It's time for football! No, not that football. The kind of football that is actually played with the feet, and not the hands. Yes, I’m talking about the sport most Americans perversely call ''soccer''. And Friday was the first match in the quadrennial championship that draws more television viewers than the Super Bowl. I'm talking, of course, about the World Cup (go Brazil!). So why am I... (1 views)
Schwarzenegger v Plata We've spent a lot of time here recently talking about the rights of criminal defendants and prisoners, and although we're not a CrimLaw blog you'll have to indulge us for one more day. The Court today granted cert to an important case from California that could determine whether or not a large number of prisoners will be released early from the state's overcrowded prison... (1 views)
Kagan Confirmation Hearings As I write this, Senators on the judiciary committee are making their opening statements while Elena Kagan sits silently, more like a prop on a stage than a nominee to the Supreme Court. Although her confirmation seems all but certain - the Democrats already have the votes lined up - there may still be some fireworks in the hearings this week. (1 views)
I Pledge Allegiance I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. (1 views)
Kagan Hearings and Political Opportunism In the wrap-up of the Elena Kagan hearings last week, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog summarized the reaction of several Senators by saying ''The gist of both sides' complaints was the same: If a nominee's assertions are no guide to how she will judge, what's the point of hearing testimony?'' (1 views)
The New ''New Deal''? Not quite. Ignoring the fact that the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform bill does nothing to address the first 2 of the ''3 R's'' of relief, recovery and reform that served as the cornerstone of the New Deal policies, it is debatable that the bill would pass muster with regards to the third ''R'' of reform either-if you take the word ''reform'' to mean actual change and not... (1 views)
It's fun to stay at the Y? Sometimes I get a little punch drunk on Friday afternoons, particularly in the summer when temperatures outside hit 110 degrees by 8 AM and stay above 100 until sometime after midnight. (1 views)
Move the Game In the late 80's and early 90's, Arizona became ground zero over the fight to recognize the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. as an official holiday. Over the initial objections of President Reagan, Congress had acted to create a federal holiday as early as 1983 but most states were slow to recognize it as a state holiday. (1 views)
Lindsay Lohan Loses a Lawyer (Again)! Lindsay Lohan is behind bars now, serving a 90 days sentence for violating the terms of her parole following a DUI conviction. Due to overcrowding in California prisons, Lohan could be released in only 23 days, but don't tell that to Lohan whose self aggrandizing Twitter posts make this case out to be one of the great miscarriages of justice of our time. The night before... (1 views)
Proposition 8 Overturned By U.S. District Chief Judge in San Francisco Opponents of California's proposition 8 are celebrating after a federal judge in San Francisco ruled today that the proposition passed by voters in 2008, making same-sex marriages illegal, was unconstitutional. (1 views)
Swearing-In On Saturday, August 7th, Elena Kagan will be sworn in as an Associate Justice for the United States Supreme Court; she will become the Court's 112th justice. Kagan served as Solicitor General to the Obama Administration from 2009-2010, immediately prior to her confirmation. Kagan is the court's fourth female justice and her confirmation makes her one of three women... (1 views)
A Victory for Privacy Rights The First Circuit has upheld another law restricting data mining over the constitutional challenges brought by the data miners. The case dealt with a Maine law that prohibits the sale of prescriber information for marketing purposes if the prescriber has affirmatively opted in to the privacy provisions. (1 views)
Neo-Nimbyism Not In My Backyard! For years this has been the rallying cry of communities rallying against nuclear power plants, prisons, strip clubs, industrial projects and other planned developments believed to lower property values, increase crime or threaten the moral fiber of neighborhoods. Recently it has become the rallying cry of groups protesting against something far more... (1 views)
Arizona's Immigration Reform Inspiring Other States Immigration control in Florida may soon resemble the new legislation in Arizona. The Republican gubernatorial candidate and attorney general of Florida, Bill McCollum wants to see the controversial laws enacted in his state of Florida if he's elected governor. And McCollum isn't exempt to the controversy. (1 views)
