Fairly Legal

Alec Baldwin just scored another victory in the "Rust" shooting case ... 'cause a judge ruled against the state's motion to reconsider the dismissal with prejudice.

The First Judicial District Court of New Mexico filed its judgment Thursday ... saying many of the arguments the prosecutors made had already been put forward and did not rise to the level needed for reconsideration of the decision.

The judge also noted that even though the state did file its papers by the August 30 deadline, it filed a motion that went far beyond the allotted page limit without asking for permission from the court to do so.

The Menendez brothers are one step closer to their potential freedom ... but L.A. County D.A. George Gascón, who’s recommending the resentencing, is rejecting calls that he’s letting them off the hook.

Gascón spoke to "Good Morning America" Friday, following his big announcement yesterday -- and he made it clear that despite the good news for Lyle and Erik, the murders of their parents, Kitty and José, were brutal acts, and morally they haven't been given a free pass.

He explained his recommendation for their release is based on the belief that the brothers are not the same people they were at the time of the brutal murders 35 years ago ... as they've spent a lot of time doing good works while behind bars.

The Menendez brothers are a step closer to potentially getting out of prison ... because Los Angeles' District Attorney just filed the document officially asking a judge to resentence them.

D.A. George Gascón filed the motion mere minutes ago ... asking a judge to change the brothers' sentences from life without the possibility of parole to life with the possibility of parole. Because of time served, this would allow them to potentially be released from prison immediately.

It's a long document ... but, basically, the D.A.'s office says Erik and Lyle have been upstanding inmates and no longer present a risk to public safety -- so, there's no reason to keep them locked up.

Federal agents swooped in and arrested 5 men in connection to the August 2022 shooting in Los Angeles that killed Quando Rondo's cousin ... and now they're being charged with conspiracy to commit murder for hire in retaliation for King Von's death!!!

Federal prosecutors in California announced the grand jury indictment Thursday of Kavon London Grant, AKA "Vonnie" ... Deandre Dontrell Wilson, AKA "DeDe" ... Keith Jones, AKA “Flacka” ... David Brian Lindsey, AKA "Browneyez" ... and Asa Houston, AKA "Boogie."

Durk isn't a defendant here, but he's been vigorously fighting the label that OTF is a gang in a separate case involving the slaying of his rival, FBG Duck.

Jesse Williams' ex-wife's asking the court not to make any changes to their custody arrangement ... saying giving Jesse more time with the kids just means they'll see their nanny more.

The actor's ex, Aryn Drake-Lee, filed a response to Jesse's motion asking for more time with their children Wednesday ... saying Williams is out of town more than he's in town, so a babysitter will primarily be interacting with their kids if they stay with him more.

Drake-Lee claims their kids stayed with a nanny for much of this past spring while Williams was off working somewhere ... and says the kids missed more school during this period than any other time in their lives.

Erik and Lyle Menendez are currently awaiting word from L.A. County D.A. George Gascón for an important case update ... but their fellow inmates are already acting like they're getting out, TMZ has learned.

A source inside the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility tells TMZ ... prisoners are already lining up and calling dibs on the Menendez brothers' property on the inside ... all in the hope of scoring a famed memento or two.

We're told everything -- from clothing items to their TVs -- is up for grabs right now, despite that being a prison no-no.

Some cops in Beverly Hills aren't happy Erik and Lyle Menendez could possibly be released ... with some officers going as far as blasting it as a political move.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... several officers with the Beverly Hills Police Department -- the city where the Menendez brothers murders occurred -- say Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón is trying to win political points by letting the brothers out of prison.

He's fallen behind in the polls to his opponent for the position, Nathan Hochman, and some officers see this as a big swing to get himself back in the race.

Erik Menendez is ready to trade his regimented prison life for the lights of Southern Nevada ... because TMZ has learned he's got plans to live with his wife in Las Vegas if he gets out.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Erik wants to live with his better half, Tammi Menendez if he's released from prison. She lives there, so that's where Erik plans to go.

