News & Media
The "Mosque at Ground Zero"
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPPxBrtrH1c] Nuff said.
No man is an island, but WIPO is no man.
By J. DeVoy Catching up on the backlog of interesting stuff I couldn’t address during bar prep, Red Bull lost the UDRP proceeding seeking the transfer of domain names that an Austrian court ruled belonged to Red Bull. In 2003, Red Bull held the Taurus Rubens, an air festival/art show that hopefully had more professional participation than its Flugtag events
2,000th Post
It was January 2007, and I was teaching an entertainment law course at Barry University School of Law. I wanted a way to deliver materials and supplemental reading to my students, without having to make photocopies or maintain an email list. So I tried out using the wordpress platform. I put up a few posts with materials for my students
Roger Clemens Indicted
A Washington Grand Jury indicted Roger Clemens for lying to Congress in a deposition and in under-oath testimony before a congressional committee. He falsely denied, while under oath, ever using steroids. Clemens faces 30 years in jail and a $1.5 million fine. (source) And after that, when he finally dies and goes to hell, he will be sentenced to a
Tolerance and the Mosque
by Charles Platt Both sides are claiming tolerance. The Mayor is all in favor of it (actually I assume he is just in favor of saying whatever gets him re-elected). The moslems are in favor of it, seeking merely to “reach out” (actually they are in favor of everyone becoming a moslem, because that’s what their spiritual force tells them).
Atheists Win Roadside Memorial Case – American Atheists v. Duncan
By Marc J. Randazza The Utah Highway Patrol Association (“UHPA”) put up twelve foot high crosses to honor fallen Utah Highway Patrol troopers. The crosses bore the Utah Highway Patrol (“UHP”) symbol and they were on public land. Funny enough, since Mormons don’t use the cross as a religious symbol, the UHPA actually seems to have had an innocent (if
Dr. Laura, Bible Spice, and the First Amendment
By Marc J. Randazza Yesterday’s post about Dr. Laura was not a First Amendment post. It was a post about a cultural issue, not a legal issue. However, I got a persuasive email from a friend who all but demanded that I address the First Amendment “issue” in the story. I just wanted to ignore Dr. Laura’s claim that she
Awesome
Jeb Corliss is working on a plan to skydive and land without a parachute. (source) I initially wrote about Corliss’ case in my article, BASE Jumping and the Law. In that post, I wrote about how Corliss attempted a jump from the Empire State Building, but was apprehended just as he got over the suicide fence. New York then charged
And in related news, it is time for forced sterilization of a lot of people in this retard laden country
One in five Americans think that Obama is a Muslim. (source) Before you bring out the surgery tools, this seems to be a Fox News focus group. So, really the headline should be “one in five abject fucking retards who get their ‘news’ from Fox think that Obama is a muslim.”
Save the word "nigger"
By Marc J. Randazza A few weeks ago, someone who I despise, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, used the taboo “n-word” on her radio show. She didn’t say it to be mean, nasty, or racist. She was quoting someone else. And that turned into a shit storm. Apparently, now the word “nigger” has become so taboo, that even uttering it means that
Do Republicans Really Support "Tort Reform?"
HR 4364, the Federal Anti-SLAPP bill, was introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN9) – a two-time First Amendment Bad Ass Award winner. Public Intellectual reports that Cohen has brought on a few more co-sponsors: Rep. Charles Gonzalez (D-TX20), Fortney “Pete” Stark (D-CA13), and Mike Doyle (D-PA14). (source) Does anyone see anything wrong with that picture? Four Democrats support a tort
"The Contours of Actual Malice" or "Rand Paul Learns About Tabloid Journalism"
by Jason Fischer If you’re not a liberal by eighteen, you’ve got no heart; if you’re not a conservative by thirty, you’ve got no brains — as the saying goes. The axiomatic truth behind those words is what makes this GQ story about Rand Paul kinda cute and heartwarming. Some of the senatorial candidate’s Baylor buddies remember that he was
Gay Marriage on Hold – 9th Cir. Issues Stay
It looks like the 9th Circuit may toss out the Prop. 8 appeal for lack of standing after all. Issued today: Docket Text: Filed order (EDWARD LEAVY, MICHAEL DALY HAWKINS and SIDNEY R. THOMAS) Appellants’ motion for a stay of the district court’s order of August 4, 2010 pending appeal is GRANTED. The court sua sponte orders that this appeal
Boycott Target – Flashmob Protest
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7leov_cxssE]
The virtue of telling a client to piss off
Popehat is a blog that I think was born in the same litter of puppies as the Satyricon. We love them. Reason #1 — constant Dr. Who references. Reason #2 — ethics lessons. In this piece, Patrick provides us with a fantsays letter (based on a phone call he had) declining to represent an insurance company that wanted to sue
Applause for Mayor Bloomberg
I have nothing to add: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXm_fUDfJZQ] Transcript of his speech: “We’ve come here to Governors Island to stand where the earliest settlers first set foot in New Amsterdam, and where the seeds of religious tolerance were first planted. We come here to see the inspiring symbol of liberty that more than 250 years later would greet millions of immigrants in
Illinois appellate court unmasks anonymous commenters
By J. DeVoy The Illinois Appellate Court’s 3d District recently overturned the LaSalle County circuit court’s decision to preserve online anonymity for two commenters. In the comments section of an Ottowa Times’ online article, the anonymous parties accused the plaintiffs, a local couple, of making bribes in order to secure favorable zoning treatment for land they owned. The dispute’s subject
Morality Police Deface Public Art in Springfield, MA
Censorship — its not just for rednecks I often rant about the censorship minded former confederacy — but I must admit that my home state of Massachusetts has its share of censorship monkeys. The censorship monkey of the day — the city of Springfield, MA and Gina E. Beavers, director of the Springfield Arts Initiative for the Springfield Business Improvement
