Law and legal issues

Litigants appealing Jefferson County's bankruptcy case want Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and Attorney General Luther Strange to join their appeal.

Ballard Spahr served as bond counsel in the issuance of $34.6 million in tax-exempt bonds that will enable a Wilmington, Del., charter school to expand into a K-12 format

A House panel will hold a hearing Feb. 26 on legislation that would allow Puerto Rico government-owned corporations to restructure their debts under Chapter 9 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code.

Michigan is reportedly looking for ways to provide debt relief for the cash-strapped Detroit Public Schools as part of a larger turnaround plan.

Federal Bankruptcy Judge Thomas Tucker, who took over Detroit's bankruptcy this week, asked attorneys to meet with him to address any lingering issues in the historic case.

Former Pennsylvania Treasurer Rob McCord pleaded guilty in a Harrisburg courtroom to two federal counts of attempted extortion.

A $35.4 million issue of revenue bonds for a private detention center in Central Texas will retain tax-exempt status following a review by the Internal Revenue Service, according to a disclosure notice.

Oral arguments in the case challenging Illinois' 2013 public pension overhaul will be heard March 11.

The U. S. House Judiciary Committee will hold hearings in the next few weeks to consider making Puerto Rico's public corporations and municipalities eligible for Chapter 9 bankruptcy.

The January default by a well-off Indiana school district, though quickly cured, reveals problems with the state funding formula and investors' reliance on state school enhancement programs, market participants say.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Steven Rhodes, who oversaw Detroit's historic Chapter 9 bankruptcy, will retire Feb. 18, the court announced Friday.

Ascension Health's sale of two Kansas City, Missouri area hospitals to a for-profit was cleared after Ascension agreed to set aside $20 million in sale proceeds to fund acute indigent medical care, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster said.

Detroit will float $119 million of water and sewer bonds through the state's revolving fund under a resolution approved Thursday by the financial commission that oversees the post-bankrupt city.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes has approved $183 million of fees charged by professionals during the city's bankruptcy, in a ruling that heaps praise on the attorneys and consultants who worked on the city's behalf.

An appellate court ruling could mean increased financial pressure for cities that transfer revenue from electric utilities to general operating funds, Fitch Ratings warned in a report.

The Missouri Senate will vote Thursday on legislation tightening limits on how much local governments can rely on court-related fines to prop up their operating budgets.

Opponents of California's High Speed Rail project filed an appeal Monday challenging a ruling that favored federal jurisdiction over California environmental regulations on a segment of the line from Fresno to Bakersfield.

Bond insurers Assured Guaranty and MBIA may be among the beneficiaries after a federal judge ruled Puerto Rico's Recovery Act was unconstitutional, according to analysts at BTIG LLC.

Owners of the bankrupt Indiana Toll Road assured a federal bankruptcy judge recently that they expect to find a new owner for the 75-year lease within a few months and that the asset could fetch as much as $5 billion.

A federal court rejection of Puerto Rico's public corporation bankruptcy law has heightened uncertainty about the future of Puerto Rico debt.