EPA blamed for delays in asbestos study in Montana
BILLINGS, Mont. — Internal investigators faulted the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday for years of delays in completing health studies needed to guide the cleanup of a Montana mining town where hundreds of people have died from asbestos exposure. The EPA’s Office of Inspector General said in a report that the studies are necessary to […]
In-House Interrogatory
Asked: Our weekly question to the In-House community It’s all about staying out of trouble in this week’s In-House Interrogatory. Corporate Counsel has a story with tips on how in-house counsel can avoid becoming targets of the U.S. Department of Justice. The article says to be on the look out for risky transactions, make note […]
In-House Interrogatory
Where do you seek advice and mentorship in your job as a general counsel?
Number of women on the bench continues to rise
PUBLISHER’S NOTE Dear Judge Avery, Judge Smith, Judge Barber, readers who have posted comments and those of you who have not written yet: We were wrong and we are sorry. It was never our intent to trivialize the accomplishments of women judges, and yet we did just that — and we did it at the […]
‘Citizens United’ trumps state law, Supreme Court affirms
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday reaffirmed its 2-year-old decision allowing corporations to spend freely to influence elections. The justices struck down a Montana law limiting corporate campaign spending. By a 5-4 vote, the court’s conservative justices said the decision in the Citizens United case in 2010 applies to state campaign finance laws and […]
Judge dismisses lawsuit against ‘Three Cups’ author
HELENA, Mont. — A federal judge on Monday dismissed a civil lawsuit against author Greg Mortenson, calling claims “flimsy and speculative” that the humanitarian and his publisher lied in his best-selling “Three Cups of Tea” and “Stones Into Schools” to boost book sales. The lawsuit by four people who bought Mortenson’s books claimed that they […]
Judge: Feds can prosecute medical pot providers
HELENA, Mont. — A judge has ruled that Montana’s medical marijuana law doesn’t shield providers of the drug from federal prosecution, delivering a new blow to an industry reeling from a state and federal crackdown. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy on Friday dismissed a civil lawsuit filed by 14 individuals and businesses that were among […]
Maryland to debate more gambling as casino market grows more crowded
Gambling is shaping up to be one of the most interesting debates of the 2012 legislative session in Maryland and, underscoring the need that many in the General Assembly feel to approve table games, it’s going to be a big issue in plenty of other states, too. Maryland’s gamblin’ neighbors already have table games — […]
Supreme Court weighs water rights in dam dispute
WASHINGTON — A Supreme Court dominated by Easterners tried to make sense Wednesday of a Western water dispute. The court heard arguments in a lawsuit between a power company and the state of Montana over who owns the riverbeds beneath 10 dams sitting on three Montana rivers. The state says it’s owed more than $50 […]
Advocates seek to stop wolf hunts in Idaho, Montana
PASADENA, Calif. — Wildlife advocates appeared in federal court Tuesday seeking to stop gray wolf hunts that are already well under way in the Northern Rockies, arguing that Congress overstepped its authority in stripping federal protections from the canines. Federal biologists say the wolf population is healthy enough to support the hunts in Idaho and […]
Pioneer League baseball in some of the most scenic states in the west
MISSOULA, Mont. — Eight baseball games, eight different ballparks, eight days. We would have seen eight home-team wins, but the Missoula Osprey blew the ninth-inning lead in the trip opener. A motorcycle tour last summer through the stadiums of the Pioneer League took me and my dad through some of the most beautiful parts of […]
Lockheed challenges use of ‘Skunkworks’ name by gun maker
Defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. smelled something rotten when a Montana gun maker filed an application to trademark its name, Underground Skunkworks. One of Bethesda-based Lockheed’s most storied divisions is its Advanced Development Programs, more popularly known by its trademarked name — the Skunk Works. The secretive World War II-era airplane design facility has spawned […]