Some mail-in ballots disallowed in Pennsylvania, another UK firm sets up in U.S., Perkin Coie absorbs small firm and determining a "dangerous animal"
Reuters Legal
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Pennsylvania's highest court ordered officials to disallow mail-in ballots with the wrong date marked on the envelope, potentially throwing out numerous votes in close races that could determine control of the U.S. Congress in elections next week.
The ruling is a win for Republicans, who filed the case and have been fighting to eliminate ballots with incorrect information on them in an effort they say is meant to ensure election security. Democrats say the lawsuits are really efforts to disallow votes and could sway tight races.
In its short ruling, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court also said that it was evenly split on the question of whether throwing out ballots with incorrect dates or no dates marked on the envelopes in which they are mailed violates a federal law that makes it illegal to throw out ballots for trivial reasons.
The court directed Pennsylvania county boards of elections to "segregate and preserve any ballots contained in undated or incorrectly dated outer envelopes," the ruling said.
Such a move would ensure that the ballots were preserved in the event that a higher court overturns the ruling or finds that discarding such ballots would violate the federal law.
More than 4.5 million people in the United States are bitten by dogs each year, and about 800,000 receive medical attention for dog bites,?according to?the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Zeus's case, the one-year-old German Shepherd bit two men and was deemed a "dangerous animal" by the city of Elk Grove, California. He was put to death even as litigation by his owner Faryal Kabir remains pending in both federal and state courts.?
Kabir asserts that Zeus was wrongfully seized, her due process rights were violated, and the dog was provoked into biting the men on their legs. Neither was seriously injured, she alleged.
Jenna Greene writes that the mentioned case illustrates a fundamental disconnect in our legal system: Dogs are often regarded as beloved family members by those who own them, but they're personal property under the law.
Christopher Berry, a managing attorney at the Animal Legal Defense Fund who was not involved in Zeus' case, told Jenna:
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“The law hasn’t caught up to cultural attitudes. It’s increasingly obvious that an animal’s worth can be much greater than its market value.”
London-founded law firm Gunnercooke entered the U.S. legal market with a new office in New York. The firm has tapped Noreen Weiss, whose prior experience includes working as a lawyer at HBO and law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen and Hamilton, to join as U.S. chair and New York managing partner.
The move by Gunnercooke comes as several prominent UK-founded law firms, including Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Allen & Overy and Clifford Chance, continue to grow in the United States through new offices and hires.
While the firm now has 12 physical offices in the UK, U.S. and Europe, Gunnercooke lawyers have flexibility to work remotely.?Darryl Cooke, co-founder of Gunnercooke, said in a statement that it made sense for the firm to have a physical presence in New York as firm lawyers are "already acting for large U.S. headquartered global household names."
Seattle-founded law firm Perkins Coie is acquiring Kluk Farber Law, a small New York-based law firm that focuses on emerging companies and venture capital work.
The 1,200-lawyer firm, known for its technology clients, hopes to replicate its West Coast-based "life-cycle" practice of assisting companies from founding through different growth stages, said Brian Eiting, firmwide co-chair of the corporate practice.
The Kluk Farber Law team includes three partners -- firm co-founders Agatha Kluk and Sonia Farber, who previously practiced at Debevoise & Plimpton, and Eitan Hoenig, who previously practiced at Wachtell, Lipton, RoThat'sKatz.
The firm said six business professionals are also moving over to Perkins Coie.
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