Recently in Court News Category

The Eighth Circuit is “weighing in” on a lawsuit brought by the family of a South Dakota teenager accused of cheating in a 4-H pig-showing competition in South Dakota, reports The Associated Press. The family of White Lake teenager Bayley Kroupa says she was humiliated and denied due process when she was banned from 4-H competition in 2011 for an alleged ethics violation. They are suing and seeking $850,000 in damages.

Kroupa, then 16, was banned from 4-H competition in October 2011 for allegedly showing a pig at the 2011 South Dakota State Fair that she did not raise herself during the project season. Her father, Greg Kroupa, allegedly bought a Missouri State Fair pig from an animal dealer in Iowa following the hog’s success in a Missouri State Fair competition — a violation of the 4-H code of ethics.

4-H officials have appealed a federal judge’s ruling that Kroupa can participate in 4-H competitions while the lawsuit proceeds.

A judge wants a competency evaluation to see if a former janitor understands what will happen if he drops the appeal of his conviction and 20-year sentence for aiding the terrorist group al-Shabaab, reports the Pioneer Press.

In an order last Friday, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals sent the case of Mahamud Said Omar, 47, back to the lower court to hold a hearing at the judge’s request.

The Eighth Circuit used a farm case to remind us to exhaust the administrative remedy ladder before suing the government.

Thirty-eight farm producers of corn and soybeans in Iowa filed suit against the USDA and five other government entities, claiming the government improperly calculated revenue assistance payments owed to them under the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program (“SURE Program”).

The Eighth Circuit affirmed the district court’s finding that the corn and soybean producers failed to exhaust their administrative remedies before filing suit.

Fifty years after Gideon v. Wainwright, a woman who dedicated her career to the federal public defender's office, and likely passed on many more lucrative paths, has just been unanimously confirmed to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. According to the Gazette, she is just the second woman and first public defender to serve in the history of the 122-year-old court.

Equally remarkable was the speed with which her nomination was confirmed. While many of President Barack Obama's nominees have stalled in Congress over the last year or two, her appointment was the quickest of Obama's 45 nominees. This was largely due to the bipartisan support of both Iowa Senators Tom Harkin (D) and Chuck Grassley (R).

Attention Eighth Circuit practitioners! The Judicial Conference of the Eighth Circuit will soon be underway in Kansas City, Missouri.

The conference is once every two years, so be sure to take advantage of it. It will be held this year from August 8th to the 10th at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown.

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals is looking to fill a vacancy for Bankruptcy Judge, according to an announcement on the Court’s website. Specifically, the court is looking for candidates to apply for the position of Federal Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Missouri.

The position starts in January 2013, but applications are being accepted now. The judgeship is for a 14-year term. Interestingly, you don’t have to be a bankruptcy attorney to apply for this position. While that will likely play a role in the selection process, the criteria don’t limit the judgeship to bankruptcy lawyers or attorneys from a particular circuit.

The salary for the position is $160,080.

Here’s an announcement for a job vacancy from the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. If you’re a criminal lawyer looking for a legal job in Arkansas, you might want to listen up.

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals is seeking a Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Arkansas. The position is headquartered in Fayetteville.

Free, reliable attorney resources are hard to come by, so Eighth Circuit practitioners will be pleased to learn that the Government Printing Office (GPO) has launched a free Eighth Circuit case repository pilot program.

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals is the only appellate court to participate in the pilot program, which launched in October. The program enhances access to federal court opinions through the Federal Digital System (FDsys), an outgrowth of the GPO.

The Ninth Circuit isn’t the only appellate court to take its show on the road. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments on October 26, at the University of South Dakota School of Law.

The three-judge panel doing the honors is Chief Judge William Riley, Judge Roger Wollman, and Judge Arlen Beam, reports the Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan.

The panel will hear oral arguments in three cases: