U.S. Court of Appeals

What? The city's health care plan is illegal? How does that work?

US Supreme Court to SF Restaurant Association: Pay Up!

Bush Administration, GGRA Lose Insurance Food Fight

Swag from Unabomber's Pending Auction: 'One Razor, Never Used...'

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that, despite Theodore "The Unabomber" Kaczynski's legal objections, the serial bomber's possessions can be auctioned off on the Internet (oh, irony). The proceedings will be applied to a $15 million restitution order to his maimed and murdered ... More >>

Letters

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that, despite Theodore "The Unabomber" Kaczynski's legal objections, the serial bomber's possessions can be auctioned off on the Internet (oh, irony). The proceedings will be applied to a $15 million restitution order to his maimed and murdered ... More >>

Border Crossers

Long rap sheet? No problem. Transgender Latina hookers in S.F. are successfully fighting deportation by asking for asylum.

Frankovich: 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Disables Wheelchair Access Attorney

Long rap sheet? No problem. Transgender Latina hookers in S.F. are successfully fighting deportation by asking for asylum.

Most Taunted

Long rap sheet? No problem. Transgender Latina hookers in S.F. are successfully fighting deportation by asking for asylum.

The Asylum Trap

Unscrupulous attorneys prey on immigrants seeking green cards with an expensive and fruitless legal scheme. Now 29 Mexicans have joined the disbarment case against one such lawyer.

Split Decision

Republicans want to break up "the 9th Circus," the San Francisco-based liberal federal appeals court. Whose side are you on?

Profiles in Gumption

Thanks to SFMOMA, Mattel wasn't able to squash a Utah artist who puts Barbie dolls in blenders

Play Rotorecall

Have fun with democracy, before it has fun with you

The Past and Future Fraud

Yes, punch-card voting machines are error-prone. The touch-screen systems planned to replace them may be just as bad.

Shaky Ground

Environmental activists adopt a new strategy -- playing the race card

Riff Raff

Environmental activists adopt a new strategy -- playing the race card

Is This Any Way to Run A Railroad?

Union Pacific's tenacious fight to gut safety laws passed when a derailment sterilized 40 miles of the upper Sacramento River

Tale of a Gun

Following one semiautomatic from manufacture to mayhem

Letters

Following one semiautomatic from manufacture to mayhem

Splendor in the Court

How lavish can $20 million in cost overruns make a federal court- house? Let's start with the $33,000 desk.

Dog Bites

How lavish can $20 million in cost overruns make a federal court- house? Let's start with the $33,000 desk.

The Fire Next Time

As a civil rights advocate, Bob Demmons called in the federal government to end racism in the Fire Department. Now that he's chief, he has to remove federal control and prove that firefighters can manage race relations on their own.

Roto-Nerds of the World Rejoice as Fantasy Football Site Spikes NFL in Court

Can you imagine paying licensing fees to use Alex Smith's stats?Aficionados of Pleistocene-era sports video games may remember how "Player No. 16" on the nameless San Francisco team with crimson uniforms was really good -- but the lack of licensing fees forbade any notion of the terms "Joe Montana," ... More >>

San Francisco Federal Appeals Court: Companies Can't Be Forced To Hire Back Illegally Terminated Illegal Aliens

'Jetson, you're fired! And since you're an illegal alien, I can't be forced to rehire you by the NLRB!'Employers were seemingly given broader license to fire illegal immigrants at will by a San Francisco federal appeals court, which ruled this week that a company cannot be forced to hire back f ... More >>

Great News: You Can Still Ride BART. If You're Partly Blind, You Can Still Suffer.

If you can't make out this sign, then riding BART is even more hazardous than you might have thought​ Many riders have been pissed off of late about BART's ongoing labor soap opera. But two riders with bad eyesight may hold BART in special contempt now that the the 9th Circuit Court ... More >>

Activists say the SFPD is unfairly impounding and selling cars owned by illegal aliens

If you can't make out this sign, then riding BART is even more hazardous than you might have thought​ Many riders have been pissed off of late about BART's ongoing labor soap opera. But two riders with bad eyesight may hold BART in special contempt now that the the 9th Circuit Court ... More >>

Bingo! San Francisco Court Rules Against Gambling-Loving Charities, Disabled Groups.

