U.S. Court of Appeals

Appeals Court Finds Costa Mesa City Council Law Barring Disruptions Unconstitutional

Benito Acosta, who as a Latino rights activist goes by Coyotl Tezcatlipoca, won a partial victory from the state's Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Friday.The court upheld previous rulings finding Acosta was legally removed from a 2006 Costa Mesa City Council meeting, but the city's law against "disor ... More >>

Virginia's Anti-Sodomy Law Ruled Invalid--with an Assist from UC Irvine's Erwin Chemerinsky

Virginia's anti-sodomy law has been struck down, due in part to an assist from the dean of UC Irvine's School of Law, Erwin Chemerinsky.The decision came in a case involving sex between an adult male and a 17-year-old girl, which the Richmond, Va.-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed shoul ... More >>

Arash Durrani, Actor Who Goes by "Ash," Makes "Ass" of Self on OC-Bound Flight: Passengers

An 26-year-old actor-model who goes by "Ash" is due in federal court today for allegedly making an "Ass" of himself on a United Airlines flight from Chicago to John Wayne Airport.Arash Durrani is accused of pacing up and down the aisles for about the first 45 minutes of United Flight 473 on Tuesday, ... More >>

Will Segways be Newest Rides at Disneyland and California Adventure?

You'll see all kinds of folks at the Disney resorts in Anaheim: really fat people, others who wish they were as skinny as the really fat people, and grandmas (generally fat) faking disabilities so they, their wheelchairs and their families (generally fat) can cut to the front of long Disneyland and ... More >>

Terminal Island Prisoners Win Right to In-Person Parole Hearings

A lawsuit brought on behalf of prisoners at Terminal Island, a storied federal corrections facility between Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach Harbor, has been settled in favor of the inmates. The agreement reached last week was preceded by a federal judge's injunction last March protecting the right ... More >>

[UPDATED with More Delegates Join Revolt:] Is a GOP Goon Squad Intimidating Ron Paul Delegates into Voting Romney at Convention?

See update at end of this post about 40 more national convention delegates seeking to join the 123 who have filed suit and "hundreds more" possibly ready to do the same. ORIGINAL POST, JUNE 13, 12:39 P.M.: The Republican National Committee (RNC) is using violence, intimidation and ballot stuffing t ... More >>

Federal Appeals Court Won't Touch California Gay Marriage Ruling

Because a majority of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals' 26 judges declined to revisit a three-member panel's ruling striking down Prop 8, the court will not reconsider the decision to overturn California's same-sex marriage ban.Proponents of Prop 8 earlier indicated they would appeal next to th ... More >>

Anaheim Gets Its First Cop Block!

OWS Facebook PageIt looks like Anaheim got its very first entry on citizen vigilante website Cop Block.Not so fast though--it does not concern the Anaheim Police Department, which sees at least a half dozen people demonstrating against deadly excessive force in front of their department every S ... More >>

Disabled Californians Have No Right to Smoke Weed, Federal Court Rules

This isn't exactly surprising, seeing as how marijuana remains illegal under federal law despite having been legalized for medicinal purposes in more than 15 states. But yesterday,a three-judge panel with of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed against the citie ... More >>

Bush-Appointed Federal Judge Tosses Out Defense of Marriage Act

​During the five months when gay marriage was legal in California in 2008, Karen Golinski, a staff attorney for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals--the most liberal court in America--married her long-time girlfriend, Amy Cunninghis, and attempted to enroll Cunninghis in her federal medical insuran ... More >>

James Corbett, "Jesus Glasses" Teacher, Wins Divine Non-Intervention of U.S. Supreme Court

James Corbett​The U.S. Supreme Court refused Tuesday to hear an appeal in Capistrano Valley High School's "Jesus Glasses" case.That means the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision last year that exonerated European history teacher James Corbett stands.The end!

Let Them Eat (a Gay Wedding) Cake: Gay Activists Get Their Valentine's Day on at Orange County Courthouse

​Linda May said it took her a long time to bake the "domestic partnership" cake she displayed Tuesday outside the Orange County Courthouse at 211 W. Santa Ana Blvd. in downtown Santa Ana.She said the cake is symbolic of the gay community's efforts to overturn laws against same-sex marriage. " ... More >>

[UPDATED With New Celebration Location:] Court Strikes Down Proposition 8; Celebration in Downtown Santa Ana Tonight!

