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CNN reports that the ministers apparently “signed affidavits for the couples they married,” which might indeed make their actions potentially deceptive. (Affidavits are often quickly skimmed by bored clerks who never saw the parties, and who might not notice, even if the form mentions it, that both the people being married were men.) But the […]

I’ve now confirmed with the ACLU that Matt Bowles’ official title with the ACLU is “National 9-11 Field Organizer.” Mr. Bowles is author of a remarkable anti-Israel article which at best apologizes for terrorism against Israel, and at worst, and as I read it, endorses terrorism against Israel. (He endorses the “Second Intifada,” accuses Israel […]

is available here; thanks to Howard Bashman for the pointer. Note that, among other things, Scalia also relates in some detail the relevant facts of the hunting trip (see pp. 1-3, 10, and 13-14) — the statement is quite a bit different than what I’ve heard at various times in casual conversation with friends.      I’ll […]

Clayton Cramer reports on an asteroid that is about to miss the Earth — but just barely, by less than 4 earth diameters. Scary, for reasons he explains.

Cathy Young at Hit & Run writes: At the United Nations, the Vatican has joined forces with a bloc of more than 50 Islamic states to block a proposal to extend spousal benefits to the partners of gay U.N. employees from countries where such benefits are legal (e.g., Belgium and the Netherlands). According to The […]

My Con Law II student Trent England writes:You might find interesting the scandal at my alma mater, Claremont McKenna College, where a professor has been [allegedly] caught trying to frame students with a fake hate crime. CMC has a long tradition as an outstanding small liberal arts college focused on the study of government and […]

According to The Las Vegas Sun, Two student legislators at Western Oregon University have launched a drive to ban Red Cross blood drives on campus, claiming the donor screening process discriminates against gays. The two students are particularly upset about a donor question that reads: “Are you a male who has had sex with another […]

[Warning: the following will be of interest to almost no one.] Rich Lowry writes: [Al] Franken says I make a “mistake” when I write of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (italics to highlight the point in contention), “The generous federal subsidy encouraged states to maximize their health benefits, essentially extending a federal entitlement to […]

Monday I posted a list of seven errors in a State Department-provided Web page on the Second Amendment. (Here’s the cached page text; the current version, which just says that the essay is under review; and the PDF text, which still includes the essay, thanks to Bob Lunn for the pointer.)      It turns out that […]

I was planning to title this post something like “What part of Lawrence don’t you understand?”, but the last two paragraphs of this AP story suggest that nine-month-old 6-3 Supreme Court decisions aren’t going to get internalized anytime soon. DAYTON, Tenn. — Rhea County commissioners unanimously voted to ask state lawmakers to introduce legislation amending […]

This is excellent, and humorous to boot. Thanks to Newmark’s Door, a good economics blog, for the pointer.

I am very pleased that Liberty Fund will be running a symposium on my books on commerce and culture, I must leave for the plane shortly. We are staying in La Posada, a lovely resort in downtown Santa Fe. Deirdre McCloskey, Don Boudreaux, and blogger and New York Times columnist Virginia Postrel also will be […]

Nate Oman writes:Legal practioners have a vast comparative advantage over law schools in teaching practical lawyering skills. Example, I had a semester of trial advocacy and a semester of legal writing in law school, yet I learned more about brief writing in the first three weeks of my clerkship than I did in all of […]

No, really. The speech was by Daniel Pipes, whose account is here. Unlike Pipes, I don’t see any reason to believe that the ACLU, as such, was behind the disruption, as opposed to the Field Organizer, a Mr. Bowles, acting as freelancer, as he acknowledged in response to Pipes’ inquiry. But (UPDATE: in response to […]

Yesterday I argued that when a minister conducts a same-sex marriage — even if he says “By the authority vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you spouse and spouse” — and it’s clear to everyone that same-sex marriages are actually not legal recognized, then he isn’t lying, but is […]