Court report raises conflict-of-interest concern in Ferguson

Headline Legal News

The lines separating government powers have been blurred among Ferguson's court staff, police and prosecutor, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest, according to a report released Monday by Missouri's judiciary.

The state report examining Ferguson's municipal court system comes as a follow-up to a highly critical U.S. Justice Department report released earlier this year, which asserted that the city's police and courts had been used as a revenue-generating machine.

The Justice Department review was prompted by the fatal shooting last August of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black, by a white Ferguson police officer.After the federal review, the Missouri Supreme Court in March appointed appeals Judge Roy Richter to take over the Ferguson court and asked court administration experts to take a look at how things were working.

The new report summarizes the observations and recommendations of those unnamed experts, noting several potential conflicts of interest that caused concern.

Until very recently, the report said, court staff were required to report to the police chief. That structure "potentially compromises the separation our government is to have" between the judicial and executive branches, the report said.

Related listings

  • New Jersey, leagues renew court tussle over sports gambling

    New Jersey, leagues renew court tussle over sports gambling

    Headline Legal News 03/20/2015

    The fight over legalized sports gambling in New Jersey returned to a federal appeals court Tuesday, where attorneys for the state and the country's major sports leagues spent nearly an hour parsing language in a decades-old federal statute and in rec...

  • Robert Durst back in court for 2nd straight day

    Robert Durst back in court for 2nd straight day

    Headline Legal News 03/20/2015

    Authorities found nearly 150 grams of marijuana and a revolver in millionaire Robert Durst's hotel room when he was arrested over the weekend, a prosecutor said Tuesday. Durst appeared before a judge for a second straight day to face the drug and wea...

  • Court scraps Dutch data retention law, cites privacy concern

    Court scraps Dutch data retention law, cites privacy concern

    Headline Legal News 03/12/2015

    A judge scrapped the Netherlands' data retention law Wednesday, saying that while it helps solve crimes it also breaches the privacy of telephone and Internet users. The ruling by a judge in The Hague followed a similar decision in April by the Europ...

New Rochelle, New York Work Accidents Lawyers

It doesn’t matter what type of work you do or where you work, you can always be at risk of injuring yourself at your work no matter how safe you may think it is. Accidents in the workplace are often caused by unsafe work conditions arising from ignoring safety rules, overlooking maintenance or other negligence of those in management. Work accidents can cause serious injuries and sometimes permanent damage. Some extremely serious work injuries can permanently hinder a person’s ability to get around and continue their daily duties.

Factors that affect one’s quality of life like place of work, relationships with friends and family, social standing can all be taken away quickly by a work injury. Although, you may not be able to recover all of your losses, you may be entitled to compensation as a result of your work injury. In order to ensure that you and your loved ones receive the best outcome, make sure you have the help of an experienced New Rochelle, New York workplace injury lawyer you deserve. We can get you on your way to filing a claim against the responsible party. If you have been injured at your place of work it is important to know your options by seeking legal action. Kommer Bave & Ollman LLP offers a free case evaluation where we will answer any questions you may have and explain your legal options. Call us at 914-633-7400 or contact our firm to schedule a free consultation with an experienced attorney.

Business News

Clayton, MO Federal Criminal Defense Attorney The Law Offices of John M. Lynch, LLC, provides strong representation for clients with federal criminal defense. >> read