UPDATED, FEB. 7, 4:30 P.M.:The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday struck down California's ban on same-sex marriage.A three-judge panel ruled 2-1 that Proposition 8, which limits marriage to one man and one woman and was approved by voters in 2008, violates equal protection rights u ... More >>

Proposition 8 Ruling to Come Tuesday

​The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday is expected to release a decision on Proposition 8, the state's same-sex marriage ban approved by voters in 2008.U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, who is now retired, ruled in 2010 that the ban violated federal equal protection rights for gay and les ... More >>

Deputy Claims PTSD After Burger King Ex-Con Spits on His Whopper

​The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit weighed in today in the case of a sheriff's deputy who claims severe emotional trauma after two ex-cons working the drive-thru at a Burger King added an extra ingredient during his late-night burger break.Suspecting the fast-food employees ... More >>

President Barack Obama Wins Again! Birthers Orly Taitz and Wiley Drake Lose Appellate Bid

​Barack Obama does not have to go to court to prove to Orange County's Orly Taitz and the Rev. Wiley Drake and seven other Southern Californians that he was natural born and eligible to be president of the United States, a federal appeals court ruled today. One reason a three-judge panel of the U ... More >>

Oracle Corporation Slammed By Federal Court For Cheating Employees

Stotler​A high-ranking federal court handed good news today to California's labor pool.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has overturned an Orange County Republican federal judge who'd granted Oracle Corporation summary judgement against employees who claimed the company had systemati ... More >>

Court Orders Immediate End to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

​A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled today the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy must be immediately lifted.The legal battle over the 20-year-old policy is still being played out in courts, but the justices say it must end now that the ... More >>

[UPDATED with NMA Video:] Supreme Court Overturns State Ban on Sales and Rentals of Violent Video Games to Kids

NMA.TV​UPDATE, JUNE 28, 2:50 P.M.: Next Media Animation, the largest full-service animation studio in Asia and subsidiary of Hong Kong's largest publicly listed print media company, is getting faster at turning around animated video on news stories around the world.Take Monday's U.S. Supreme Court ... More >>

[BREAKING:] Judge's Right to Rule on Prop. 8 Affirmed

​The chief federal judge in San Francisco has ruled that his retired colleague Vaughn Walker was under no legal obligation to step aside from ruling on California's same-sex marriage ban because he is a gay man.Walker ruled in August that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.

Appeals Court Upholds Injunction Against Arizona's Controversial SB 1070 Immigration Law

If you don't like the ruling, turn your screen upside down.​A federal appeals court today upheld a lower court decision that blocked the most contested provisions of Arizona's controversial SB 1070 immigration law from taking effect. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th ... More >>

[UPDATED] Souhair Khatib, Who Had Her Hijab Removed in OC Jail, Wins Appeal, Can Sue County

​UPDATE, MARCH 16, 9:59 A.M.: Here is a link to the actual Ninth Circuit appeals court decision:Khatib v. County of OrangeUPDATE, MARCH 15, 4:24 P.M.: A Muslim woman who claims her constitutional rights were violated when Orange County sheriff's deputies forced her to remove her headscarf while ... More >>

Mike Carona: No More Excuses

[Moxley Confidential] Federal Appeals Court upholds the ex-sheriff's conviction, and he's finally headed to prison

Proposition 8 Ruling: One Challenge Rejected, Another Bounced Back to State Supreme Court

​In at least a partial setback for the h8rs, the Los Angeles Times reports that a federal appeals court has rejected Imperial County's challenge to Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling that California's Proposition 8 ballot initiative, which banned same-sex marriage, is unconstitutional.The 9th Circuit Co ... More >>

Souhair Khatib, Who Had Her Hijab Removed in OC Jail, to Get Her Day in Appeals Court

​The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a new hearing in the case of a Muslim woman who claims her constitutional rights were violated when Orange County sheriff's deputies forced her to remove her headscarf while she was being held in a courthouse holding facility.Chief Judge Alex Kozin ... More >>

OC Federal Judge Rebuked in Defective Land Rover Cases

Bad geometry?​Bad news for Land Rover.A federal appeals panel this morning reversed the ruling of an Orange County-based federal judge who had denied class action status in a consumer protection case against the British manufacturer, which allegedly sold defective vehicles.According to the Ninth C ... More >>

California Gay Marriages Banned Indefinitely

​So much for Prop 8 backers not having any standing.A three-judge federal appeals court put same-sex weddings in California on hold indefinitely moments ago while it considers the constitutionality of the state's gay marriage ban.

