Law Blog rounds up the morning’s legal news:
Law firm hacking: Three Chinese traders earned more than $4 million in illegal profits after they hacked into the computer systems of prominent U.S. law firms and stole nonpublic information on mergers and acquisitions, according to an unsealed federal indictment. [WSJ, NYT]
Student loan bankruptcy: Borrowers are beginning to win battles to erase some student loans in bankruptcy court, overcoming stiff obstacles that have generally blocked that path except in extreme cases of financial hardship. [WSJ]
Mandatory retirement: An outgoing Ohio Supreme Court justice says she’s “a bit unhappy” about the mandatory retirement rules forcing her from the bench. [AP]
‘Debtor’s prison’: A federal lawsuit accuses an Arkansas judge of operating an unconstitutional “debtor’s prison” that traps poor people in a cycle of fines. [Democrat-Gazette]
Trump foundation: Donald Trump renewed his defense of his charitable foundation even as New York’s attorney general continues to investigate the organization. [NYT]
Lethal injection secrecy: A federal appeals court is weighing a challenge by Ohio death-row inmates of a law shielding the names of companies that supply lethal injection drugs. [AP]
‘Embarrassed’: Convicted ex-New York state Sen. John Sampson was too “embarrassed” to admit his law license had been suspended when he was caught wrongfully appearing on a family court case, according to court papers. [NY Post]
Squirrel suit: A contractor is suing a Virginia couple for $90,000 for injuries he alleges were caused when their pet squirrel attacked them. The couple denies having control over the rodent. [AP, Virginian-Pilot]
