Lord Phillips is rated by his colleagues and they say that he is reflecting their concerns: one was “immensely impressed with his willingness to espouse what could be seen as liberal sentencing policies” and alternatives such as community and restorative justice. But, another judge added, he is old-fashioned in believing that “reasoned intellectual argument will be persuasive and lead to politicians and the press taking a more measured view. He’s not a soundbite man.”

A new ruling could lead to money for the nine men pardoned in the 1999 Tulia Drug Sting. Forty-six people were arrested in a sting that civil rights leaders say was racially motivated. Governor Rick Perry pardoned 35 of the defendants in 2003.

Janine P. Geske, former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice and Distinguished Professor of Law at Marquette University Law School has been selected to receive the American Inns of Court’s 2007 Professionalism Award for the Seventh Circuit. The Seventh Circuit Professionalism Award is presented to honor a senior practicing judge or lawyer whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession.