And nobody’s going to go to school today…. Reports of armed teen sparks school lockdowns in Las Vegas Number of people dead in Amish school shooting Yeah, I don’t like Mondays either, but….
Fastow Sentenced
Sometimes I don’t think I’ve done enough with my life, but then again, this guy was a classmate of mine in college, so I shouldn’t complain.
Supreme Court Preview
The first Monday in October is coming, which means it’s time for the Supreme Court to don their robes and do . . . things. Back in the day, I used to blog more about the Supreme Court, partly because I had to prepare continuing legal education materials as part of my job. I don’t do that anymore, unless a … Read More
What Singer Is Most Often Quoted In Judicial Legal Opinions?
Inquiring minds want to know. The answer? Dylan, by a mile. He’s also the favorite in scholarly legal journals. Artist Number of Citations in Legal Journals Number of Citations in Judicial Opinions Total 1. Bob Dylan 160 26 186 2. The Beatles 71 3 74 3. Bruce Springsteen 64 5 69 4. Paul Simon 51 8 59 5. Woody Guthrie … Read More
Consumer Advice
This makes sense: Don’t sign the back of your credit card. It’s useless as a deterrent, as anyone who takes your card then has a sample of your signature which they can not only use on any charge slip, but on your checks as well. However, do not leave the white strip blank. In that space, write: "Ask For Picture … Read More
On John Yoo
Never in my life have I witnessed such incredible incompetence in a constitutional scholar. I am referring to John Yoo, Bush’s legal advisor on torture and detainee policy, and his gloriously boneheaded op-ed in the New York Times. Yoo makes this wildly absurd claim: [T]he founders intended that wrongheaded or obsolete legislation and judicial decisions would be checked by presidential … Read More
A Pop Quiz For Constitution Day
Yay! Today is Constitution Day! In late 2004, Congress passed a law (118 Statute 2809, 334-45 [ยง 111]) mandating that "each educational institution that receives federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 of such year for the students served by the educational institution." The reason why today is … Read More
The Montreal Shooter’s Web Profile
The crazed Montreal shooter was named Kimveer Gill. He blogged at a goth site called vampirefreaks.com, under the handle Fatality666. Don’t bother to go there — it looks like his profile and presence has been deleted. But those who read Gill’s profile before it was removed say: His list of ‘likes’ includes "Super Psycho Maniacs roaming the streets freely." Much … Read More
This Guy Went To Law School?
John Yoo, Bush’s chief legal advisor: "We are used to a peacetime system in which Congress enacts the laws, the president enforces them, and the courts interpret them. In wartime, the gravity shifts to the executive branch.” This is simply flat-out entirely 100% untrue. Our "system" is set out in the Constitution, and it’s the same "system" regardless of whether … Read More
My Prediction: The Next Media Frenzy
With the JonBenet/Karr non-story now officially dead, I predict that the media will now swarm over this story. It’s got all the elements: sex (child molestation) and murder. Plus, it involves white people in a Connecticut suburb: FAIRFIELD, Connecticut (AP) — A lawyer climbed through a neighbor’s bedroom window and stabbed him to death after being told by a family … Read More
Student Wins First Amendment Case
I don’t know why, but I’m always drawn to First Amendment cases involving public schools. This story warmed my heart: Court Sides With Student In Bush T-Shirt Flap (AP) Vermont schoolboy was within his rights to wear a T-shirt depicting George W. Bush as a chicken and accusing him of being a former alcohol and cocaine abuser, an appeals court … Read More
The Ten Commandments As The Basis Of Our Law?
Rep. Katherine Harris, the Republican who oversaw the Florida Presidential elections in 2000, and who is now seeking office herself (and failing badly): Asked whether the U.S. should be a secular country, Harris said: "I think that our laws, I mean, I look at how the law originated, even from Moses, the 10 Commandments. And I don’t believe, that uh … Read More
Yeah, I Saw That Coming
After hours and hours and hours of focusing on John Mark Karr, the news organizations are going to eat a LOT of crow. Why? DNA evidence shows he didn’t do it. And they’re not filing charges. He’s just a weirdo wannabe.
NSA Wiretapping Held Unconstitutional
You wouldn’t know it from the media websites, but the "Breaking News" isn’t about Jon Benet Ramsey’s killer. It’s that a federal judge has held that the NSA wiretapping without warrent scheme is unconstitutional, and has enjoined the government from using it. Glenn Greenwald analyzes the court opinion: I am almost done with the opinion. Here is my analysis of … Read More
The Conyers Report Is Out
Available here for free. Conyers writes: The report, which is some 350 pages in length and is supported by more than 1,400 footnotes, compiles the accumulated evidence that the Bush Administration has thumbed its nose at our nation’s laws, and the Constitution itself.