Above the Law reports that a federal district court judge cited Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” (and a relevant law review article) in a recent opinion. (We’ve cited it too.) Judicial Watch is not amused, as if judicial notice of iconic rap songs is a threat to the legal order.
Archive | November, 2012
Election Predictions
I wouldn’t take this prediction to the bank if I were a betting man. But, like co-blogger David Bernstein, I give Obama a slight edge, perhaps a 60-65 percent chance of victory. In the contest between national polls favoring Romney and battleground state polls favoring Obama, I give slightly greater credence to the latter. My […]
My Election Prediction
I thinking about doing a post on my election prediction, but Ted Frank has written a post on his election prediction and I agree with almost every word. Bottom line: Obama is a 60-40 favorite. Before the hurricane, I would have said “tossup.”
Protectionism and Beneficial Political Ignorance
As longtime VC readers know, one of my pet peeves is denouncing the harmful effects of widespread political ignorance and irrationality. As a general rule, the things voters don’t know often hurt them. On rare occasions, however, political ignorance can actually be beneficial. The issue of free trade and protectionism is one such example. In […]
Paul Krugman on Financial Reform
Paul Krugman has had an epiphany about why banks don’t like Barack Obama: But Konczal points out that there’s a more mundane financial reason Wall Street is mad at Obama: financial reform, even if it’s weaker than we might like (and it is, much), will undermine several highly profitable rackets. More transparent markets for derivatives […]
Adventures in Microtargeting
In this much-discussed recent article, Sasha Issenberg argues that Democrats are much better than Republicans at “microtargeting”: the art and science of tailoring messages to the proclivities of individual voters and contacting them directly by phone, mail, or sending a volunteer. Issenberg’s account is interesting and entertaining. And it’s certainly possible that the Democrats are […]
Odd Arizona Court of Appeals Decision
Fortunately it’s unpublished, and the defendant likely deserved to lose on this claim, but I was still surprised by the court’s analysis. The case is State v. Merrick (Ariz. Ct. App. Oct. 30, 2012), and the relevant portion reads: Defendant also contends that the court abused its discretion by granting the State’s motion in limine […]
Fiat and Chrysler
Hans Bader makes some interesting and provocative arguments about Fiat’s acquisition of Chrysler–particularly whether it is creating a situation where Fiat is actually milking Chrysler. Hans also argues that to some extent GM’s recovery has been inflated because of the hangover effect of Toyota’s safety recalls.
AEI/Fed Soc Program on “When States Go Broke”
AEI and the Federalist Society are teaming up for a program next week on David Skeel’s new book “When States Go Broke.” Registration and other info are available here. Video of the program will be uploaded on the Internet as well.
Final Thoughts: Changing the Culture on Campus
By Greg Lukianoff, guest-blogging on November 2, 2012 6:50 pm in First Amendment, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Speech at Colleges and Universities
This week I survived Hurricane Sandy, a massive tree covering the entire front of my house, an intermittent Internet connection, and even guest-blogging for The Volokh Conspiracy. For my last post, I wanted to end on a positive note. First, I wanted to let you all know that I am having a book event for […]
Amicus Brief in Elane Photography v. Willock (the New Mexico Wedding Photography Case)
I’m pleased to report that I filed a friend-of-the-court brief, on behalf of the Cato Institute, Dale Carpenter, and myself, arguing that wedding photographers (and other speakers) have a First Amendment right to choose what expression they create, including by choosing not to photograph same-sex commitment ceremonies. All the signers of the brief support same-sex […]
Free Market Alternatives to the ACA
Back in December, I criticized the false dichotomy set up by those who claim that the only available alternative to the Obama health care plan is some form of socialized medicine. In this recent essay, University of Chicago economist John Cochrane gives an excellent summary of free market alternatives to the ACA that can cut […]
Throwing Civil Liberties to the Dogs?
Radley Balko has an interesting column noting the troubling implications of some of the arguments being made in the drug-sniffing dog cases currently before the Supreme Court. He points out that these dogs’ drug alerts are often unreliable because, in many cases, dogs seek to please their handlers rather than search out the truth. Thus, […]
‘The New York Times’, Yale, and Sissygate
By Greg Lukianoff, guest-blogging on November 2, 2012 10:52 am in First Amendment, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Speech at Colleges and Universities
Last week, I had the pleasure of having my first op-ed published in The New York Times, and I was pleased (and a little surprised) when the letters to the editor that were published the next day were overwhelmingly positive. The op-ed changed a lot during the editing process, evolving from what started as a […]
Is It Time to Reconsider Daylight Savings Time?
Daylight savings time ends this weekend, but should it be ended for good? Georgia State economist Spencer Banzhaf has an op-ed in today’s WSJ questioning the case for shifting the clocks over the summer. Here’s a taste: The United States adopted the annual use of daylight-saving time permanently in 1966, then lengthened its duration on […]