An interesting article from Nature‘s Web site, with a link to the original Current Biology article; here’s the abstract of that article (paragraph breaks added): Stereotypes — often implicit attributions to an individual based on group membership categories such as race, religion, age, gender, or nationality — are ubiquitous in human interactions. Even three-year old […]
Archive | 2010
Quon Oral Argument Transcript
The transcript of the oral argument in City of Ontario v. Quon is now available here.
Which State Statute Contains the Word “Ya’ll” (Meaning “Y’all”)?
Anti-Islam Bus Ads in Miami
An anti-Islam group bought these ads on Miami-Dade Transit buses: The Miami Herald reported last week that Miami-Dade Transit was removing the ads, because of objections from Muslims, including the South Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. But when I called Miami-Dade Transit to ask for a copy of their advertising policy (they […]
Thoughts on the Oral Argument in City of Ontario v. Quon
I was at the Supreme Court this morning for oral argument in City of Ontario v. Quon, the Fourth Amendment text messaging case. Here are a few thoughts from what I heard over the speakers from the Lawyer’s Lounge: 1) Based on the questions, the strongest proponent of Fourth Amendment protection in this case appeared […]
An Eminently Sound Approach to (Supposed) International Human Rights Norms, from the Ninth Circuit
From Serra v. Lapin (9th Cir. Apr. 9, 2010) (Clifton, J., joined by Kozinski, C.J., and Wallace, J.) (some paragraph breaks added): Current and former federal prisoners allege that the low wages they were paid for work performed in prison violated their rights under the Fifth Amendment and various sources of international law…. Plaintiffs earned […]
The Clinton Terror Bill
Former President Bill Clinton is back to practicing one of his core competencies: exploiting the 1995 mass murders in Oklahoma City for political advantage in order to suppress criticism of himself and his political allies. Accordingly, some persons might be interested in reviewing the multiple severe injuries that President Clinton inflicted on the Constitution in […]
Anti-Mankiw!
When I saw this item on Professor Greg Mankiw’s blog, I admit that my first thought was … someone has written Anti-Mankiw, Vols 1 and 2. Can I channel a (dead) zeitgeist or what? And, indeed, it turns out that someone is apparently trying to organize a collective to do something like that, if I […]
Final Version of “Applying the Fourth Amendment to the Internet: A General Approach”
I’m pleased to say that the final version of my latest law review article is now online: Applying the Fourth Amendment to the Internet: A General Approach, 62 Stan. L. Rev. 1005 (2010). The abstract: This Article offers a general framework for applying the Fourth Amendment to the Internet. It assumes that courts will seek […]
Tushnet on Lithwick’s Lament
At Balkinization, Mark Tushnet makes an important point about the relative lack of liberal icons on the short list to replace Justice Stevens: It’s early in President Obama’s term. Scalia and Bork were nominated well into President Reagan’s second term, and both were in position to be nominated because Reagan had put them both on […]
Sunday Song Lyric
Michael Weintraub and Tyler Cohen wonder what are the best songs about technology. Weintrabu focuses on songs “whose lyrics deal explicitly with technological innovations and their cultural effects,” and suggests Paul Simon’s “Boy in the Bubble.” It’s a good choice. Paul Simon is a great songwriter, and “Boy in Bubble” was a popular song. Here’s […]
The Goldman Fraud Suit
I’m sure many VC readers have been looking at the papers today, trying to sort out facts versus allegations, in the SEC suit against Goldman Sachs for fraud involving CDOs. The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, and Financial Times all have good stories, to take the papers from my front lawn. One […]
To Meld – What Does “Meld” Mean?
And like me, did you “learn” the meaning from the Vulcan mind-meld? (Continuing a discussion with Michelle from comments to an earlier post.) I have to say, I did “learn” the word by hearing its repeated use on Star Trek. To meld, so far as I’ve ever been concerned, means … whatever it is that […]
DOJ Moots Constitutional Challenge to Getting an E-mail With Less Process Than a Warrant
I wrote about the dispute on Wednesday. I commented at the time: This is big news, and not just because it was mentioned on the Drudge Report. DOJ and some of the ISPs have been disagreeing about this issue quietly for years. What makes this case unusual is that the two sides have decided to […]
More on Lithwick’s Lament
Like David, I was also struck by Dahlia Lithwick’s latest column — and not just for the paragraph David highlights. Frankly, I initially thought it was some sort of parody piece, as it is so divorced from the history of judicial nomination fights — including fights about which she has written. How does one write […]