News & Media
Breaking: Sony to file TRO against notable hacker
By J. DeVoy Known in hacker circles as “geohot,” George Hotz, along with Hector Martin Cantero, Sven Peter and the heretofore unnamed John Does 1-100, is facing an ex parte motion for a temporary restraining order by Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (“Sony”) tomorrow, January 12. Here’s the filing (A Legal Satyricon Exclusive(?)). Working together, the defendants allegedly devised a way
Twitter looks out for leakers
By J. DeVoy A common feature of criminal and civil actions against unknown defendants is the need for subpoenas, warrants, or other court orders to ascertain John (or Jane) Doe’s true identity. For a long time, these have gone unchallenged by companies seeking to mind their own business, avoid the cost and consequences of litigation – or taking a position
Arizona
We are deeply saddened at yesterday’s horrific events in Tucson, Arizona. The victims were John M. Roll, 63, the chief judge for the United States District Court for Arizona; Gabriel Zimmerman, 30, the director of community outreach for Congresswoman Giffords; Christina Green, 9; Dorothy Morris, 76; Dorwin Stoddard, 76; and Phyllis Schneck, 79. Judge Roll was the judge who swore
Beautiful writing
The Mount Soledad Cross case was decided this week. I am currently reading it right now, and will post on it soon. But I just wanted to share this sentence. It was completely unnecessary to the opinion, which makes it all the more beautiful. The cross was a marker of an individual grave, not a universal monument to the war
As Goes Iowa…
By Chad Belville, Guest Satyriconista Iowa, a square state in the Heartland, is one of the few states in the US that allows any two adults of legal age to marry, regardless of gender. Unlike every other state where Supreme Courts found that government should legally recognize the unions of two same-sex adults, the Iowa decision was unanimous and shot
First Recorded SLAPP Sighting in Greece
Systemgraph, an Apple-authorized service company in Greece, has sued one of its customers for complaining. Natch, there’s a twitter tag devoted to mocking the company.
Captain Honors Update
A reader wrote this persuasive comment to my post on Captain Honors: The XO of a US aircraft carrier needs to be more than a sphynx, he must be an absolute, unquestionable authority at all times. The XO is going to be the guy who gives the order to seal the hatch on flooding compartment which will guarantee your buddies
Only the ABA….
The ABA has finally acknowledged that the legal profession is in a tailspin by publishing The Value Proposition of Attending Law School. The document essentially just says that law school is really expensive, salaries are not as high as prospective law students think, and that most people who go to law school will graduate into a lifetime of being screwed.
The hazards of citing to Wikipedia
By J. DeVoy This should be obvious, but the TTAB has commented on the matter in a surprisingly important case. The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s decision in General Motors LLC v. Sweeney, gave GM a dangerous warning that the Corvette brand is not to be taken for granted. GM’s counsel submitted a sparse evidentiary record in opposing the registration
Good News; Racism Solved
by Jason Fischer Regular readers of the LS know how we feel about thought control through the implementation of Newspeak. (We think it is retarded). Apparently, there are at least a few out there who have a hard-on for eradicating crimethink. In their latest effort, a newly sanitized edition of Mark Twain’s classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, will be
Your homeland security dollars at work
The Center for Investigative Reporting gives us this glimpse into our war on terror: Soon after hijackers obliterated the World Trade Center towers eight years ago, Marin County received more than $100,000 in surveillance equipment to keep its water treatment system safe from a terrorist attack. But four years after the funds were awarded, state authorities found more than $67,000
Honor Captan Honors – and piss on the crybabies who have a problem with him
Navy Captain Owen Honors was, until today, in command of the U.S.S. Enterprise. He made a series of raunchy videos three or four years ago. He was relieved of command today because of them. (source) But despite the official condemnation from Navy leadership, the sailors who served under Honors on the “Big E” are coming to his defense on the
Vermont Supreme Court declines to disbar attorney who caused motorcycle accident, fled scene, lied in investigation, and got his wife to lie for him.
Vermont (suspended) Attorney Melvin Neisner Jr. is a piece of trash. Here is part one of what he did. The operative facts in this case are largely uncontested and are laid out below with additional facts following in the body of the opinion.[1] Defendant, a lawyer in Rutland County, was driving to his office alone one Saturday evening in September
Latest Filing from Wolk Connects the Dots Between Incest and Banking Policy
by Jason Fischer For anyone who has been following the story of Arthur Allan Wolk, Esquire, it will come as no surprise that Attorney Wolk’s opposition to Amici, Eugene Volokh, Glenn Reynolds, Edward Whelen, and Marc Randazza, reads like a paranoid diatribe. It seems that a massive blogger conspiracy, with ties to incest, pedophilia, bestiality, and opposition to banking regulations,
Have two free hours?
By J. DeVoy Check out this review of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Yes, it is a 110-minute-long review of the crappiest Star Wars prequel, evinced by the merely 90-minute review of Episode II: The Clone Wars and 70-minute dissection of Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
WTF Wisconsin?
by Jason Fischer The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled this week that committing a sex crime is not necessarily a prerequisite for ordering a convict to register as a sex offender (source). I tried reading the opinion to figure this nonsense out, but my head nearly exploded when I read the excerpted sentence below, and I had to stop. In the
Improve your blogging in 2011
By J. DeVoy Here’s the guide I’ve been using, created by Roosh a few years ago. It’s time-tested and ABA Journal approved. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS-Oq2YbiNE&fs=1&hl=en_US] But Roosh is a man of many fratboy humor-related talents. Here he is displaying his basement-level D.C. apartment in a mashup of Tim & Eric Awesome Shoe Great Job and MTV’s Cribs. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubMNBQwvV0I&fs=1&hl=en_US] And Roosh is a traveler.
Practice Pointer: If you don't have a law license….
If you don’t have a law license, then you probably should not practice law. If you decide to practice law anyway, and the court orders you to stop, you should probably stop. If both of those things happen, and you don’t stop, you really shouldn’t sue your client for $845,000 in unpaid legal fees. Strangely enough, that is how far
DUI laws and the Constitution
by Charles Platt Florida has joined the growing list of states that are raising revenue by stopping drivers at random (not with probable cause) and forcing everyone to be breathalyzed–on the understanding that if anyone refuses, a judge on-site will issue a warrant authorizing the cops to take a blood sample by force, if necessary. Naturally Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Rest in Slack, Brother
In honor of Cliff Heller, who merged with the infinite on this day in 2006, the Legal Satyricon flag is lowered to half mast and there will be no posts today. If you happen to find yourself with a bottle of tequila nearby, I would like to invite you to take a shot in his honor.
