Today the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit affirmed a lower court decision requiring the Food and Drug Administration to block the importation of sodium thiopental for use in lethal injection because it has not been approved by the FDA. Here is how Senior Judge Ginsburg summarized the court’s holding in the conclusion […]
Author Archive | Jonathan H. Adler
D.C. Circuit Holds Jerusalem Passport Law Unconstitutional
On remand from the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit held today in Zivotofsky v. Secretary of State that the federal law requiring the U.S. State Department to list “Israel” as the country of birth in U.S. Passports for U.S. citizens born in Israel is unconstitutional because it “impermissibly […]
Will NYT’s James Risen go to Jail?
Last Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the fourth Circuit rejected New York Times reporter James Risen’s claim of reporter’s privilege in United States v. Sterling. The underlying case is a federal prosecution of a former CIA official for allegedly disclosing classified information in violation of the Espionage Act. The federal government believes Sterling […]
Detroit’s Bankruptcy and the Michigan Constitution
Last week, the city of Detroit declared bankruptcy. As a municipality, Detroit filed under Chapter 9 of the bankruptcy code. Shortly after Detroit filed, however, a state judge declared that Michigan’s Governor could not approve the filing (as required by Chapter 9) because doing so would violate the state of Michigan’s Constitution, which provides that […]
More on the Value of a Law Degree
By Jonathan H. Adler on July 21, 2013 4:46 pm in Law School Tuition and Loans, Law Schools, Legal Profession
Following up on his posts at Concurring Opinions discussing his study (with Frank McIntyre) attempting to measure the value of a law degree, Michael Simkovic rounds up the commentary and critiques of the study on Leiter’s Law School Reports. I noted prior coverage of the study here, and Paul Caron rounds up some additional coverage […]
On the Value of a Law Degree
By Jonathan H. Adler on July 18, 2013 4:40 pm in Academia, Law School Tuition and Loans, Law Schools, Legal Profession
In the NYT‘s Dealbook column, Ohio State’s Steven Davidoff discusses a new study, “The Economic Value of a Law Degree,” by Michael Simkovic and Frank McIntyre. This study purports to show that a law degree remains a good investment for many people. Here is the study’s abstract: Legal academics and journalists have marshaled statistics purporting […]
IG Finds Improper Access and Disclosure of Private Tax Records
Accounting Today reports: Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, is looking into findings from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration that the confidential tax records of political donors or candidates have been inappropriately accessed or disclosed in several instances since 2006 and asking why the Justice Department has […]
Why It’s So Hard to Trust Republicans to Limit Government Spending
Exhibit A: the Farm Bill passed by the House last week. As noted here and here, this bill would result in greater farm subsidy spending than the bill passed by the Democratic Senate or President Obama’s initial request. It’s unconscionable that Republicans concerned about waste in the food stamp program are so willing to squander […]
Slavery and Secession – The Documentary Evidence
Just a quick addendum to Ilya’s posts here and here about libertarianism, the Confederacy and the Civil War. I know it’s fashionable in some circles to argue that the Confederate states did not seceded in order to defend slavery. I’ve heard the arguments about tariffs and all that. In my mind, the most compelling counter-argument […]
Obama Names Two New NLRB Nominees
Pursuant to the deal under which Senate Republicans agreed to stop filibustering several Executive Branch appointments, President Obama has named two new nominees to the National Labor Relations Board: AFL-CIO general counsel Nancy Schiffer and Kent Hirozawa, chief counsel to the current NLRB chair. Under the terms of the deal, Republicans have agreed not to […]
Cordray to Be Confirmed at CFPB
Potentially ending a stand-off over the use of filibusters to block Executive Branch nominees, the Senate voted 71-29 to end debate on the nomination of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Board. The Senate is scheduled to vote later today to end debate on several other executive nominations. For what it’s worth, I […]
Room for Debate: Should Zimmerman Face Federal Charges?
The latest NYT Room for Debate feature asks the question: “Should Zimmerman Face Federal Charges?” My answer (as readers might anticipate given my prior post) is “No.” In my contribution to the debate, I argue that federal prosecution of individuals acquitted in state court should be a rarity, and should really only occur when there […]
“A Reckless Fool” Not a “Murderer”
William Saletan has a thoughtful and informative piece sorting through the half-truths and misperceptions about the trial George Zimmerman for the killing of Trayvon Martin. UPDATE: FWIW, here’s a link to the jury instructions. They make for interesting reading.
Unions Seek Changes to PPACA
The WSJ reports that the heads of three large labor unions are pushing Democrats in Congress to make changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Since last year, union leaders have complained that many of the law’s requirements will drive up costs for union-sponsored health-care plans that are managed jointly by unions and mostly […]
Could Zimmerman Be Subject to Federal Charges?
The Hill reports “Attorney General Eric Holder faces a crucial decision on whether to press federal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman,” after Zimmerman’s acquittal in the trayvon Martin murder trial. Some activists are pushing hard for the Justice Department to take action. The Rev. Al Sharpton, for instance, made the case for federal prosecution […]