I just noticed that an amicus brief was filed in one of the very interesting Supreme Court cases of the new Term, Graham v. Florida, that had the following groups as clients: Brief for the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, the American Catholic Correctional Chaplains Association, the American Correctional Chaplains Association, the American […]
Archive | September, 2009
News Flash: Presidents Work When They Travel
Though I am a Chicagoan who is rooting for Rio — not Chicago — to win the 2016 Olympic bid, I think the criticism of President Obama for flying to Copenhagen to lobby the Olympic Selection Committee is silly. A modern president is working at least 16 hours most days (Reagan being the only exception […]
Dripps and Kamisar on Maryland v. Shatzer
Over at CrimProf Blog, Don Dripps and Yale Kamisar have a post up about a Miranda case that will be argued on Monday, the first day of the new Term, Maryland v. Shatzer. I agree with Don and Yale that the Court is very likely to rule for the government, given the facts of the […]
A Female Shark Needs a Male Like a Fish Needs A Bicycle
A new report finds that some female sharks can reproduce asexually.
Christian Group Complains About Statue of Indian Elephant God at the Calgary Zoo:
The Calgary Herald reports: A dancing elephant statue at the Calgary Zoo has kicked up controversy after a Christian group condemned the figure as an inappropriate religious icon. Zoo officials say they have no plans to replace the Ganesh statue — which has stood near the elephant enclosure for at least two years — despite […]
“FIRE’s Exclusive Interview with Flemming Rose, Editor Behind Censored Mohammed Cartoons”
is here.
Self-Defense, Shmelf-Defense:
In working on my article on the regulation of stun guns and irritant sprays, I came across this editorial from the Annapolis Capital, June 27, 1985: Council Should Ban Stun Guns Guns often fall into the wrong hands or are misused. Why make it possible for people to misuse a new technology weapon, the electric […]
For Jazz Fans in DC, A Great Concert on October 10
Sorry to post something likely of interest only to a limited subset of readers — jazz fans who live in the Washington DC area — but I recently learned that there are still tickets available for a truly marvelous concert at the Kennedy Center October 10: The Overtone Quartet, a group comprised of Chris Potter […]
Getting it Right
As I’m settling in to watch some more fabulous Champions League soccer tonight (and for those of you who know what I’m talking about, if you have a chance to see replays of yesterday’s Arsenal-Olympiakos and/or Barcelona-Kiev games, don’t pass it up; spectacular stuff, that) it occurs to me that nothing about soccer is more […]
United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U.S. 542 (Year?)
The Supreme Court will consider whether the Second Amendment should apply to the states, and thus whether to overrule United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U.S. 542 (1876). Or is it United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U.S. 542 (1875)? Both citations are commonly used; HeinOnline reports that the 1875 date is given in roughly 60% of […]
Background reading for Supreme Court’s new 14th/2d Amendment case
The website for all the Chicago case filings is here. For 19th century history, Stephen Halbrook is by far the most important scholar. His articles include: The Freedmen’s Bureau Act and the Conundrum Over Whether the Fourteenth Amendment Incorporates the Second Amendment, Northern Kentucky Law Review (2002); Personal Security, Personal Liberty, and The Constitutional Right […]
Law Profs In Fed Heaven
On Hunter of Justice, my colleague Nan Hunter provides an updated list of law professors who are or will soon be working in the Obama administration. (H/T Brian Leiter)
Supreme Court Agrees To Decide Whether the Second Amendment Applies to the States
The Court has granted certiorari on this issue, in McDonald v. City of Chicago.
The Case Against An International Environmental Court
Should there be an international environmental court, on par with the International Criminal Court? Rona Koifman thinks not.
Administration Seeks TSCA Reform
The Associated Press reports the Obama Administration would like Congress to revise the Toxic Substances Control Act. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson called the 32-year-old statute governing toxic substances a flawed tool for protecting the public from the more than 80,000 chemicals that are on the market. Those chemicals, which do not include pesticides […]