The annual conference will begin Monday and continue through Thursday morning. It will be held at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa on Maui, Hawai’i. Among this year’s highlights: (1) Chief Judge Vaughn Walker will preside over the judicial breakfast on Tuesday morning. (2) On the evening of Wednesday, Aug. 18, attendees will be […]
Archive | 2010
Congressional Defunding of ACORN Is Not a Bill of Attainder,
holds the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in today’s ACORN v. United States. I haven’t read the full opinion yet, and I’m not sure whether I’ll have the time to post much about it, but I thought I’d note it. Here’s my earlier post about the district court decision, which had held […]
Japan: leading the world in longevity — or pension scams?
It looks as though hundreds of centenarians carried on the health ministry’s books, and helping to raise Japan’s average life expectancy through the roof, are missing: The story unfolded in late July when police discovered that Sogen Kato, who would have been 111 and was thought to be Tokyo’s oldest man, had actually been dead […]
“Cyberspace” and “the Government”
What is the connection between “cyberspace” and “the government”? (Or, for the picky, “what is the particular connection that I’m thinking of right now?” Hey, it’s my blog, so you have to read my mind.) UPDATE: Kevin R gets it right.
“Refutes”?
An ABC News headline reads, “Rep. Maxine Waters Refutes Ethics Charges”; the opening sentence of the story uses the same word — “Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., today adamantly refuted charges brought against her by the House Ethics Committee.” But is this quite right? As I understand, Rep. Waters denied the charges; one might also say […]
How much border security does $600 million buy?
Short answer: Not too much. Long answer: Congress stood on its head to pass a supplemental $600 million border security bill yesterday, with two Senators returning to adopt the provision with unanimous consent. Election-year politics has a lot to do with the legislative consensus. But what exactly did the bill do? It funds about 1000 […]
Generic Op-Ed for Judge Walker’s SSM Decision
With lots of media attention focused on Judge Walker’s SSM decision, I decided to write a generic op-ed that any paper or website can use. Just pick the right word you want in parenthesis — conservatives pick the first word, and liberals pick the second. FOLLOW THE CONSTITUTION Judge Walker’s decision on same-sex marriage is […]
“Stay True to the Constitution”
Based on recent comment threads, both sides in the debate on the constitutionality of SSM are extremely confident that they are right and their cause is just and true. All that confidence makes it a little hard to tell the two sides apart. For example, I came across the following comment about what the Supreme […]
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry
but it’s really something to see various anti-Semitic blogs (I’m not going to link to them) trumpeting the fact that a Jewish alleged serial killer from Israel was caught today–even after the accused was revealed to have the obviously Arabic name Abu Elazam (sometimes rendered Abuelazam). I guess we can take comfort in the fact […]
Today Is 61st Anniversary of the Geneva Conventions of 1949
By Kenneth Anderson on August 12, 2010 7:32 pm in International Law, War and Armed Conflict, War on Terror
John Bellinger, former legal adviser to the State Department, reflects on the meaning of the Geneva Conventions today, in a post at Foreign Policy. Today, 12 August, is the 61st anniversary of the signing of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, the international treaties designed to protect soldiers and civilians during armed conflicts. The treaties became […]
Who Will Be on the Ninth Circuit Panel in Perry?
The liberal blog Empty Wheel has an interesting post on which three Ninth Circuit judges might be on the appellate panel (edit: just to be clear, I mean the Ninth Circuit merits panel, not the motions panel that will hear the stay denial in the next few days): There has not yet been a formal […]
Will Perry v. Schwarzenegger Be Moot By the Time it Reaches the Supreme Court?
David S. Cohen has this very interesting post on that question at Faculty Lounge. UPDATE: Upon hearing the news that Judge Walker denied a stay on appeal, but will allow a six-day window to let the defendant-intervenors seek one from higher courts, I plugged in my MagnaZen X53b Crystal Ball and turned it on. It […]
Judge Walker Denies Stay in SSM case. . .
but has decided to keep it in place until Aug. 18 at 5 p.m., “at which time defendants and all persons under their control or supervision shall cease to apply or enforce Proposition 8.” The delay will allow the Ninth Circuit to hear the stay issue before any marriage licenses are issued. Among other things, Walker […]
Goldwater Institute Files Challenge to ObamaCare:
The Goldwater Institute in Arizona has filed a legal challenge to ObamaCare. Details and complaint here. I am privileged to serve as a Senior Fellow for Goldwater, but I have nothing to do with the case. The clients they are representing are: • Nick Coons of Tempe, Ariz., owns his own computer sales and repair business […]
Nate Oman on the Auto Bailouts:
Nate’s right, of course: Chapter 11 would have worked just fine for Chrysler and GM, and so the claim that somehow their recent financial success proves the value of the bailouts is misplaced. (I had previously argued that they should file bankruptcy). More to the point, chapter 11 would have accomplished the reorganization without the […]