Judicial Privilege

Lawyers who offer to help reporters by sending them copies of court documents by fax or e-mail do so at the peril of losing their immunity to defamation suits, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled. Under a long-recognized doctrine called "judicial privilege," attorneys who file lawsuits -- even frivolous or malicious ones -- are protected from being sued for slander or libel over the accusations they make in court.

Federal prosecutors are backing away from some of the aggressive tactics they have employed against corporate crime amid growing criticism that their methods have trampled on the rights of white-collar defendants. Prosecutors will largely refrain from demanding that companies refuse to pay for the legal defense of executives who are under investigation, and significantly limit their demands for privileged attorney-client communications, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors are backing away from some of the aggressive tactics they have employed against corporate crime amid growing criticism that their methods have trampled on the rights of white-collar defendants. Prosecutors will largely refrain from demanding that companies refuse to pay for the legal defense of executives who are under investigation, and significantly limit their demands for privileged attorney-client communications, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

Lawyers who offer to help reporters by sending them copies of court documents by fax or e-mail do so at the peril of losing their immunity to defamation suits, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled. Under a long-recognized doctrine called "judicial privilege," attorneys who file lawsuits -- even frivolous or malicious ones -- are protected from being sued for slander or libel over the accusations they make in court.

JUDICIAL PRIVILEGE: Moments after swearing in Bill Clinton to his second term of office, Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist was heard to utter a somewhat ominous-sounding "good luck"--as in, "You'll need it."

Roger Clemens could be days away from learning whether Congress will refer him for a perjury investigation and when a Texas court might decide whether to allow his defamation suit to proceed. In testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Clemens said he never used steroids or human growth hormone, contradicting the testimony of his former trainer Brian McNamee. Rep. Henry A.

President Clinton's lawyers and House prosecutors filed briefs with the Senate Monday, with the White House insisting that impeachment charges "do not rise to the level of "high crimes and misdemeanors" and House prosecutors arguing that "this case is not about sex or private conduct."