A recent AAJ article reports that a petition is pending requesting that the Supreme Court allow active duty military personnel to sue the government. Petty Officer Nathan Hafterson died on March 26, 2006, at Naval Hospital Jacksonville after being admitted for trouble breathing. His attorneys state that it would put military members on the same footing as civilians under the Federal Tort Claims Act. This malpractice action was denied by the lower courts because a federal law (known as the Feres doctrine) prohibits active military members from suing the US government.
U.S. Supreme Court Rules That Judges Must Recuse Themselves if There Is an Appearance of Bias
June 9, 2009
An AAJ article today reported on the case of Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co. in which the Court held in a 5-4 decision that state court judges that get big campaign contributions cannot sit in judgment of their biggest contributors.