The Volokh Conspiracy - McCann on Isiah Thomas Trial:

Michael McCann's latest column for SI.com, on the Isiah Thomas sexual harassment trial is available here.

He notes one of Isiah's stranger arguments in the case:

3) Under oath, Thomas opined that it would be worse for a "white man [to call] a black woman a bitch" than for an African-American male to do the same. How might that statement influence the trial?

Thomas apparently made the statement to insinuate that, because of values in the African-American community, at least as Thomas perceives them, Sanders should have been less offended by the misbehavior of African-American male employees than if white male employees had engaged in identical behavior.

This argument is weak and probably counter-productive.

Ya think?

	[Todd Zywicki, September 25, 2007 at 2:11pm] Trackbacks McCann on Isiah Thomas Trial: Michael McCann's latest column for SI.com, on the Isiah Thomas sexual harassment trial is available here. He notes one of Isiah's stranger arguments in the case: 3) Under oath, Thomas opined that it would be worse for a "white man [to call] a black woman a bitch" than for an African-American male to do the same. How might that statement influence the trial? Thomas apparently made the statement to insinuate that, because of values in the African-American community, at least as Thomas perceives them, Sanders should have been less offended by the misbehavior of African-American male employees than if white male employees had engaged in identical behavior. This argument is weak and probably counter-productive. Ya think?