On the afternoon of Friday, March 26, and the morning of March 27, Harvard Law School will be celebrating the work of Bill Stuntz, the Henry J. Friendly Professor of Law. The conference will be a bittersweet event. It will be sweet in that many outstanding criminal procedure scholars, together with many other academic luminaries, […]
Archive | 2010
“Obama Effect” Spurs Record Number of Nobel Peace Prize Nominations
The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama last year, despite the very modest nature of his success in actually achieving peace so far, has stimulated a record number of nominations for the prize this year: A record 237 people and organizations have been nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, with interest […]
From Language Log to the New York Times Magazine
I’m pleased to say that Ben Zimmer, a contributor to one of my favorite blogs — Language Log — will be the New York Times Magazine‘s new On Language columnist, replacing the late William Safire. The press release: The New York Times Magazine announced today the appointment of linguist and lexicographer Ben Zimmer as the […]
Bloggers foresee big political benefits in health bill. Split Ax vs. Rahm
This week’s National Journal poll of political bloggers asked left-leaning political bloggers “If Congress enacts something close to President Obama’s latest health care reform plan, how would that affect the Democratic Party in the midterm elections?” The right-leaning bloggers were asked the same question about the effect on Republicans. On the Left, 40% said that enactment […]
Judge Reinhardt’s Dig on Sarah Palin
From Judge Reinhardt’s 133-page dissent in the pledge-of-allegiance case, Newdow v. Rio Linda Union School District, the first dissent I have ever read that comes with a table of contents: For many Americans, the current version of the Pledge is the only version they have ever known. Some individuals not familiar with our political history […]
“We Have to Pass the Bill So That You Can Find Out What Is In It”
From a speech on health care by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (caught by The Wall Street Journal’s Best of the Web). Here’s the context: You’ve heard about the controversies within the bill, the process about the bill, one or the other. But I don’t know if you have heard that it is legislation for the future, […]
Ninth Circuit Upholds “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance,
in a 60-page opinion (Newdow v. Rio Linda Union School Dist.) by Judge Bea, joined by Judge D.W. Nelson; Judge Reinhardt dissents, in a 133-page opinion. Thanks to How Appealing for the pointer.
More on Information About Prostitution
Above the Law comments, apropos the prostitution advertising case, “If you need advertisements to help point you in the direction of prostitutes in a state where prostitution is legal, then something is wrong with your wang.” And this reminds me of one of my favorite jokes. A man is on his first visit to Boston, […]
“Christian Prurient”
From LaRue v. Matheney (S.D. W. Va. Mar. 4, 2010): Plaintiff’s original 42 U.S.C. § 1983 complaint in this matter sought reinstatement of certain privileges revoked by MOCC as a result of plaintiff’s refusal to comply with the requirements of the prison’s sex offender treatment program. Plaintiff had previously agreed to participate in MOCC’s Quality […]
The First Amendment and Advertisements of Legal Prostitution
In today’s Coyote Publishing, Inc. v. Miller, the Ninth Circuit upheld Nevada’s restrictions on advertising legal prostitution; the opinion is long and has much interesting material, but here’s the heart of the analysis: Increased advertising of commercial sex throughout the state of Nevada would increase the extent to which sex is presented to the public […]
Whole Grain Bread in Five Minutes a Day
Looks like a delicious recipe, blogged by my friend Kristina Johnson (a former chef).
Adoption Over Parent’s Objection Requires Showing That Continued Parent-Child Relationship Would Be Detrimental to the Child
An interesting, but unsurprising, decision in Todd v. Copeland (Va. Ct. App. Mar. 9, 2010): Before 1995, Virginia’s adoption statutes, as interpreted by Virginia’s appellate courts, passed constitutional muster despite the absence of an explicit standard because the courts read into the statute the requirement that “[a]n adoption over objection by a natural parent should […]
Kids These Days
Many children today are greatly to be pitied because too much is done for them and dictated to them and they are deprived of the learning processes. We seem to have dropped into an age of entertaining, a breathless going from one sensation to another, whether it be mechanical toys for the five-year-old or moving-picture […]
“Judge Thomas Porteous Impeached by U.S. House of Representatives,”
reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune. I take it from the story that the articles of impeachment were approved without amendment; I quote them below.
Judge Porteous Impeached
Earlier today the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved the first of four articles of impeachment against federal district court Judge Thomas Porteous of Louisiana, the Times-Picayune reports.