Court Of Appeals U S

A federal appeals court dealt a blow to cigarette makers Friday by upholding a landmark 2006 legal ruling that the companies lied for decades about the dangers of smoking. In a 93-page opinion, a three-judge panel cleared the way for new restrictions on how cigarette companies market and sell their products.

A federal judge in Los Angeles who was reprimanded for official misconduct last year could face a harsher punishment -- or be cleared of the charges altogether -- after a ruling this week by a panel of fellow judges. The ruling by the Judicial Conference Committee on Judicial Conduct and Disability in Washington, D.C., came in the case of U.S. District Court Judge Manuel L. Real.

A federal appeals court said Monday that the U.S. military improperly labeled a Chinese Muslim held at Guantanamo Bay an "enemy combatant" and it ordered that he be released, transferred or granted a new hearing. The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington marks the first time a federal court has weighed in on the issue of a Guantanamo detainee's classification and granted him the opportunity to try to secure his release through civilian courts.

A federal appeals court on Friday overturned a death sentence against a Nevada man convicted of killing two young girls a quarter-century ago, because the prosecutor made false statements to scare jurors into believing only execution would keep the killer off the streets. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Nevada authorities to remove Ricky David Sechrest from death row pending possible further appeals and resentencing.

So many people came to listen to lawyers argue the death penalty appeal of convicted Chino Hills murderer Kevin Cooper that dozens of overflow spectators had to watch from the courthouse cafeteria on a closed-circuit television. But three seats remained empty during the hearing last week in the large ceremonial courtroom of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

A federal appeals court in San Francisco on Tuesday overturned the 22-year sentence imposed on a man convicted of plotting to blow up Los Angeles International Airport at the start of the millennium. In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sent the case of Ahmed Ressam, known as the "millennium bomber," back to U.S. District Court in Seattle.

A federal judge has overturned the jury conviction of Kevin Howard, a former executive in Enron Corp.'s defunct broadband unit, citing an appeals court opinion issued in August. In May 2006, a jury in U.S. District Court in Houston found Howard guilty on five counts of conspiracy, wire fraud and falsifying books related to his role in a sham deal that prosecutors said hid the broadband unit's weak finances. In the opinion from the U.S.

Microsoft Corp. must face racketeering claims in a lawsuit filed by Best Buy Co. customers who say they were improperly charged for MSN Internet service, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled. The court reinstated a suit filed by Best Buy customers in California and Nevada. According to the suit, Microsoft invested $200 million in Best Buy, which agreed to promote MSN.

Former public relations and newspaper executive Douglas R. Dowie won a reprieve from prison this week, when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered him free on bond while he appeals his conviction for defrauding city taxpayers. The two-judge panel noted in a ruling Wednesday that Dowie and co-defendant John Stodder Jr.'

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday reversed a preliminary injunction that had prevented National Beverage Corp. from selling its Freek energy drinks, dealing a blow to rival Hansen Natural Corp. of Corona. The court said Hansen's popular Monster energy drinks were distinguishable from the Freek brand and others on the market, and therefore consumer confusion was unlikely. A district court had earlier issued a tentative ruling in favor of Hansen, preventing Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.