Caveat Emptor E-filing in state courts across the nation is becoming, county by county, more prevalent. To do so, unlike in the centralized federal court system, counties and states often contract with third party vendors that serve as e-middlemen. This often can, and often does, lead to confusion, frustration and missed deadlines. (1 views)
If at first you don't succeed, try try again... and again... and again... and again... It's time to turn our attention once more to the ongoing tale of one Orly Taitz, D.D.S., J.D., birther lawyer extraordinaire. Dr. Taitz has brought suit in numerous cases in courts across the country alleging that President Obama is not the lawful president because he fails to meet the constitutional requirements of office, to wit that he is not a natural born citizen of... (1 views)
Suspected Serial Killer Extradited To Michigan A man suspected of at least 17 stabbings across three states has been extradited from Georgia to Michigan to face charges for one of his stabbings. (1 views)
Censored! Under pressure from the attorneys general of several states, the popular online site Craigslist has pulled the ads from its adult services section and replaced them with a graphic reading ''Censored!''. It's still unclear whether this change is permanent or a temporary stalling tactic while the company considers its options going forward. The change only affects US sites... (1 views)
Judge Rules To Block Funding For Stem Cell Research Last month, Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., issued a preliminary injunction against government funding for research having to do with human embryonic stem cells. (1 views)
Death Looms Near for Many on Death Row Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. 8th Amendment to the United States Constitution (1 views)
Patience Wearing Thin, More Lawsuits Likely President Obama's hand-picked oil cleanup czar is finding himself on the hot seat on a daily basis. While part of it seems a bit unfair to Ken Feinberg, one need only take a step back and look at the big picture from that perspective to understand why many coastal residents, especially in Alabama and Louisiana, are declaring they've had a bellyful and have chosen to let... (1 views)
A Scholar's Son's Sea Scrolls Conviction A Manhattan jury returned a guilty verdict late on Thursday, September 30, 2010 against New York lawyer Raphael Golb, for a myriad of charges including theft and impersonation. Less than an hour after the jury returned with its guilty verdict, he and his lawyer announced that he would appeal the jury's verdict. (1 views)
Justice for a Connecticut Family In July 2007, Dr. William Petit became the sole survivor of a devastating and gruesome crime committed against his family. His wife Jennifer and the couple's two daughters, Hayley, who was 17 and Michaela, who was 11, were all beaten and tormented, as was Dr. Petit. (1 views)
ROCK the Lawsuit If you're a Kentucky resident and have been waiting for the option to purchase an ''In God We Trust'' auto tag, you're going to be waiting a lot longer, at least until a lawsuit can be resolved. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet recently declined a non-profit's bid for creating a vanity tag that includes the ''In God We Trust'' statement. As a result of this denial, the... (1 views)
Not- ''Working for the Weekend'' It's time for another 80's flashback! In 1981, Loverboy released ''Working for the Weekend'' off their second album, ''Get Lucky''. (1 views)
Economic Activity vs. Economic Decisions In the first of what will certainly be many cases, the Health Care Reform Act has had its day in court. (1 views)
Miner Mayhem The Chilean Miners Were Trapped Equally, But Can They Stay Equal? The rescue of the 33 Chilean Miners has captivated the world, creating 33 bona fide celebrities out of the, it's safe to say, former miners. (1 views)
Reid v Angle, Part I As the midterm elections draw closer one of the closest and most hotly contested races is going on right here in my home state of Nevada. I'm talking of course about Sharron Angle's bid to oust Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. This week PBS broadcast a series of debates including one between Reid and Angle. For a full un-annotated transcript, see here. (1 views)
Ugandan Law Students Allege ''Illegal Clog'' In System Law students in Uganda are expressing their anger with the Law Development Centre's (LDC) monopoly on the Bar Course. (1 views)
Reid v. Angle, Part 3 Today we continue with our look at the debate between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his challenger, Sharron Angle. Yesterday's questions focused on immigration. Today we'll look at the candidates' responses to the health care debate. (1 views)