DOMA Ruled Unconstitutional

The federal appeals court in Boston struck down the Defense of Marriage Acton Thursday, ruling that the federal statute violates the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian married couples to equal treatment under the law.

Read more at the Christian Science Monitor

John Edwards not guilty on 1 count...mistrial on 5 others

After 9 days of deliberation, a jury has found John Edwards not guilty on one of six charges of campaign finance corruption brought against him. A mistrial has been declared on the other five counts. 

After initially announcing Thursday that it hadreached a unanimous verdict on only one of six charges against Edwards, the judge sent the jury back to continue deliberations on the remaining five counts. Shortly after that, the jurors said they were deadlocked on those counts, at which point the judge announced a verdict of not guilty on the third count against Edwards, which charged that he had accepted and received illegal campaign contributions in 2008 from Rachel "Bunny" Mellon. 

The judge declared a mistrial on the remaining five counts. 

Read more at CBS News

Judge Clears Texting Woman from Boyfriend's Lawsuit

A New Jersey Superior Court judge ruled today that a woman who sent a text message to her boyfriend while he was driving cannot be held liable for the motor vehicle accident he subsequently caused. The decision stemmed from a 2009 case in which Kyle Best, 19, was responding to a text message from his girlfriend, Shannon Colonna, 19, while he was driving his pickup truck when he crashed into a motorcycle and severely injured David and Linda Kubert.

Judge Eugene Hyman says "The trial judge only addressed the "duty" aspect and didn't address the causation issue."

Supreme Court Rules No Social Security Benefits For Kids Conceived After Dad Died

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that that a Florida man's children, conceived after his death through in vitro fertilization, are not entitled to Social Security survivors benefits. More than 100 similar cases are pending before the Social Security Administration, but Monday's ruling is unlikely to resolve most of them. Karen Capato's husband, Robert, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2000. Fearing that his chemotherapy would leave him sterile, Robert deposited sperm at a fertility clinic before his cancer treatments began. When Robert's condition deteriorated, the couple planned to have Karen use the frozen sperm to conceive after Robert's death so their son would have siblings. Eighteen months after Robert's death at age 44, Karen gave birth to twins. 

Judge Eugene Hyman says..."A will or trust could have solved this problem."

Tax Lawyer Robert Wood: Supreme Court Tells IRS 3 Years To Audit Is PLENTY!

Even the IRS has limits. If you’ve ever been audited by the IRS, you may think going back three years is bad enough. The tax code generally allows the IRS to audit three years back, and six in some cases. The U.S. Supreme Court inU.S. v. Home Concrete & Supply, LLC has dramatically cut back on IRS reaches into six year territory. It’s a positively stunning result.

Read more at Forbes.com

Wood LLP

Study suggests more interview time needed for children to disclose abuse

http://www.familylawchannel.com

While best practice guidelines generally recommend that in cases of suspected child sexual abuse it is preferable to use a single interview by a skilled forensic interviewer, for children who have difficulty disclosing in a single meeting more time might be required according to a news study. Judge Eugene Hyman says "this also has applications in domestic violence cases."