Not so fast, Gramps! This ain't Guadalcanal, it's bingo -- there are rules. ​San Francisco's 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last week did not call the numbers a consortium of  charities and disabled activists were hoping for, quashing an order that had been keeping police from enforcing state b ... More >>

It's Your Petite Friday Morning News Quiz -- With a Prize

Sorry, the other pictures would have given away the answers​It's even more simple than the answer to the question, "Is Gavin Newsom gonna run for lieutenant governor?" Answer the five questions correctly, send me the answers here, and you win a little prize. Comprende? 1. Who is Deborah J. Madden? ... More >>

Nazi-Saluting Santa Cruz Gadfly Gets His Day in S.F. Court. Again.

Santa Cruz city council meetings sound like a real thrill​Last year, seemingly ending a case that had dragged on longer than World War II, San Francisco's 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the City of Santa Cruz was within its rights to twice eject a gadfly from government meetings after he ... More >>

Appeals Court Reinvigorates Man's Strip Search Claim vs. S.F. Cops

Whether or not the cops can ask you what's in here is a matter the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently mulled over...​A man whom an appeals court ruled should arguably never have been arrested by San Francisco police may also not have deserved to have cops peering down his underwear, according t ... More >>

Cyclist Tammy Thomas' Perjury Conviction Upheld by 9th Circuit Court

​Back in 2008, professional cyclist Tammy Thomas was found guilty of perjury for lying to a grand jury about using steroids. Today, San Francisco's 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that ruling. Although Thomas has long denied that she used steroids -- urine samples beg to differ. In 2003, T ... More >>

Arizona Immigration Law's Appeal Will Come Through San Francisco

The immigration debate is coming our way...​In the wake of Arizona's passage of the draconian and controversial SB 1070, San Francisco kick-started the boycott bandwagon and Mayor Gavin Newsom forbade city officials to travel to the Grand Canyon State. Now that Arizona law will be traveling to San ... More >>

Jerry Brown and Arnold Schwarzenegger Say Let the Gays Marry -- Now

Jerry Brown says: Go get married!​Update: You're never going to believe this, but, at 4:59 p.m. the City and County of San Francisco also filed a motion urging the stay be lifted! Attorney General Jerry Brown has filed a motion with Judge Vaughn Walker requesting that no stay be placed on the ruli ... More >>

Do You Have First Amendment Rights in San Francisco Parks or Not?

Now valid in National Parks! Right?​Jurisdictional lines are funny things. Here in San Francisco you can hoist your banners and beat your drum to express the message of your choosing per your First Amendment Rights -- until you tread onto Ocean Beach, the Presidio, or other federal land. The Natio ... More >>

Prop. 8 Stay Granted -- No Gay Marriage Wednesday

Calibree PhotographyMaybe next year, lads​The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals moments ago granted a stay of Judge Vaughn Walker's Aug. 4 ruling overturning Proposition 8 -- meaning there will be no same-sex marriages on Wednesday. The appeal was granted "sua sponte" -- meaning it was not made in rega ... More >>

Violent Video Game Law Court Found Unconstitutional Has 72 Percent Approval: Poll

Ah, but is it Constitutional? ​According to a recent Zogby poll, 72 percent of Americans support a California law preventing the sale of ultra-violent videogames to children. And yet, the validity of that law isn't for Americans randomly picking up the phone to decide, but the nine justices of the ... More >>

Plaintiff Refers to Judges as 'Ass Clowns' In Legal Papers. Judges Not Amused.

Motion to supress...​You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Actually, you catch the most flies with shit. But the legalistic equivalent of shit didn't do much for Paul Hupp. The plaintiff, who literally made a federal case of a bankruptcy suit stemming from unpaid student debts, referred to ... More >>

Judges Named For Prop. 8 Hearing

​A liberal, a conservative, and a moderate. An old guy, a middle-aged guy, and a sorta young guy. Sounds like the makings for a road-trip comedy. Could be. But it's definitely the composition for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals' Dec. 6 hearing of the Proposition 8 case, which could determine the ... More >>

DADT Repeal: With All Deliberate Speed -- Or None At All?

