News & Media

While this happened a few months ago, I happened to be pretty tied up at the time. I can not let any more time pass without a post honoring Avijit Roy and Rafida Ahmed Bonya. And it came to mind today, because finally an organization came forward trying to claim responsibility for Roy’s death and Bonya’s dismemberment. Roy immigrated to the United States from Bangladesh, and he is precisely the kind of immigrant that fills America’s veins with much needed new blood. He embraced his First Amendment rights with alacrity, and became a prominent blogger, advocating for free expression and free thought. And for that, some of his countrymen called for his head. For his advocacy and for his words,

This is why Mike Tyson is always welcome around here. Tell it like it is, Mike. [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RWo4FfH5Lk]

Because the fucking morons who have a chance to do anything about it are sucking the government’s dick by playing right into their hands. As long as we can divide people up by race, nobody will really give a shit about the actual problem here. Some of the young men wore bandanas to hide their identities. Several young men identified themselves as members of the Crips, Bloods and Black Guerrilla Family street gangs. One Crips member, who called himself Charles, said the gang members had taken to the streets because “there is only so far that you can push people into a corner. We’re frustrated and that’s why we’re out there in the streets.” He described how he and some

Florida Man, I have a wife for you. While she was driving drunk, on the way to an intersection where she would ultimately crash into a car and kill her passenger, a Florida Woman texted to her ex-boyfriend “Driving drunk woo!” (source) I don’t do criminal law, so take this advice for what it is worth — but, if you are going to drive drunk, don’t also text “driving drunk woo” from your phone while doing it. Or don’t drive drunk. Or just don’t be fucking stupid. But that’s a lot to ask, I know.

In the wake of the Michael Brown verdict and the Ferguson uprising, a number of “elite” law schools decided that their students could get a deferral on exams if they were “emotionally” unable to proceed. (source) This reinforces the impression that the so-called elite law schools are simply places where students are pre-selected and then coddled. As a graduate of one of these schools (Georgetown), I’ll confirm that the quality of the education is clearly secondary to the “brand name.” I did a year as a visiting student at the University of Florida, which is a little lower ranked – and got way better education there. Of course, I only got into Georgetown as a fluke. I actually got piss

Would you believe that the FBI conducted a two year investigation into whether someone should go to jail for “Louie Louie.”? Yeah, the song. A threat to national security and order! The FBI documents are here. Can you imagine what kind of blueballed hall monitor dipshit fuckhead decided that there should be an FBI investigation at all much less one that lasted for two years? I can. They’re the kind of people who now find themselves as administrators at colleges and law schools. They’re the kind of people who have decided that “that kind of thing” bothers them — even if the “thing” has changed (but not really by a lot). Although this letter was most certainly not written by

In 2014 Goddard College selected Mumia Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther, as a commencement speaker. He gave the speech via recorded playback, since he was in jail (and remains there today). In 1982, Jamal was convicted of the murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. Some say that his trial was unfair, tainted by racism and a lack of impartiality. Others say that he is a cold blooded murderer who is yet to face the justice he deserves. The case is one of the most controversial in current existence. In fact, Debo P. Adegbile represented Abu-Jamal when he worked for the NAACP, and helped to overturn Abu-Jamal’s death sentence. Adegbile was Obama’s nominee to head up the Justice Department’s Civil

Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m just gonna leave these right here for any of the people out there who have felt the victimizing thwack of Roca Labs’ censorious sting. You see, Roca Labs is very very very upset if you say anything bad about them. So upset that they file legal claims and bar complaints to try and shut you up if you dare speak out. Meanwhile, feast your eyes on this stuff. This Roca Labs user got sick from the product (Roca User got sick) Here is a complaint about their deceptive trade practices (Deceptive trade practices) Here is another Roca Labs user who got sick and complained about their trade practices (Sick and trade) Here is a report from

“We defend free speech above its contents” – PEN America in deciding to honor Charlie Hebdo. (source) Meanwhile a university canceled a Charlie Hebdo appearance for “security” reasons. (source) “If PEN as a free speech organization can’t defend and celebrate people who have been murdered for drawing pictures, then frankly the organization is not worth the name,” – Salaman Rushdie in criticizing six gutless whiny douchebags for deciding to resign from PEN America because of the honor to be bestowed on Charlie Hebdo. (source) Remember their names: Peter Carey, Michael Ondaatje, Francine Prose, Teju Cole, Rachel Kushner and Taiye Selasi – gutless sons of bitches. Trash. I’ve never heard of their useless asses before this, so there’s that anyhow. And

