News & Media
What do you mean I have to pay taxes?
By Tara Warrington, Legal Satyricon Correspondent Every once in a while, you hear some yahoo claiming that the Federal Government doesn’t actually have the power to tax you. This post is designed to put that particular urban myth to rest.
OW! My ASS!
Can you feel that? Yes, that’s AIG giving it to you right in the ol’ pooper! Less than a week after the federal government committed $85 billion to bail out AIG, executives of the giant AIG insurance company headed for a week-long retreat at a luxury resort and spa, the St. Regis Resort in Monarch Beach, California, Congressional investigators revealed today. “Rooms at this resort can cost over $1,000 a night,” Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) said this morning as his committee continued its investigation of Wall Street and its CEOs. AIG documents obtained by Waxman’s investigators show the company paid more than $440,000 for the retreat, including nearly $200,000 for rooms, $150,000 for meals and $23,000 in spa charges. “Their
Republicans Try to Suppress the Vote with Fashion Police
I am a registered Republican. However, after seeing some of the bullshit that this party has tried to pull in this election (coupled with what I saw it pull in 2004), I can’t honesty say that I will ever vote for a Republican candidate again. The latest games, enlisting the fashion police to try and suppress the vote in Pennsylvania and orchestrating a raid on ACORN for daring to register too many poor people to vote.
So We Can, or We Can't Desecrate the Flag?
By Sam Lea, Legal Satyricon Correspondent Police in Winona, Minnesota charged a 14-year-old boy with desecrating a U.S. flag, after he wrote song lyrics on it, burned holes in it with cigarettes, and then proceeded to tear the flag into several pieces. He then scattered the pieces throughout his high school before skipping class to attend the “Rage Against the Machine” concert on September 3rd in Minneapolis during the Republican National Convention. The penalty carries with it a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. The boy told police he knew that it was illegal, but did it to “excite his friends who were unable to attend the concert” (link to the story Despite the fact
Paul Little Gets 46 Months
Paul Little, a.k.a. “Max Hardcore” was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for producing dirty movies. While I’m sure that the ghost of Andrea Dworkin is doing backflips of joy, the founding fathers are rolling in their graves. Glenn Greenwald had this to say in Slate: So, to recap, in the Land of the Free: if you’re an adult who produces a film using other consenting adults, for the entertainment of still other consenting adults, which merely depicts fictional acts of humiliation and degradation, the DOJ will prosecute you and send you to prison for years. The claim that no real pain was inflicted will be rejected; mere humiliation is enough to make you a criminal. But if government
Greenfield on Law Review Articles
Scott pulls no punches here: Law review articles are a conversation amongst [law professors] themselves. Colloquially, perhaps they are best thought of as a circle-jerk, where neither judge nor practitioner is allowed to rub up against any tweed-covered elbow. (source) Now that is what I call writing! And as an aside to all those law students who were deluded by the glossy law porn into believing that their tuition was tendered in exchange for their being taught how to be lawyers, pay careful attention. The first thing the Academy demands of your “teachers” is that they disconnect themselves from anything having any connection to the law and prove their mettle by devolving into theoreticians of some extra-legal, multi-disciplinary voodoo designed
Ex Lovers, Embarrassing Missives, and the Law
WIRED magazine recently presented an interesting question to me. Apparently, a guy was dating a girl, he sent her a series of romantic letters, and then she found out that he was a low-down dirty swine. To exact her revenge, Girlfriend posted the letters on her myspace page with angry and mocking commentary. Here is the exact question: My ex-girlfriend recently posted one of my gooey love notes on her blog. I’d rather the world didn’t know that I used to refer to this vindictive harpy as “babycakes.” Can I compel her to delete the letter? (source) I gave WIRED a long explanation, but (of course) they couldn’t be expected to give all the column space required to print my
More Evidence of Naomi Wolf's Hotness
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyLSstqMvH8] She stands her ground, but still can laugh at herself when faced with Ali G.
John McCain Subliminal Advertising?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSAOQuLxSdY]
Virginia Spam Case Commentary
By Christopher Harbin, Legal Satyricon Correspondent I detest legendary spammer Jeremy Jaynes. As the 8th largest spam operator in the world, Jaynes has made a living cluttering up people’s inboxs and pumping them for money through get-quick-rich schemes. In April 2005, Jaynes was convicted of “felony spam” in violation of Virginia’s anti spam statute and sentenced to NINE YEARS in prison. Thankfully, the Virginia Courts eventually got it right. Jaynes appealed his conviction on First Amendment grounds arguing that Virginia’s statute is unconstitutionally overbroad. The Court of Appeals for Virgina agreed. Over at Spam Notes, Venkat Balasubramani makes an interesting argument that Virginia’s now-unconstitutional anti-spam statute didn’t actually curb anonymous speech, but rather “just one particular means of disseminating it.”
