Courts

May 12, 2004 3:55 PM

Rodriguez charged in Sjodin case; could face death penalty

Convicted sex offender Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. has pleaded not guilty to a federal charge in the kidnapping and death of Dru Sjodin. Rodriguez appeared in federal court in Fargo Wednesday, where he was charged with kidnapping resulting in death. If he is convicted, the 51-year-old Rodriguez of Crookston, Minnesota, could face the death penalty.

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April 19, 2004 2:00 PM

Minnesota's probation system overloaded

Minnesota is putting more criminals on probation. Probation officers are struggling to keep up with their growing workload. Recent budget cuts are adding to the challenge. Some probation officers say public safety is affected when they can't implement the best tools available to keep criminals from committing new crimes.

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April 19, 2004 10:44 AM

Microsoft settles Minnesota class-action lawsuit

Bill Gates will not be coming to Minnesota after all -- at least not to testify on his company's behalf. Lawyers for Microsoft and for Minnesota consumers announced a settlement Monday in the class action suit against the company. The settlement prematurely ends the first trial ever to result from a class action suit against the software maker.

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April 9, 2004 4:50 PM

MnDOT employee wins case over false accusation

Adeel Lari took a big step toward getting his reputation restored this week. Last summer, the high-ranking and well-respected employee of the Minnesota Department of Transportation was investigated and demoted after technicians found pornography on two state-owned laptop computers Lari used. To make matters worse, a MnDOT employee leaked word of the investigation to the media and a flurry of critics demanded Lari be fired. In February, a judge found that Lari was not the one who downloaded the images. The judge determined that MnDOT rushed too quickly to judgment, and that the release of information about the case was illegal. On Tuesday, Lari received an $800,000 settlement deal from MnDOT. He was promoted and received a public apology. Still, Adeel Lari told MPR's David Molpus it will take much longer to repair his reputation.

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March 28, 2004 3:00 PM

Civil liberties groups fear travel "surveillance"

Development is well behind schedule for a new national system to screen airplane passengers. Homeland security officials say the system, known as CAPPS II, is a critical tool to prevent a repeat of 9/11. But Northwest and other airlines are reluctant to even help test it, citing concern about passenger privacy. Some experts see an emerging battle between security and civil liberties that can only be settled in the courts.

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March 28, 2004 3:00 PM

Years after 9/11, passenger screening system still grounded

When the public learned this year that Northwest Airlines once gave passenger data to a government agency, it added heat to the national debate over a new airline passenger screening system. Testing and implementing the system is shaping up as one of the great homeland security challenges. Observers wonder why, more than two years after 9/11, passenger screening has barely pulled away from the gate.

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March 23, 2004 4:49 PM

Same-sex marriage debate keeps Capitol phones ringing

On the eve of key legislative votes on a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage, lobbying on both sides of the issue has intensified. The House is scheduled to vote on the measure Wednesday, and the bill will get a Senate hearing on Friday. Supporters of the measure have focused most of their efforts on the Senate, where the prospects for passage are uncertain.

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March 9, 2004 5:00 PM

Minnesota suing North Dakota over hunting laws

Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch and Rep. Collin Peterson are suing the state of North Dakota over hunting restrictions. A North Dakota law passed last year restricts the first week of the waterfowl hunting season to North Dakota residents only. Hatch says the law discriminates against Minnesotans and other nonresidents.

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March 8, 2004 10:20 AM

Curtain lifts on the U.S. Supreme Court

Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun's papers recently were opened at the Library of Congress. The former Minnesotan's notes, memos and letters lend insight into in a number of important decisions, including one reaffirming Roe v. Wade.

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March 5, 2004 3:00 PM

South Dakota Supreme Court justices step aside in Janklow appeal

A group of circuit judges from across South Dakota will serve as a temporary Supreme Court. They will hear two appeals from former congressman Bill Janklow. Janklow appealed his sentence and conviction, but all five sitting Supreme Court justices had to disqualify themselves. Janklow appointed all of them to the bench.

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