We don't know Lyle's intention once he's released from prison ... though he's married too.

Lil Xan blew his gasket and pulled a gun on a man at a gas station back in 2020 -- a costly decision because a judge just ordered the rapper to shell out a hefty fine!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained court docs showing the judge entered a default judgment on October 23 against Nicholas "Diego" Leanos (AKA Xan), ordering him to pay $27,823.89 in damages and other costs to Anthony Sanchez.

We broke the story 3 years ago ... Xan and Sanchez engaged in a heated rap debate at a Los Angeles 7-Eleven stemming from Sanchez confronting Xan over his flippant comments about Tupac Shakur that were going viral at the time.

Young Thug sent a heartfelt message to his girlfriend Mariah The Scientist in court today -- as proceedings were dismissed for the day, reigniting those mistrial convos once again!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained a photo of Thugga in court wearing a shirt that read “I ❤️ Mariah” as the presiding judge cleared the courtroom to consult with him.

It's not the first time his fashion choices have sent out a bold message ... we've still yet to see any more movement from "Sex Records" after he introduced the term.

Jeffrey Michael Kelly, the suspect arrested in connection with the shooting of Kamala Harris' campaign office in Arizona, may have been planning a "mass casualty" event ... this according to prosecutor Neha Bhatia.

The Maricopa County prosecutor made the assertion in court Wednesday, claiming federal agents told her more than 120 guns and 250,000 rounds of ammunition were discovered in Kelly's home after his arrest.

She said scopes, body armor and silencers were also discovered in the home by authorities during the search ... along with a machine gun in his car.

Todd Chrisley's looking for work in prison -- he got canned from his job at the prison chapel, all because he was getting too chatty with certain inmates ... TMZ has learned.

The reality TV star's attorney, Jay Surgent, tells us ... Todd was dismissed from his administrative role at the chapel inside FPC Pensacola, where he's locked up.

He says Todd had been assisting a chaplain, helping set up church services for inmates of different faiths -- including Christian, Jewish and Muslim -- and was doing a good job, according to Surgent.

Halle Berry's going to like this ... the judge in her never-ending custody battle with ex-husband Olivier Martinez sided with her in a dispute over their co-parenting agreement.

Here's the deal ... over the summer, Halle claimed Olivier was trying to take time off from co-parenting therapy, and she complained and asked the judge to force Olivier to go back.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge sided with Halle ... but did note Olivier had already complied with her request after she dragged him to court over the issue.

Laura Loomer is firing off at Bill Maher, calling him out for trying to destroy her career by portraying her as a "floozy" -- and she thinks it's because she's crushing Democrats with her journalism.

We spoke with the right-leaning activist -- who's suing Maher for defamation for what she calls his false claim she's having an affair with Donald Trump ... something she thinks he's only doing because she's broken major stories involving Democratic heavyweights.

Loomer flaunts a few of these stories ... saying she was the one who broke the news about Tim Walz's family planning to vote against him and Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming election.

Vince McMahon is facing yet another lawsuit -- this time, the former WWE honcho is being accused of ignoring claims of sexual abuse made by former employees known as "Ring Boys."

The docs were filed in Baltimore County Wednesday ... with Vince's wife, Linda McMahon, WWE and its ownership, TKO Group, also named in the lawsuit.

In the suit .... it alleges Melvin Phillips Jr. -- who served as the ring crew chief and ringside announcer -- hired underaged boys to assist the crew with errands and tasks for wrestling shows.

LeBron James and his son, Bronny, are being dragged to a different kind of court ... TMZ Sports has learned they've just been sued over their alleged roles in a 2022 car crash.

Court documents we obtained showed the suit was filed by two plaintiffs in Los Angeles County on Tuesday afternoon ... just hours before the father-and-son duo took the floor together for the first time in a regular season game during the Lakers' season-opening win over Minnesota at Crypto.com Arena.

In the suit, April Almanza Lopez and Kiara Rae McGillen allege they were driving on a highway on November 13, 2022 in Littlerock, Calif. ... when the Jameses slammed into them.