June 12, 1997 - A federal appeals court today hears arguments on one of Minnesota's most contentious legal questions--whether the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe has the right to hunt and fish off its reservation free from state regulation. Federal Judge Diana Murphy ruled three years ago the Band did retain those rights. Now, eight landowners, nine counties and the state have taken the case to a higher court in hopes Murphy's ruling will be overturned. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.
April 16, 1997 - Remember the insider trading scandals of the 1980's, when wall street hot shots such as Michael Milken and Ivan Boesky made millions, and lost those millions after they were jailed on insider trading charges? Today the U.S. Supreme Court hears a Minnesota case which could make it more difficult for the government to prosecute the Ivan Boeskys. The high court will hear the case of former Minneapolis attorney James O'Hagan whose 57-count conviction on securities fraud was overturned by a federal appeals court. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.
April 8, 1997 - Members of the criminal justice system want to put a database of domestic abuse histories at the fingertips of police and judges. The group wants the legislature to fund a statewide database system that would track domestic violence information about individuals, specifically orders for protection. Order of protection are court orders that restrict abusers from being near their victims. The cost of the entire proposed project is about $15-million dollars. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.
April 3, 1997 - In a case with parallels to the recent Food Lion Supermarket suit against ABC's "Prime Time Live" program, a Twin Cities television station is being sued for using a hidden camera. WCCO sent one of its producers undercover with a hidden camera for a report on alledged abuses in a home for disabled adults. Like the Food Lion case, the suit centers on how reporters gathered the information--not the accuracy of the report. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.
February 12, 1997 - The Minnesota Court of Appeals has upheld a law requiring children judged as sex offenders to register with police. An 11-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy challenged the mandatory registration law because they said it imposes an adult punishment on children who don't have the same rights to a jury trial as adults do. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.
February 4, 1997 - Some Hennepin county public defenders say prosecutors and the courts are discriminating against children of color in applying a law aimed at adding tougher consequences for juvenile offenders. At least two attorneys are challenging a law that's supposed to act as a bridge between the juvenile and adult court systems. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports, no one knows how the law has worked because no one has been tracking the cases.
January 29, 1997 - Members of a Supreme Court task force on foster care and adoption told a senate committee today it's time to shine some light on the child protection system by opening child protection court hearings to the public. Those proceedings have traditionally been confidential and hidden from the public and the media. The task force began meeting more than a year ago to evaluate how Minnesota's judicial system handles foster care and adoption. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports: Task force members outlined a number of suggestions to improve the state's adoption and foster care system. The most controversial by far is opening child protection hearings to public view. Task force members say opening those hearings would lead to better accountability and credibility of the child protection system. Hennepin county's head of child and family services.
January 27, 1997 - *For Monday 1/27* For most of this century juvenile court proceedings in Minnesota and most of the nation have been private and confidential. That tradition is based on the idea that juvenile court is geared towards rehabilitation rather than punishment...and that a child who makes a mistake should not be publicly branded an offender. But in the past several years, many states have started opening juvenile courts to the public. Now, Minnesota's legislature is expected to take up that issue during this session. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports: (sfx of people yammerin' etc)
January 14, 1997 - **For Tuesday 1/14** The Minnesota Supreme Court hears arguments today (Tuesday) on whether prosecutors can use "battered women's syndrome" in court testimony. The appeal stems from a prosecutor who wanted to explain why a woman lied and recanted her testimony against her alleged attacker. It's the first time the issue has come up on appeal in Minnesota's courts. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports: Attorneys have traditionally used battered women's syndrome testimony as evidence in defense cases--showing why someone who's been battered by their partner assaults or kills their batterer to end the abuse. But in the case before the Minnesota supreme court, the question is whether prosecutors can use such
January 10, 1997 - William Kennedy,a man who created one of the country's most respected public defender's offices in Hennepin county has lost his job after a dramatic campaign that was rife with accusations of wrongdoing on both sides. Kennedy, who's held the post as Hennepin county chief public defender for 25 years was accused of using his office to investigate his opponent--William McGee. The State Board of Public Defense voted late Thursday to appoint McGee to Kennedy's post. Minnesota public radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports: The appointment ends a tumultuous campaign for the job that heads the biggest public defender staff carrying the highest caseload in the state. It was a political campaign that saw accusations against mcgee including murder, drug use and sexual relations with a client...and accusations against Kenn