Judge ousts defendant twice from Guantanamo court

The military judge presiding over the Sept. 11 war crimes tribunal at Guantanamo ejected one defendant from the courtroom twice Tuesday for speaking out of turn, adding a bit of drama to an otherwise dry pretrial motions hearing at the U.S. naval base in Cuba.

Ramzi Binalshibh, one of five Guantanamo prisoners charged with orchestrating the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, refused repeated warnings to stop trying to address the judge about what he claims are efforts by guards to keep him awake at night with banging sounds inside his cell.

But the judge, whose courtroom was repeatedly disrupted when the defendants were arraigned in May 2012, was having none of it. Army Col. James Pohl ordered troops to remove Binalshibh and place him in a holding cell.

Then the same scene repeated itself in the afternoon session, and the judge warned it would happen again if the defendant tried again on Wednesday. "If he is disruptive he will be escorted from the courtroom," Pohl told the lawyers for Binalshibh.

He also said he was concerned that the prisoner might shout out classified information, prompting courtroom censors to cut the sound. "I don't know what he'll say," he said.

Both removals occurred as the judge asked Binalshibh if he understood he has the right to be absent from the remainder of the pretrial motions hearing this week. The four other defendants also answered in the affirmative.

Binalshibh used the question as an opportunity to repeat claims that prison authorities use sounds and vibrations to keep him awake at night inside Camp 7, the high-security section of Guantanamo where he and the other defendants in the Sept. 11 case are held. Prosecutors say they have looked into the matter and were assured that no noises are being made.

German Court Begins Hearing Afghan Airstrike Case

A court in Germany has begun hearing a civil case brought by relatives of some of the 91 Afghans killed in a NATO airstrike four years ago.

Bonn regional court spokesman Philipp Prietze said Wednesday that the court reviewed video recorded by two U.S. fighter jets involved in the airstrike in the Afghan province of Kunduz on Sept. 4, 2009.

The strike was ordered by a German colonel fearful that insurgents would use two stolen fuel tankers to attack his troops.

Germany paid $5,000 each to victims' families, but some are seeking additional compensation. Most of the dead were civilians.

Separately, Germany said it would offer refuge to 182 Afghan translators and drivers who could face persecution after Western troops leave Afghanistan because they worked for the German military.

Law Firm Website Templates‎ - Legal Marketing Tips

4 Myths about Template Website Design for Law Firms

Template websites are one of the most affordable and simple solutions for attorneys looking to get their legal business online. They are offered for a very low price and require a limited amount of input to get online. Still, template websites get a bad name. In this article, we’ll dispel several myths and make a case for why a template website is just as capable as any custom designed site.

MYTH: Templates Always Have Unprofessional Design

Firstly, we should establish the difference between a template website and a sitebuilder website. Sitebuilder websites can be incredibly cheap, and usually offer the benefit of do-it-yourself customizability. People who know what they want and have time to invest are drawn to these solutions.

However, these sitebuilders lack the knowledge and experience of a designer or web developer, and users often find their capabilities limited by the interface or a necessity for HTML/ CSS fluency. The most capable attorneys will end up with a website that undersells their professionalism and excellence. The least will have a website that offends the eyes and scares potential clients away.

Our template websites differ because they are based on our most successful custom designs. Unlike other template solutions, each template has been professionally designed by our in-house, highly experienced web designers, and is proven to be successful at impressing visitors and converting prospects into real business. They are also created specifically for lawyers and law firms, so each template is absolutely appropriate for legal professionals.

MYTH: Template Websites Aren’t SEO Optimized

We’ve heard a lot of arguments against template websites because they are not SEO optimized. Law Promo’s template websites are ALWAYS fitted with the very best of onsite optimization. While template websites are made to be static–best for those who have little interest in constant work and updates on their pages–they still are search engine optimized like any of our custom websites, and have the potential for search engine success. Page titles, heading tags, image tags, and keywords are all equally powerful as they would be on a custom website. And if you’re looking to keep your website fresh, you can always add a blog for constant, keyword-rich updated content.

MYTH: My Website Will Look Like Everyone Else’s

This is another concern we hear frequently: “Won’t there be other websites out there, just like mine?” Law Promo offers dozens of different website templates with several customizable options, so its unlikely that there will be many others like yours. Further, you only need to worry about what your potential visitors see. As long as your website isn’t the same as your immediate competitors, a template website is an affordable and easy solution for any law firm.

