11.   In a slap at Pierce Marshall for refusing to cooperate in pretrial discovery, Bufford ruled that Ms. Smith should share equally in proceeds from the estate.

12.   In the Microsoft case, Jackson had approved a protective order in May limiting public access to confidential business information gathered by the government and Microsoft during pretrial discovery.

13.   Lawsuits on behalf of all six defendants have been consolidated in Jackson County Circuit Court for purposes of pretrial discovery.

14.   Protective orders are typically granted during the pretrial discovery phase of a civil lawsuit.

15.   She had ruled that the president was entitled to a limited and temporary form of immunity, saying the pretrial discovery could go ahead but not the courtroom action.

16.   Smith rejected that motion last month but has expressed impatience with government attorneys during part of the pretrial discovery process.

17.   The judge sealed documents relating to pretrial discovery and ordered lawyers not to talk about the case.

18.   Though the issue appears technical, this requirement could have doomed many lawsuits for which the plaintiff needed pretrial discovery to obtain the very evidence the new standard demanded.

19.   Braugh said many cases already had been through pretrial discovery and should not be held up waiting for other cases to go through that phase.