are seized to build shopping malls or other commercial developments. Separately, Sen. John Cornyn is pushing a bill that would ban federal funds' use in construction projects that rely on the Court decision to seize property. The Court's June ruling was slammed by property rights groups and drew a scathing dissent from Justice Sandra Day O'Connor as favoring wealthy corporations.

By Sam Hananel

2 minute read

September 20, 2011 | New York Law Journal

The Labor Department is signing agreements to share information with nine states and the IRS that will help Labor officials target businesses that improperly label workers as independent contractors or as non-employees to deprive them of minimum wage and overtime pay.

By Sam Hananel

3 minute read

January 26, 2005 | Law.com

Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs agreed Tuesday to pay $40 million each to settle regulators' allegations that they improperly doled out shares of hot new stocks to certain customers to get them to buy more at inflated prices once trading began. The SEC's enforcement director said the cases "underscore the Commission's resolve to ensure the integrity of IPO markets by prohibiting conduct that could artificially stimulate demand or higher prices in the aftermarket."

By Sam Hananel

3 minute read

August 04, 2009 | Law.com

The willingness of some Democrats to drop the "card check" portion of a union organizing bill has led opponents of the measure to intensify their attack on another major provision: binding arbitration if a new union and management can't agree on a first contract within 120 days. A small group of senators led by Democrat Tom Harkin of Iowa is working out a compromise of the Employee Free Choice Act, one of the most polarizing measures in Congress and the top legislative priority of labor leaders.

By Sam Hananel

5 minute read

November 16, 2010 | Law.com

Claimants angry over delayed or denied benefits made at least 80 threats to kill or harm administrative law judges or staff in the past year, an 18 percent increase from the prior period.

By Sam Hananel

4 minute read

September 16, 2011 | Law.com

By Sam Hananel

5 minute read

March 03, 2005 | National Law Journal

The Supreme Court considered Tuesday whether to throw out a Missouri inmate's death sentence because he was forced to appear in leg irons and handcuffed to a chain around his belly while a jury decided his fate. The defendant's lawyer, Rosemary Percival, argued, "Shacking a defendant basically places a thumb on death's side of the scale and dehumanizes him, making it easier for a jury to find in favor of a death sentence."

By Sam Hananel

3 minute read

March 03, 2005 | Law.com

The Supreme Court considered Tuesday whether to throw out a Missouri inmate's death sentence because he was forced to appear in leg irons and handcuffed to a chain around his belly while a jury decided his fate. The defendant's lawyer, Rosemary Percival, argued, "Shacking a defendant basically places a thumb on death's side of the scale and dehumanizes him, making it easier for a jury to find in favor of a death sentence."

By Sam Hananel

3 minute read

August 12, 2010 | Law.com

Companies using criminal records or bad credit reports to screen out job applicants might run afoul of anti-discrimination laws as the government steps up scrutiny of hiring policies that could hurt blacks and Hispanics. A blanket refusal to hire workers based on criminal records or credit problems can be illegal if it has a disparate impact on racial minorities, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency that enforces the nation's employment discrimination laws.

By Sam Hananel

5 minute read

November 30, 2009 | Law.com

It's been 20 years since the first drug court was established in Miami as an innovative way of getting nonviolent offenders out of the criminal justice system and into court-supervised drug rehabilitation programs. Since then, more than 2,300 drug courts have blossomed around the country, credited with reducing crime and saving the cost of locking people up. Despite that success, the specialized courts remain available to less than 10 percent of the 1.2 million drug-addicted offenders.

By Sam Hananel

4 minute read