The Fourth Circuit today upheld a Maryland law requiring permits for public carrying of a gun.
Jersey Boys Case: No Copyright Infringement
This blog used to do a lot more law stuff — not so much anymore. But I wanted to point to a case which highlights my interest in copyright law. Today, the Ninth Circuit ruled against SOFA Entertainment in its lawsuit against Dodger Productions, the producers of "Jersey Boys". In Jersey Boys, a 7-second clip of Ed Sullivan (from the … Read More
So Sad What Happened To Those Rapists
When the guilty verdict was announced in the Steubenville rape case on Sunday, journalists had to figure out how they would frame the story. Perhaps because of the lack of details about the unnamed 16-year-old “Jane Doe” victim, the collective media narrative became centered on her assailants. Stories about the case relied far too heavily on the public details about the defendants, 17-year-old Trent … Read More
Armed School Guards? Good Idea!
AP: HIGHLAND, N.Y. (AP) — A New York town that began assigning an armed police officer to guard a high school in the wake of the Connecticut massacre has suspended the program after an officer accidentally discharged his pistol in a hallway while classes were in session. Lt. James Janso of the Lloyd police department tells media outlets Officer Sean … Read More
Rand Gets His Answer
You have to appreciate the opening line: "It has come to my attention….." So here's the breakdown: Rand Paul asks “whether the president has the power to authorize lethal force, such as a drone strike, against a US citizen on US soil.” Holder responds "It is possible, I suppose, to imagine an extraordinary circumstance in which it would be necessary … Read More
More On Scalia And The Voting Rights Act
From TPM: In expressing his deep skepticism Wednesday for the constitutionality of a centerpiece of the Voting Rights Act, Justice Antonin Scalia questioned the motivations of Congress for repeatedly reauthorizing it since it was initially passed in 1965. “I don’t think there is anything to be gained by any Senator to vote against continuation of this act,” Scalia said during oral arguments in Shelby … Read More
Quote Of The Day
During U.S. Supreme Court oral argument on the constitutionality of a key section of the Voting Rights Act this morning, several justices expressed extreme hostility to the civil rights statute, according to early reports from the courthouse. Justice Antonin Scalia called it “perpetuation of racial entitlement.” That's right. Why should black people be entitled to vote, and why perpatuate it? … Read More
Guns Needed To Protect Us From Sharia Law
Tea Party Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX) told a conservative radio show on Thursday that the GOP must oppose gun regulations to protect the country from the threat of “Sharia Law.” Appearing on The Voice of Freedom, Gohmert said he “hoped and prayed” that Congress rejects gun safety legislation, arguing that Americans may need to use the rights guaranteed by the Second … Read More
What Happens When You Take Away Background Checks? Not Surprisingly, More Gun Homicides
New research suggests that universal background check legislation of the sort currently being debated in Congress has had an enormous impact on gun violence in the past, according to testimony presented at Tuesday’s hearing before the Senate Judiciary committee. Daniel Webster, the Director Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, studied the consequences of Missouri repealing its “permit-to-purchase” law … Read More
Breaking: LA Times Reporting Shootout With Dorner
Link: Christopher Dorner was engaged in a shootout with federal authorities in the Big Bear area Tuesday, a law enforcement source told The Times. The shooting occurred after Dorner burglarized a home, tied up a couple and stole their car, the source said. It was not immediately clear whether Dorner was in custody. * Two deputies shot and wounded. NEXT … Read More
Optics
Many Democrats are bringing children and teachers from Newtown, as guests, to Obama's State of the Union speech tonight: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced on Friday that she will bring a fourth-grade child from Newtown who launched a petition to change gun laws after the shooting. Pelosi declined to name the child, but said she attends a school near … Read More
The Memo
NBC got a hold of a white paper which provides the legal justification for assassination of an American not on American soil, without the constitutional protections of due process. You can read the original here (as a PDF), or read the wiki transcription. The nub of the white paper is this: [t]he Department of Justice concludes only that where the following three conditions … Read More
Hostage Story Enters Day 4
I've been following this, and as each day passes, I get more and more concerned that it won't end well. The short story is this: crazy old man and doomsday prepper Jimmy Lee Dykes (age 65) boards a school bus in Alabama, shoots and kills the bus driver, and grabs a 5 year old kid. Dykes and kid are not … Read More
Today’s School Shooting
At Price Middle School in Atlanta. Two shot — one of them is a 14 year old student shot in the head; the other, a teacher. UPDATE: Suspect apprehended. Breaking now.
Five Things You Need To Know While Listening To Today’s Gun Control Hearings
1. America has a gun problem. Study after study after study has found that the spread of guns in the United States has led to more people being killed by guns. The old “more guns, less crime” theory has been conclusively debunked. The question now is how to limit the spread of guns, particularly by better mechanisms to prevent people who would commit murder and other gun … Read More