First Amendment Juggernaut
I’m beaming with pride at being called a “First Amendment Juggernaut” by the Citizen Media Law Project. That’s even cooler than “Rock and Roll Juggernaut.”
In Memoriam – David Wasserman
First Amendment lawyer David Wasserman died Thursday, Sept. 25 by his own hand. He reportedly suffered from depression for the past 16 years. The Orlando Sentinel reports: Wasserman, 52, was a passionate defender of the First Amendment who loved a good fight and reveled in speaking his mind, those who knew him said. He was the Christian Coalition’s nightmare, a guy whose credo was naked bodies are no big deal. And none of the government’s business. … A human run-on sentence, he was eager to preach his gospel of First Amendment freedom. I knew Wasserman personally. I made my entree into First Amendment law when David and I were both representing an adult bookstore in Florida. David sponsored me for
The Great Schlep
Sarah Silverman hilariously tries to convince Jews to visit their grandparents in Florida to vote for Obama. After their landslide stupidity in 2000, I’m pretty sure that the butterfly-ballot-stymied set could use a little instruction from their grandchildren. The Great Schlep
More Pwnage for Ciolli – Pennsylvania Case Continues
Anthony Ciolli, former defendant in the AutoAdmit case (and my former client) was dismissed from that action. Thereafter, he took the offensive, filing claims against Heide Iravani, Brittan Heller, the law firm of Keker Van Nest, Mark Lemley, Reputation Defender and Attorney David Rosen for including him in the action in the first place. Defendants Keker & Van Nest LLP, Mark Lemley, David Rosen, Ross Chanin, and Reputation Defender sought a stay of the proceedings until the Connecticut action is resolved. The court was not persuaded that the stay should be granted… not in the least. Order here.
Kentucky Seizes 141 Domain Names
A Kentucky state court judge has issued an order seizing 141 domain names that Kentucky claims “are being used in connection with illegal gambling activity.” (source) The Order states that “The Domain names shall be immediately transferred by their respective registrars to an account of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.” This is unprecedented. A review of the 141 domain names in question reveals that some are not for gambling sites at all, but are merely pay per click sites. Some are also for free gaming sites (no money involved). Others are for sites that merely discuss gambling. My commentary on this will be limited, as my law firm represents a number of affected entities, and we are in the midst of
Court Rules Transgendered Ranger Has a Right to Kick Terrorist Butt, Just Like Everyone Else
By Jessica Christensen, Legal Satyricon Employment Law Correspondent Last month I reportedon the trial in Schroer v. Billington (Library of Congress), a case involving allegations that the federal government refused to hire a highly decorated former Airborne Ranger for a Terrorism Analyst position because she is transgendered. Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Robertson issued his decision after trial, ruling that the government indeed did discriminate against Ms. Schroer. Judge Robertson held that three of the “legitimate business reasons” the government used to justify its actions were pretext for sex discrimination. Two other reasons – that Schroer would be unable to maintain her military contacts, and her credibility with those contacts, because those contacts would be prejudiced against her due to
Marty Klein on Gender Politics
Marty Klein takes the gender-identity politics set to task in Sarah Palin is not a “Woman” America is in bad enough shape without using the tribal allegiances of a Kosovo, a Rwanda, Macedonia, or South Ossetia to choose our leaders. I don’t care if the finger on the nuclear button sports nail polish or calluses; I want the finger attached to someone who will defend the Constitution rather than shred it. People who vote for a candidate’s gender, race, or ethnicity don’t understand democracy. Maybe the reason America hasn’t been able to export democracy is because we don’t have nearly enough of our own.
Lawyer 2 Lawyer on the MBTA Hack Case
I recently appeared on J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi’s show, Lawyer 2 Lawyer. We were discussing the MBTA hack case, which I blogged on here, here, and here. Here is the summary of the piece. It all started when three MIT students put together a presentation for their Network Security Class at MIT about their findings regarding the security vulnerabilities of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Charlie Card and Charlie Ticket. The MBTA sued the students and MIT in United States District Court in Massachusetts. Join Law.com bloggers and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi as they discuss this case with Tuna Chaterjee, a fellow at the Berkman Center and a Staff Attorney with the Citizen Media Law
Lap Dances for Legal Fees
No, you can’t swap lap dances for legal fees. WSJ Blog.
