Criminal Law

A special three-judge federal panel in New Orleans refused to allow Louisiana to resume enforcing an old criminal law against abortion, saying that the 1855 statute had been superseded by newer legislation. The Louisiana lawsuit was one of the first initiatives to outlaw abortions under last year's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gave states more authority to restrict abortions. Louisiana Atty. Gen. William Guste said he was considering an appeal of the ruling.

Until his home phone unexpectedly rang one Sunday in late May, the rules for being a criminal defense attorney had always been clear to Leroy Phillips Jr. You fought fiercely for your client's constitutional rights, no matter how heinous his crime. You never shared your client's confidences with anyone, particularly not the authorities. You never gave an inch to the prosecutor. You were a ferocious adversary of the state, a fierce advocate of the defendant.

A task force chaired by former Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III says Congress is sometimes pushed to pass "misguided, unnecessary and harmful" anti-crime laws out of fear of being considered soft on crime if it fails to act. The panel calls on Congress to resist its political impulse, noting that more than 40% of all federal criminal laws enacted since the Civil War were passed since 1970. Sponsored by the American Bar Assn.

Prostitutes should be allowed to sell sex in their homes and Canadian provinces should be given permission to regulate "small-scale prostitution establishments," a federal committee recommended Tuesday. The committee also recommended stiffer jail terms for those acting as pimps and recommended special police units to track them down.

The right to privacy is at the center in the current battle between two candidates for governor over whether a proposed criminal law reform initiative could end up making abortion a crime. The wide-ranging Crime Victims' Justice Reform Initiative contains a section saying a defendant's right to privacy--among several other rights--"shall not be construed" to provide greater protections than those granted by the federal Constitution. State Atty. Gen. John K.

WHAT IF THE Supreme Court overrules Roe vs. Wade by allowing South Dakota's new abortion statute to pass constitutional review? Abortion, which has been governed in our time by constitutional law, again would be a matter of criminal law. The chief question would be: Who goes to prison?

On July 16, 86-year-old George Weller plowed his 1992 Buick LeSabre through the Santa Monica Farmers' Market. According to a preliminary California Highway Patrol report, road conditions were fine and Weller's car did not malfunction; he was the "sole possible cause" of the accident. Yet despite the fact that he killed 10 people, no decision has yet been made on whether to prosecute Weller for the incident. Then in August, another accident occurred.

Today, the White House defense continues. Testifying on the subject of prosecutorial standards for obstruction of justice and perjury: * Thomas P. Sullivan is a trial lawyer and a former U.S. attorney for Illinois. He is a senior partner at Jenner & Block law firm, specializing in civil and criminal law, and has taught at Loyola Law School and the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. * Richard J. Davis is a partner with the New York law firm of Weil, Gotschal & Manges. He was an assistant U.S.

Two teacher's aides at a Lawndale school who strip-searched students in December looking for a teacher's missing $400 will not face criminal charges, the district attorney's office said this week. The aides exercised "extremely poor judgment" in conducting the search of 15 students at Will Rogers Intermediate School, but did not inflict sufficient mental suffering to warrant criminal charges, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Monica Blodgett. Ten boys and five girls were searched Dec.

Proposition 184, the "three strikes" initiative on the Nov. 8 ballot, would make no change in the law. Yet nearly every politician in the state embraces it--and the few who have doubts keep quiet. The opposition campaign is all but broke. A Times poll shows that likely voters favor the measure 58%-32%. But the prime sponsor, Mike Reynolds, on a nonstop crusade to avenge his daughter's murder, barnstorms the state as if legions of well-financed foes were attacking his initiative.