With the available choices and custom options, your website will be fit to your preferences, and your visitors will not be thinking about whether it’s a template website or not. Instead, they’ll get a great initial impression of your professionalism, then go on to learn more about you through your written content, where most legal professionals really shine.

MYTH: Template Websites Require Technical Knowledge and Web Savvy

We’ve heard horror stories about template design companies that hand their customers a completed template website and expect them to install and maintain it themselves. We understand that attorneys are busy individuals without the time to learn about server configuration or technical coding. That’s why we do all of the technical work for you– you make a few simple choices, send us your written content, and your website will be online and running in a little over a day.

Remember, template websites are not for everyone. If your firm is looking for a deeply personalized, high-functioning website designed to dominate the web space, you’ll be looking for more involved custom design and coding. However, for those who realize that the web is a necessary space for business but don’t have the time to invest in content creation, we highly recommend our template website solution designed specially for legal professionals.

Ind. high court to hear eminent domain lawsuit

The Indiana Supreme Court has agreed to hear an eminent domain case involving land in southern Indiana that a local board claimed for a planned airport runway expansion.
The state's high court recently vacated the Indiana Court of Appeals' ruling in the case involving the action by the now-defunct Clark County Board of Aviation Commissioners. That board used eminent domain in 2009 to acquire property owned by resident Margaret Dreyer for a runway expansion at the Clark County Regional Airport.
Dreyer sued the board, alleging its appraisals of the property acquired through eminent domain were wrong. She won and was awarded a judgment of $865,000.
The News and Tribune reported Clark County became party to the case last year when Dreyer's motion was granted to have the "civil government of Clark County" pay the judgment. The Court of Appeals later upheld the verdict.
South Central Regional Airport Authority Attorney Greg Fifer said last week in an email that the Indiana Supreme Court could either reach the same verdict as the appellate court, or affirm the county's position that the judgment was void.
Authority President Tom Galligan said the panel, which replaced the now-defunct Board of Aviation Commissioners, is pleased with the court's decision to hear the case. He said the airport authority thought the original ruling "was not a very good ruling."

Ohio kidnap suspect in court, plea talks ongoing

Prosecutors and lawyers for a Cleveland man accused of holding three women captive in his home for more than a decade signaled Wednesday that they are talking about a possible plea deal.

With a trial less than two weeks away, there was no mention of whether the prosecutor will seek the death penalty. Attorneys for Ariel Castro, 53, say a deal is dependent on taking it off the table.

"My understanding is that the parties have discussed possible pleas and that you're working to see if that would be an effective resolution, is that correct?" Judge Michael Russo asked.

Both sides responded "yes" without elaboration and left the courtroom without commenting. Last month, the judge had mentioned the possibility of a plea deal raised by the defense.

Castro mostly kept his head down during the brief hearing and quietly answered "yes" to routine questions from the judge.

The hearing focused on the trial date, Aug. 5, and whether the prosecution had provided its evidence to the defense in a timely fashion, as required.

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IMF head Lagarde in court in fraud probe

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde is facing questions at a special Paris court Thursday over her role in the 400 million euro ($520 million) pay-off to a controversial businessman when she was France's finance minister.
The court hearing threatens to sully the reputations of both Lagarde and France. The payment was made to well-connected entrepreneur Bernard Tapie as part of a private arbitration process to settle a dispute with state-owned bank Credit Lyonnais over the botched sale of Adidas in the 1990s. It is seen by many in France as an example of the cozy relationship between big money and big power in France.
Lagarde has earned praise for her negotiating skills as managing director of the IMF through Europe's debt crisis and is seen as a trailblazer for women leaders. Her decision to let the Adidas dispute go to private arbitration rather than be settled in the courts has drawn criticism, and French lawmakers asked magistrates to investigate.
Lagarde, smiling at reporters, left her Paris apartment Thursday morning and appeared at a special court that handles cases involving government ministers. She has denied wrongdoing.
At the time of the payment, Tapie was close to then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was Lagarde's boss. Critics have said the deal was too generous to Tapie at the expense of the French state, and that the case shouldn't have gone to a private arbitration authority because it involved a state-owned bank.