Month: April 2012

Animals

When Loyalty Met Wisdom

By Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger

Lambs may not be laying down with wolves just yet as the Good Book predicts but a wonderful story out of North Wales might be the precursor. Seems canine, Merlin, has teamed up with barn owl, Willow, to become inseparable friends. The two met when the owl’s daily exercise overlapped Merlin’s walk at the Peny Bryn Falconry centre in North Wales.

“They are inseparable. People always stop and smile when they see them going by,” said Lorwi Peacock, Willow’s handler. Willow’s favorite activity is stretching out her wings as Merlin goes for a run. No grousing  so far from Merlin about the extra drag.

Source: msnbc

~Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger

Academia, Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Media, Politics, Society

Georgia Legislators Move To Give School Officials New Powers Over Internet Student Speech

We have been discussing the increasing disciplining of students and teachers for comments and photos on social media sites. Just yesterday in a story out of Indiana, we saw students expelled for comments viewed as bullying. Now, Georgia legislators are moving to make this controversial trend an actual law for schools to discipline students for mean comments on sites like Facebook. This comes at the same time that a lawsuit shows how the common law can serve as an adequate protection for victims, in my view.

Continue reading “Georgia Legislators Move To Give School Officials New Powers Over Internet Student Speech” →

Bizarre, International, Media, Politics, Religion

Dead Letter? Egyptian Necrophilia Law Called Hoax By Mubarak Supporter

We have been discussing the story that ran on various sites about the consideration of an Egyptian law that would allow husbands to have sex with their wives up to six hours after death. Our last blog noted that some were still reporting the story while others have questioned the truth of the story. Now a story below appears to have debunked the story, at least in part. While not addressing the alleged consideration of lowering the age for marriage of girls to 14, the story says that the “farewell intercourse” law claim was made by Amr Abdul Samea, a supporter of the deposed Hosni Mubarak. An Islamic cleric did in fact say that Muslim men (and women) could have sex with their dead spouses up to six hours after death, but there is no indication that this view was put into a proposed law.

Continue reading “Dead Letter? Egyptian Necrophilia Law Called Hoax By Mubarak Supporter” →

Criminal law, Free Speech, Lawyering, Politics

Texas State Representative Arrested For Barratry

State Representative Ronald Reynolds, the first African American elected in Fort Bend County to the Texas legislature since reconstruction, has been arrested on barratry charges. Once selected as “Freshman of the Year” by his colleagues, Reynolds was arrested and charged with barratry –both in the solicitation of clients on his own and through the office of a local chiropractor.

Continue reading “Texas State Representative Arrested For Barratry” →

Academia, Science

Hello Dave: I Am Quantum Computer 9000

Do you remember HAL (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) in 2001 Space Odyssey, the super intelligent computer? Well, meet Quantum the new crystal-based computer. In Nature Magazine, scientists have announced that they have a crystal that will allow the creation of a quantum computer that would take a computer the size of the known universe to match it. To those scientists at the University of Sydney, just be careful when Quantum says “I know I’ve made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. I’ve still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission. And I want to help you.” If you hear that, run for the airlock.

Continue reading “Hello Dave: I Am Quantum Computer 9000” →

Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Religion, Society

Teacher At Catholic School Allegedly Fired For Using IVF As “Grave, Immoral” Act

Emily Herx, a teacher at the St. Vincent de Paul school in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has sued the school and the Catholic Diocese, for allegedly firing her for using in vitro fertilization (IVF) to try to get pregnant. Herx (shown here with her husband) says that the local pastor told her that she was a “grave, immoral sinner” for using the process. It is another example of the growing tension between discrimination laws and religious freedom, the subject of a past column. The case could prove quite important in defining the outer reaches of the “ministerial exception” to anti-discrimination laws.

Continue reading “Teacher At Catholic School Allegedly Fired For Using IVF As “Grave, Immoral” Act” →

Bizarre, Criminal law

New Mexico Sheriff Under Investigation After Ordering Deputy to Release Alleged Drunk Driver To Show Deputy “Who Is Boss”

New Mexico’s Mora County Sheriff Thomas Garza sure show his deputy who is boss. Garza is captured on tape shoving a deputy and browbeating another over their plans to take in a DUI suspect, Patrick Trujillo. Garza argues with one deputy that he is boss around there and to prove it he would order the release of Trujillo, who has a DUI arrest record. Garza knew Trujillo who is the ex-husband of the dispatcher on duty on the day of the first arrest.