In Nevada, Senate Bill 444 stands to repeal all the effectiveness of the Nevada Anti-SLAPP Law. If you’ve read this blog at all in the past two weeks, you know that I have been a small part of the chorus of voices that rose up against this ignoble and unethical bill. Last Friday, I testified at the Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing on the bill in Carson City. I’m happy to report that, if the mood in the room is any indication, that the Assembly members are siding with the Constitution, Freedom of Expression, Economic Development, and Liberty. My Testimony [youtube=https://youtu.be/jajveO6eahM] And this is the guy pushing to gut Nevada’s Anti-SLAPP law. [youtube=https://youtu.be/LZ9jOkMg4Mc] How you can help stop SB444. 1. Go

In 2013, Nevada passed the best Anti-SLAPP law in the country. Under this law, NRS 41.660-670, when someone files a lawsuit designed to stifle First Amendment protected expression, that lawsuit gets thrown out quickly, and that lawsuit comes with a price tag for the censorious plaintiff. The law strikes a good balance too – it still allows for valid lawsuits designed to protect a person’s good reputation. I handle lawsuits on both sides, plaintiff and defendant, and I have never feared an Anti-SLAPP law in California or Nevada, when putting my signature on a complaint. Why? Because I don’t file frivolous defamation claims. I don’t care how much money the potential client wants to give me. Recently, a Los Angeles-based

The Las Vegas Review Journal points out that the polls are showing that Nevadans oppose Senate Bill 444 by more than 100 to 1. See Will Assembly serve the elite or the masses?

My latest CNN Column is a bit of a sneak peek of the upcoming publication of my thesis in the Nevada Law Journal.

Senate Bill 444 cuts the guts out of the Nevada Anti-SLAPP law. Don’t just take my word for it: The Las Vegas Review-Journal is against Senate Bill 444. The Sparks Tribune is against it. TechDirt has an opinion, guess what it is. PopeHat has an opinion too. The Elko Daily? Nope, no support for Senate Bill 444 there either. This bill has to die.

Senate Bill 444 was a sneak attack on free speech in Nevada. It wasn’t announced in advance, like most legislation. To the extent anyone would have seen it, it got put on the agenda under the innocuous name “Revises provisions governing civil actions.” But, what it really does is cut the guts out of the Nevada Anti-SLAPP law. Don’t just take my word for it: The Las Vegas Review-Journal is against Senate Bill 444. The Sparks Tribune is against it. TechDirt has an opinion, guess what it is. PopeHat has an opinion too. The Elko Daily? Nope, no support for Senate Bill 444 there either. No single senator put his name on the bill, but State Senator Greg Brower was

The Elko Daily has chimed in on Senate Bill 444. (here) It should come as little surprise that they’re against it too. So far, we have liberals and conservatives, both aligned on the common ground that Senate Bill 444 is terrible for Nevada. How often does that happen in America nowadays? I hope, I really hope, that it continues. Senate Bill 444 was a paragon of sleaze. It wasn’t announced in advance, like most legislation. To the extent anyone would have seen it, it got put on the agenda under the innocuous name “Revises provisions governing civil actions.” Why do you think that is? Do you think that if it said “Revises the Anti-SLAPP Act” that people might have noticed,

Senate Bill 444, the sneaky attempt to gut Nevada’s Anti-SLAPP act, does not seem to have too many friends (just one, last I counted). Thomas Mitchell at The Sparks Tribune provides us with an eloquent explanation of why the bill should go down in flames.

Conservatives (not all of them) loved it when we got tough on “crime.” No knock warrants, militarized police, doors bashed down, homes invaded, it all worked to keep a little Reagan-inspired law and order. Now a conservative activist finds herself on the ass end of this normalized police abuse. Welcome to the party. You see, Republicans? This is why you should be pissed off when you see the cops kicking down doors to arrest poor people on suspicion of having a bag of weed in their house. This is why when you see them dragging black people out of their homes and depriving them of their rights under the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments, you should be able to picture

Legal academia largely rejects the notion that professors should have practice experience. Yeah, its the only profession in the world where you teach people to do something, and it is a disadvantage to have actually done the job you’re training people to do. Sorta like if you had a motorcycle mechanic’s school, but you only wanted instructors who could tell you about the origin of the socket wrench, but who had not ever actually performed an oil change. The WSJ profiles Charlotte Law Professor, Brian Clarke . Specifically, how he opens up to his students about his own depression issues, and how the stress of practicing law pushed him to near-suicide. Students need to hear that kind of thing. They