Skip to content

An Activist Law Firm

News & Media

Lawyer billing rates

Law.com conducted a survey of lawyers’ billing rates. Nationwide, partners averaged $661 per hour, returning to their 2009 average after a dip to $639 per hour in 2010. Average for associates last year was $445 per hour, up six bucks from the year before. (source) I gotta raise my rates….

Read More »

TSA Agents DO have a choice

My hatred for the TSA is well documented. Examples here, here, here, and especially here. For those of you who say “they are just doing their jobs,” well they have a choice. They can quit, like this guy did.

Read More »

Leaked stripper video leads to extortion charges in New Mexico

In what has been dubbed “Lapdance-gate” by local New Mexico media, Sunland Parks’ mayor pro-tem and city manager entered not-guilty pleas for extortion charges. District Attorney Amy Orlando alleges that City Manager Daniel Salinas and Mayor Pro Tem Jaime Aguilera attempted to blackmail mayoral candidate Gerardo Hernandez into withdrawing from the race with a recording of Hernandez receiving a lapdance

Read More »

Judge rules court has no personal jurisdiction over Faceporn.com

U.S. District Court Judge Nathanael Cousins recently denied Facebook’s motion for default judgment against Faceporn.com, a website operating out of Norway, for trademark infringement. Judge Cousins said the court lacked personal jurisdiction over the defendants and recommended that the case be dismissed. Facebook originally brought suit against Thomas Pedersen and Retro Invent citing ten causes of action, including trademark dilution,

Read More »

My Friend Dahmer

John Backderf, author of the comic strip, “The City” was buddies with Jeffrey Dahmer in high school. On Thursday, he is releasing a graphic novel about Dahmer’s high school years. (source) He says he waited 21 years because he didn’t want to jump on any exploitative bandwagon. It’s been 21 years, so it’s not like exploiting the story for personal

Read More »

(Former) Judge Willie Singletary – Preacher Mode? Judge Mode? Its all Crazy Mode

When Willie Singletary ran for traffic court judge in 2007, he was described as “a scofflaw of major proportions” by the Philadelphia Inquirer. As of primary day, Singletary, 26, owed $11,427.50 for 55 violations, including reckless driving, driving without a license, careless driving, driving without registration, and driving without insurance. In fact, a bench warrant had been issued for his

Read More »

This is not what I'd call "game"

CBS Pittsburgh reports that John Jardini, 26, really liked a girl. He liked her so much that he robbed her, took $60 from her, and asked for her phone number. (Which she gave him, for some reason). After he robbed her, he called her twice trying to get her to go out with him. Police used cell phone records to

Read More »

Woman sues school because her roommate got laid too much

A woman is suing Stonehill College in Easton, MA because her roommate had too much sex in the room. Lindsay Blankmeyer, who says she suffers from depression and attention deficit disorder, is seeking $150,000 from Stonehill, claiming the college violated state and federal laws because housing officials did not give her reasonable alternatives for escaping a bad living situation. (source)

Read More »

Sheriff Mike Scott vs. The Media (again)

Lee County, Floriduh: Sheriff Mike Scott, (who I wrote about here) didn’t like being questioned about a federal lawsuit filed against his department. To show everyone that he’s boss, he decided that the Fort Myers News Press will no longer have the right to ask questions at press conferences, and he’s decided to severely limit press access to his department.

Read More »

D.C. Judge Smokes out a First Amendment Violation

The “Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act”, Pub. L. No. 111-31, 123 Stat. 1776 (2009) gave the FDA the authority to regulate the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products. Under that law, Congress mandated that the DHHS must “issue regulations that require color graphics depicting the negative health consequences of smoking.” It also required that the

Read More »

Did Rush Limbaugh Defame Sandra Fluke?

Update: A more complete analysis is here. I received an inquiry asking if Rush Limbaugh calling Sandra Fluke a “slut” would be the proper basis for a defamation claim. I do not believe it would be. In order to have a valid defamation claim you must have: A false statement of fact About the plaintiff That harms the plaintiff’s reputation

Read More »

Ken Mehlman, "my bad"

Ken Mehlman feels bad about his part in anti-gay bigotry he supported to get his dipshit in chief re-elected. “At a personal level, I wish I had spoken out against the effort,” he says. “As I’ve been involved in the fight for marriage equality, one of the things I’ve learned is how many people were harmed by the campaigns in

Read More »

Sandra Fluke is not a "slut" (just a liar)

Apparently, Rush Limbaugh found Sandra Fluke’s bullshit slinging on Capitol Hill to be worthy of disrespect. (so did I) He called her a slut (I did not), which of course, brought about the shrill screeching of harpies. Nancy Pelosi had this to say: “When Sandra Fluke testified before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee after Republicans attempted to silence,

Read More »

Is Nevada's Anti-SLAPP statute as weak as it seems?

Generally, Nevada’s Anti-SLAPP seems like a pansy-ass statute without much teeth. But some recent applications of NRS 41.635-70 give the Nevada version almost as much of a bite as California’s—the state regarded as having the best Anti-SLAPP statute in the country. Last year, Clark County Court Judge Gloria Sturman dismissed a lawsuit against local real estate investors on behalf of

Read More »

Judge should review history of First Amendment

Pennsylvania District Judge Mark Martin needs to review his First Amendment law a little more carefully. Ernie Perce, an atheist who marched in a Halloween parade last year dressed as “zombie Mohammed,” was before Judge Martin after he alleged he was attacked by Talaag Elbayomy, a Muslim who took action after he witnessed Perce’s costume. Perce wore a turban and

Read More »

Legal Education Reform that I can Stand Behind

Back in 2007, before it was all cool and shit to do so, I wrote “What is Wrong With Legal Education?” Looking back on it, I think that it somewhat missed the mark. One of the worst things about legal education is the fact that any moron can walk into a shit law school, get a guaranteed student loan, and

Read More »

Browse by date

News & Media Date

Browse by practice area

News & Media Topics
More