Continue reading “New Mexico Sheriff Under Investigation After Ordering Deputy to Release Alleged Drunk Driver To Show Deputy “Who Is Boss”” →

Academia, Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Society

Unfriended: Three Indiana Teens Expelled Over Facebook Banter

We have another case of school kids being punished for statements made outside of school on a social media site. I have previously criticized this trend where both students and teachers are being denied free speech rights as schools extend their reach into homes and private lives. In this case, you have three Grade 8 girls from Griffith Middle School on Facebook dishing about how they would love to kill. It is in my view clearly a basis for the girls to be called into the office with their parents. However, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana has sued a Northern Indiana school over the disciplining of the girls.

Continue reading “Unfriended: Three Indiana Teens Expelled Over Facebook Banter” →

Bizarre, Criminal law, Society

Police Identify Prostitute Who Stole Half A Million Dollars From Diamond Dealing John

We previously looked at the robbery of a diamond dealer in New York who picked up a prostitute at a bar and then woke up at a hotel without what is now being reported to be half a million dollars in diamonds. It turns out that the suspect, Erika Cooper, 34 (AKA Bianca Williams) was not the swiftest thief. She was not only captured on the security cameras of the Cosmopolitan Hotel but the victim, Kurt Kaiser, had her home telephone number. She is now the subject of a manhunt in New York.

Continue reading “Police Identify Prostitute Who Stole Half A Million Dollars From Diamond Dealing John” →

Bizarre, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Report: Islamic Legislators In Egypt Allegedly Move To Allow Husbands To Have Sex With Dead Wives

Women’s groups are justifiably worried about the domination of Islamic parties in Egypt and the move to rollback on the hard-won rights of women in that country. Now, according to the Daily Mail and various other news sites, legislators are pushing not only to lower the age for marriage for girls but to protect “farewell intercourse” where a husband can have sex with his dead wife up to six hours after she died. If true, both pedophilia and necrophilia would be divinely ordained, according to Islamic clerics in the country. It is not clear if this is a hoax with some people in Egypt reportedly denying the report while others continue to report the story. [Update: A new article is contesting the truth of the necrophilia part of the story]

Continue reading “Report: Islamic Legislators In Egypt Allegedly Move To Allow Husbands To Have Sex With Dead Wives” →

Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, Politics, Society

Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments Over Arizona Immigration Law

The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments today in the immigration case of Arizona v. United States. I published a column in USA Today yesterday on the case. I discussed the case yesterday on NPR’s Diane Rehm Show and will be updating this blog with developments and I will be on NPR’s Here and Now to discuss the case at noon. Continue reading “Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments Over Arizona Immigration Law” →

Criminal law, Society

Edwards Trial Starts With Critical Testimony — And Rulings On Admissibility

The start of the trial of John Edwards had a couple of surprises with the testimony of Edwards’ first top aide, Andrew Young. The Court has drawn an interesting line on what can be admitted and what is to be excluded in the salacious trial — a line that has largely worked against Edwards.

Continue reading “Edwards Trial Starts With Critical Testimony — And Rulings On Admissibility” →

Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Media, Politics, Religion, Society

Unorthodox Exception Or Preferential Treatment? Brooklyn District Attorney Refuses To Release Names Of Orthodox Jews Accused Of Child Abuse

There is an interesting story out of Brooklyn. The Brooklyn District Attorney routinely releases the names of charged individuals — as do all prosecutors. However, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes has decided not to release the names of Orthodox Jews charged with child sex abuse in deference to their “tight-knit and insular” community. That seems like preferential treatment given a particular religious group — a group with considerable political power in New York.

Continue reading “Unorthodox Exception Or Preferential Treatment? Brooklyn District Attorney Refuses To Release Names Of Orthodox Jews Accused Of Child Abuse” →