UPDATED: Prop 8 Judge: Same-Sex Weddings Can Resume ... on Wednesday

Law.UCI.eduChemerinsky​UPDATE: The dean of the UCI Law School does not see grounds for an appeal of the stay against gay weddings in California (see below) . . . U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker in San Francisco today lifted the stay on same-sex marriages in California--beginning ... More >>

Prop 8 is Enough: Five Gay Comic Book Couples Who Should Tie the Knot

Marvel Comics/David LaFuente Garcia​Sure, the repeal of Proposition 8 is a major political and legal victory for gay rights, but it pales in comparison to a much more significant event in LGBT equality. An affectionate gay couple made the cover of a Spider-Man comic! And we're not talking abo ... More >>

[UPDATED:] Prop 8 Overturned

​UPDATE: More details on tonight's celebratory rally (see end of post) . . .In a landmark case, Proposition 8, the 2008 California voter initiative that outlawed gay marriage, was overturned. Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco ruled that the voter initiative is unconstitution ... More >>

Dishonest Mailman Tries Lame Excuse

It's from Aunt Edna!​Have you ever wondered about missing mail--say a birthday card from your favorite, wealthy aunt in Texas?Let's hope that Southern California postal delivery man Henry Lee Monday didn't serve your neighborhood.Monday liked to open mail containing cash, pocket the dough and tras ... More >>

OC Real Estate Developer Trick to Gouge Taxpayers Fails

Irvine Co. perfected tactic fails this time​After a state regulatory agency ordered an Orange County real estate developer to pay for the toxic contamination cleanup costs in December 2005 on its property in Huntington Beach, the developer sold the property to another state agency and then attempt ... More >>

Ninth Circuit Okays 19 Cents Per Hour Pay

Get back to work​The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit this morning rejected the notion that federal inmates who work must be paid "fair wages" or their constitutional rights are violated. 

One More "Airplane!" Scene Now Dated

​No-nonsense, double-sunglassed chief pilot Rex Kramer (Robert Stack) shoves, punches and tosses donation solicitors--including a Hare Krishna (David Leisure)--blocking his path at a busy airport in the 1980 comedy Airplane!Like much of the flick's now-dated humor (Airplane! was the best motion pi ... More >>

Domino's Calls Out Papa John's

A while back, Papa John's claimed they used better ingredients in their pizzas than Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut sued them and won a judgment that Papa John's couldn't use the slogan "Better Ingredients. Better Pizza." because it falsely implied that the competition's ingredients were not fresh or wholesome ... More >>

Supposedly Broke Orly Taitz Appeals Santa Ana Case

John Gilhooley / OC Weekly​When she's not posting copies of the President's late mother's social security card and asking newly elected Republican senator Scott Brown to sign on her lawsuit against Barack Obama, Laguna Niguel's Orly Taitz has lately taken to peppering her blog with statements like ... More >>

Delayed YouTube Telecast of Prop 8 Trial OK'd (For Now)

​While Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker rejected a bid by media organizations to televise the Prop 8 trial proceedings live, groups pushing for the broadcasts are somewhat consoled court-operated cameras in his courtroom will be allowed to operate for delayed release on YouTube. And th ... More >>

[¡Ask a Mexican!®] A Short History of Comics In Mexico

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Think for Yourselves, Young Folks, so Long as You Think Like Me

You know what's funny? We ask our young adults to throw themselves into the youth versions of established adult institutions—your governmental bodies, your newspapers, etc.—but when the kids dare express dissent or themselves in a way that rubs the ruling class the wrong way, the adult o ... More >>

Hair of the Dog: Not just for hangovers or hot dogs anymore

When it comes to the Bush administration, it's not so much that rules are made to be broken, it's that rules are made so laws can be broken. The administration issues rules on "interrogations" of "detainees" that violate international law and various treaty obligations. And rules on wiretapping that ... More >>

a Clockwork Orange

After This, Tomatoes

In a better world, Dr. Philip A. Denney wouldnt have to dedicate his practice to pot

Pete Wilson on Steroids

Cruz Bustamante on Arnold Schwarzenegger, the GOP and John and Ben

Ring of Ire

Smug As a Bug in a Rug

Republicans, reporters preen, groom selves at congratulatory LA bash

Ashcroft Hypes a Dirty Bomber

Made in Newport Beach

How Chris Cox helped produce the Enron scandal

Kevin Barry Artt

Computer Clemency

Net serves death-penalty foes well