​The Week in GayThe repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell is fucking mess, but I think there might be a way to fix things. If we act quickly. This is a real longshot -- and it's not guaranteed to work -- but we need get our hands on some mercury. Lots of it. A flock of Ibises in Florida has been rendered ... More >>

Prop. 8 Trial: The Live Blog

The big day has arrived...​Check back often for frequent updatesMonday, 12:05 a.m.: This is it, folks: the big day for Prop. 8 at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Lawyers for both sides get just two hours to make their cases this morning, and we're going to be on the scene to report about how it ... More >>

Genetically Modified Beets at the Center of Food Safety Debate

Fact: Beet deregulation would be a boon to Schrute family farms ​Beets are not always the preferred vegetable on one's plate, but they are considered among the healthier foods we eat -- until they're not.Food Safety groups are challenging beet growers who are attempting to plant genetically engine ... More >>

Imperial County Clerk Wants to Defend Prop 8 Appeal

Hold the cake.​Imperial County Clerk Chuck Storey is attempting to sign onto the legal challenge to Judge Vaughn Walker's decision last year that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. Storey submitted a brief today to the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco asking for the ability to defend Pr ... More >>

Kamala Harris Wants Federal Appeals Court To Allow Gay Marriages Now

Harris: Let the people marry​Supporters of same-sex marriage just got a powerful ally: California Attorney General Kamala Harris. The newly minted AG is urging the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to allow gay couples to marry while it considers a federal appeal over the constitutionality of Propositi ... More >>

Rick James' Estate Suing Universal Music Group for "Cheating Artists" out of Royalties

Pay up.​Rick James' estate is suing his former record label for allegedly paying far fewer royalties than it says it's owed.In a class-action suit filed in San Francisco, the "Super Freak"'s estate claims Universal Music Group is cheating artists out of "tens of million dollars" every year by givi ... More >>

Kamala Harris Files Brief Supporting Federal Health Care Reform

This won't hurt a bit...​California Attorney General Kamala Harris has filed a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit seeking to aid the defense of President Barack Obama's landmark health care legislation.The so-called Affordable Care Act, perhaps Obama's most significant legisla ... More >>

Supreme Court: S.F. Politicians Free to Denounce Catholic Church

Heresy: The business of S.F. government?​The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear a lawsuit brought by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights against the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, essentially settling the question of whether the supervisors were out of line when they passed ... More >>

Eddy Zheng's Deportation Case Will Not Die

In the final battle. ​In 2005, the East Bay Express published a story called "The Last Stand of Eddy Zheng."  Well, it's been six years and Zheng is still standing -- in more or less the same spot. But now the man who was paroled only to face deportation is seeing his saga enter its final rou ... More >>

Get Ready, Facebook: Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss Will See Another Day in Court

The Winklevii just love to litigate.​The Winklevoss twins, of Facebook history fame, have just delivered what is essentially a giant "JK" to the social networking site.Aaron Sorkin, we hope you're paying attention to this. By all accounts, Cameron and Tyler Winkelvoss, the identical twins who say ... More >>

Anonymous Discrimination? Wearing Masks at Protests Illegal in New York City

Wear this to a protest in New York? Fugetaboutit.​Over the last month, masked Anonymous protesters have made a weekly date out of organizing demonstrations at BART stations in San Francisco. When the cops have moved to arrest some, it's usually been for refusing to obey an officers' orders, delayi ... More >>

Alameda Gun Ordinance to Go Before Full 9th Circuit Appeals Court

​The quest for the rights of ordinary, hardworking Americans to carry bazookas and roll Abrams tanks across government property continues its slow advance. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has  agreed to revisit an Alameda County couple's claim that a law banning guns on county land ... More >>

Proposition 8 Is Unconstitutional, Appeals Court Says

​A federal appeals court ruled this morning that California's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.  New outlets are reporting that the ban will still remain in effect as the case makes its way to the Supreme Court. Both sides had vowed to appeal the ruling if the outcome wasn't in th ... More >>