State Will Not Challenge Court Ruling On Religious Texts

The Winston-Salem Journal reports here that the state will not appeal Judge Ridgeway's ruling last month that individuals may take a court oath using a text “most sacred and obligatory upon their conscience.”

The ruling came in a lawsuit that challenged a state law that favored the Bible as the only allowable text. I previously blogged about this story here and here.

Update on Confirmation Hearings for Osteen and Reidinger

The Winston-Salem Journal has a story here about yesterday's confirmation hearings for William Osteen Jr., of Greensboro, who has been nominated for the Middle District of North Carolina, and Martin Reidinger of Asheville, who has been nominated for the Western District

Osteen has practiced law in Greensboro for more than 20 years. If confirmed, he would succeed his father, William Osteen Sr., who is semi-retired.

Confirmation Hearings for Reidinger and Osteen - June 20, 2007

As reported by the North Carolina Bar Association to its members, tomorrow, United States District Court nominees Martin Reidinger (Western District) and William Osteen Jr. of Greensboro (Middle District) are scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Confirmation hearings for District Court nominees Thomas Farr (Eastern District) and Thomas Schroeder of Winston-Salem (Middle District) have not been scheduled but could occur as early as next month.

The schedule of tomorrow's hearings can be found here.

District Attorney Mike Nifong Suspended

Again, the news is everywhere, so I figured I should at least provide a link to one story. The News & Record story can be found here.

What the Triad Needs -- More Lawyers

The Business Journal reports here that demand for legal services is helping boost the number of lawyers in the Triad.

Mike Nifong Disbarred For Ethics Violations

As reported by CNN, on Saturday, the North Carolina State Bar concluded that Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong violated more than a dozen ethics rules in prosecuting the Duke University lacrosse team rape case.

D.A. Mike Nifong Will Resign

In news reported just about everywhere, on Friday, Durham county D.A. Mike Nifong announced that he will resign as district attorney, more than a year after he obtained rape indictments against three Duke University lacrosse players who were later declared innocent by state prosecutors.

You can read about it here or here or here.

Womble Carlyle Selected for Pro Bono Award

Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, based in Winston-Salem, has been selected for the 2007 Pro Bono Publico Award given by the Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) for the firm's outstanding commitment to Hurricane Katrina victims in their time of need.

You can read more about it here.

Elon University School of Law Seeks Accreditation

The Business Journal reports here that Elon University School of Law is seeking accreditation from the American Bar Association.

The accreditation team will visit the school from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3.

Greensboro Police Officer Sues Police Department

A veteran Greensboro police officer filed a lawsuit yesterday against the police department, the city and several former police officers, including David Wray.

Officer Jay Fulmore claims Wray and other officers set out to ruin his reputation by preventing him from obtaining promotions.

You can read about it here and here.