News & Media
Marijuana Legalization and Intellectual Property
Reuters reports on the initiative to legalize marijuana in California. (source) The story claims that a lot of people in heavy growing areas are unsure of whether they want the initiative to pass, since it may mean that big business will move into the weed industry, and local workers who make their money off of pot will be unemployed. That
U.S. v. Stevens and being a vegetarian
Jon Katz has a thought provoking piece on how the U.S. v. Stevens case should make us consider our position on eating animals. I wish for Stevens to be an opportunity not only to celebrate and strengthen the First Amendment, but also for people to re-examine their relationship with and treatment of all animals, both of different species and their
Holy Crap! Erin is Blowjob Girl!
I was just watching The Office and realized that Erin is Blowjob Girl! (THis video went viral back in aught seven) UPDATE: Since most visiting this post are new to the blog, take a look at these links to see what it is all about: CNN: UnAmerican to Silence… Philly Law Blog: Why I went to law school. The Editor
Georgetown Law School steps on its dick
I often write about the worthlessness of legal education. Given that I attended Georgetown Law, it doesn’t take a 179 LSAT score to figure out that for the most part, I am talking about that place. Of course, it is nice that they added an olympic sized swimming pool to the place since I graduated. But, I have a funny
ABA 100
Oh yeah, that ABA 100 thing that was going on a few months ago. We won. Why am I only getting around to announcing it now? Lulz, of course.
Malpractice Alert! How did you dispose of your last photocopier?
It seems that photocopiers store a lot of data and when you get rid of an old photocopier, you may be giving away privileged information. Source. That’s why I don’t sell old laptops. I just yank out the hard drive, smash it to smithereens, and then blowtorch the hell out of the actual hard disk.
Australian study shows that strip clubs are safer than churches
The New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research showed that you are statistically more likely to be a victim of a crime at church than in a strip club. Places of worship also took the lead in sexual offences (16), theft from motor vehicles (33), resisting arrest (7) and liquor offences (10). Harassment and threatening behaviour at places
Rejoice! U.S. v. Stevens Opinion Out! A Sunny Day for the First Amendment!!!
Free speech wins 8-1. The reasons for my joy are pretty clearly laid out here in a prior post on the case. The Government contends that “historical evidence” about the reach of the First Amendment is not “a necessary prerequisite for regulation today,” Reply Brief 12, n. 8, and that categories of speech may be exempted from the First Amendment’s
Awooooga – U.S. V. Stevens Affirmed
by Christopher Harbin The Supreme Court affirmed the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in U.S. v. Stevens, 8-1. Big Free Speech Victory today. Prior coverage from Randazza here and here. We’ll update later after we’ve dissected the opinion.
Worst. Oral argument. Ever.
By J. DeVoy Oral arguments are strange things. With enough practice, they can be sharp and flawless tools of advocacy, but trying to use them too soon can lead to disaster. I had a case of the latter during a moot court practice last year. Eager to enhance my argument, I tried to go completely without notes for my second
What if Japan had won WWII?
Would life be better or worse? [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9uY9NRVVNQ]
Cool Website
Just click over to the HEMA website. Don’t click on any of the products — just watch.
Economist Rap Battle
by Christopher Harbin [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk]
Peter Steele . . . Rest in Slack
By J. DeVoy Peter Steele, singer/bassist for Type O Negative, is dead from heart failure at age 48. His musical openness about death, lust, suicide, love and loss, was inimitable. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DxgVB48JSY&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
Trust and Impaired Driving
by Charles Platt I’d like to extend my previous post on drunk driving to examine the relationship of trust between driver and passengers. If I am a passenger in a car, and the driver knows that I don’t want him to drink, we might argue that a relationship of trust exists, and if the driver is secretly violating that trust,
PSA: It's "website"
By J. DeVoy The Associated Press Stylebook hath spoken.
SEC sues Goldman Sachs [alternative title- :( ]
By J. DeVoy The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a civil suit against Goldman Sachs and one of its employees, Fabrice Tourre, for securities fraud. The complaint revolves around Goldman’s alleged misrepresentations about the quality of loans underlying a collateralized debt obligation (CDO). Paragraph five summarizes the consequences neatly: The deal closed on April 26, 2007. Paulson paid GS&Co
Does anyone know this chick's number?
Laura Hall, 20, has been banned from buying or drinking alcohol anywhere in England or Wales. Police applied to magistrates for the order because of the number of drink-related offences that Hall had been involved in. She had already been banned from pubs and clubs in her home town of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, under the PubWatch scheme. (source) The Legal Satyricon
I'm getting to the point that I may go back to using PCs instead of Macs
If Apple keeps it up with this kind of crap. First, Steve Jobs channels Andrea Dworkin by deciding that he doesn’t want us to view porn on our iPhones, and now the App Store rejected a cartoonist’s app because political cartoons mock public figures, and are thus against Apple’s policies. Yeah really.
National Day of Prayer Unconstitutional
U.S. District Judge Barbara B. Crabb of the Western District of Wisconsin ruled that the National Day of Prayer is a violation of the Establishment Clause. (source). The case was a no-brainer. I haven’t seen the decision yet, but if it followed any precedent at all, I am sure that I can predict its content. Under Lemon v. Kurtzman, a