Texas
Appeals court hears transgender widow’s fight
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — The transgender widow of a fallen South Texas firefighter is asking a state appeals court to reverse a ruling that their marriage wasn’t legally binding.
Nikki Araguz was married to Wharton County volunteer firefighter Thomas Araguz when he died while fighting a fire three years ago. She says she’s entitled to his death benefits, worth an estimated $500,000.
But Araguz’s first wife and his mother say the money should go to his two sons because Nikki Araguz was born a man and thus in a marriage not binding under Texas law. A district judge two years ago ruled in their favor.
Kentucky
State high court weighing plea deal ethics issue
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Supreme Court is weighing whether federal prosecutors can require someone to drop all future appeals of their attorney’s performance as part of a plea agreement.
The Kentucky Bar Association issued an ethics advisory opinion in November barring defense attorneys from advising a client about a plea agreement requiring them to waive their right to challenge the attorney’s performance at a later date. In the same opinion, the bar association ruled that prosecutors may not propose a plea agreement that requires someone to waive the right to attack a defense attorney’s performance on appeal.
