Altria Group Inc's Philip Morris USA unit and two co-defendants filed to overturn the verdict, while the government argues the appeals court wrongly denied the disgorgement of billions of dollars in ill-gotten gains by the tobacco industry.

In May, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia affirmed a trial judge's verdict against the cigarette makers, finding they violated federal anti-racketeering laws by conspiring to lie about the dangers of smoking.

If the Supreme Court agrees to take the case, it could redefine the reach of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Besides Philip Morris, maker of Marlboro cigarettes, the appeals court ruling was challenged Friday by Lorillard Inc, home of the Kent and Newport brands, and the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco unit of Reynolds American Inc, maker of Camel and other cigarettes.

Saudi Arabia could soon allow women lawyers to appear in court, though apparently only representing other women, the country's justice minister said in comments published on Sunday.

Justice Minister Mohammed al-Issa said the ministry is drafting new rules to permit female lawyers to argue family cases, which could be passed soon, Saudi newspapers reported.

The women would be able to represent women in marriage, divorce, custody and other family cases, the newspapers said.

Female lawyers in the kingdom, where strict Islamic doctrine and shariah law have enforced separation of genders, can currently work only inside the women's sections of law and government offices, where they do not come into contact with men.

The Berenstein, Moore, Heffernan, Moeller & Johnson L.L.P. law firm announce that Karrie R. Hruska has become a partner in the Sioux City firm. Hruska joined the firm in November 2008 after 10 years in private practice in Sioux City.

She concentrates her practice in the areas of probate law, estate planning, litigation, business and family law. Hruska earned her undergraduate degree from the University of South Dakota and her Juris Doctorate Degree from the University of Iowa College of Law.

While at Iowa she was selected to be a member of the Stephenson Trial Advocacy Team. She is currently licensed to practice law in Iowa and South Dakota, and is a member of the Iowa Bar Association, the South Dakota Bar Association and the Woodbury County Bar Association.

She also has served on the executive board of the Young Lawyers Division of the Iowa State Bar Association and has served on the Mock Trial Committee of the Iowa State Bar Association since 2000.

The Illinois Supreme Court today rejected a bid by imprisoned former Gov. George Ryan to keep a portion of his lucrative government pension that was built up before his corrupt reign as governor and secretary of state.

The high court’s 6-1 decision cost the disgraced former Republican governor $70,824 a year, sending an unmistakable message from the court to Illinois’ governing elite that cronyism and corruption do not pay.

“As the victims of Ryan’s crimes, the taxpayers of the state of Illinois are under no obligation to now fund his retirement,” Justice Robert R. Thomas wrote in the court’s majority opinion.

The state General Assembly Retirement System had moved to strip Ryan, who turns 76 next Wednesday, of the entire $197,037 pension he was drawing annually up until his 2006 conviction on racketeering, conspiracy, mail fraud and other corruption charges linked to his tenure as governor and secretary of state.

But last year, a state appeals court reversed that decision, saying he should get to keep pension earnings from his 24 years as a Kankakee County official, state legislator and lieutenant governor – posts in which he was not accused of criminal wrongdoing.

“Although Ryan held multiple public offices over the course of his time in the system, all of those offices were in service to a single public employer — the state of Illinois. And it was the state of Illinois whose trust Ryan betrayed when he committed 16 job-related felonies,” Thomas wrote.

The lone dissenting justice was Anne Burke, who contended a 2005 ruling by the court in another case should dictate that Ryan keep his pension earnings from before his time as secretary of state and governor.

“I do not intend to diminish in any way the seriousness of the criminal acts committed by the former governor. Also I understand the very human impulse to want to punish Ryan for his wrongdoings by depriving him of all of his pension benefits,” Burke wrote. “However, while I sympathize with such impulses, our constitutional obligation is to follow the law, not our personal preferences.”

Cigarette maker Philip Morris, a unit of Altria Group Inc., asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a landmark ruling that found the tobacco industry violated federal racketeering laws for deceiving the public about the dangers of smoking.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit last year affirmed most remedies that a trial judge imposed against tobacco companies in 2006, which included restrictions on tobacco marketing and a requirement that the industry make corrective public statements about the health effects and addictiveness of smoking.

The appeals court ruled unanimously that there was ample evidence to conclude that the tobacco industry intended to deceive the public about the dangers of smoking. The court also said the government had adequately proved that the tobacco industry was likely to commit future violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, unless restrictions were imposed.

Philip Morris, whose top brand is Marlboro, said the government is perverting the understanding of the racketeering law.

"Absent further review, the government will henceforth be free to pervert RICO into a device for evading the legislative process, penalizing and chilling public debate on scientific matters, and constraining constitutionally protected speech through vague and sweeping injunctions," Philip Morris said in its appeal.

Other companies targeted by the government include Camel-cigarette maker R.J. Reynolds, a unit of Reynolds American Inc., and Lorillard Inc. They are expected to file appeals to the Supreme Court.

“We are excited to add Andrew to our trial team,” comments Boardman litigation attorney Claude Covelli. “He’s smart, personable, and a hard worker–a great combination.”

Andrew received his J.D. from Michigan State University in May, 2008, and received his undergraduate education from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Prior to joining Boardman, Andrew was Judicial Law Clerk to Justice Patience Drake Roggensack. He is fluent in German and Portuguese.

Boardman’s insurance litigation attorneys work with corporate and claims counsel to resolve a variety of insurance issues, and have argued appeals before the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Wisconsin Supreme Court, and the United States Supreme Court.

Boardman Suhr Curry & Field is one of the largest and oldest law firms based out of Madison, Wisconsin. Boardman’s attorneys provide services to individuals, businesses and organizations in a variety of areas, including estate planning, family law, banking, labor and employment, litigation, real estate, taxation, and more.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Nick Sayers  | Boardman Law Firm
608-283-7577
nsayers@boardmanlawfirm.com
www.boardmanlawfirm.com

Law firms in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., Wednesday filed a class-action complaint in San Jose, Calif., federal court against Google, and its Buzz technology, on behalf of Eva Hibnick, a 24-year-old Harvard Law School student.

The suit, reported by ABC News, is the first reported suit filed against Google about Buzz, which unexpectedly exposed relationships users had with others when Google turned on the technology. Google has since offered two methods to turn off Buzz.