Year: 2012

Academia

Top College Rankings: Princeton, Williams, Stanford, University of Chicago, Yale

The 2012 college rankings by Forbes are out. The top five are Princeton (1), Williams (2), Stanford (3), University of Chicago (4), and Yale (5). I am particularly pleased to see my alma mater — University of Chicago — again recognized in the top schools. Chicago was tied for fifth in the alternative U.S. News and World Report rankings. Rounding out the top ten are Harvard (6), West Point (7), Columbia (8), Pomona (9), and Swarthmore (10).

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Congress, Politics, Society

House Ethics Committee Finds Rep. Richardson Guilty of Destroying Evidence, Witness, Tampering And Other Violations

The House and Senate Ethics Committees are notorious for their lack of serious enforcement of ethics rules — more often serving to deflect criticism of members. For that reason, when one of the committees actually takes action it is a notable moment. In the case of Rep. Laura Richardson, the Committee found an array of seven disturbing violations including improperly pressuring her official staff to campaign for her, destroying evidence and tampering with witness testimony. In addition, the Committee found that Richardson showed “utter disdain” for the committee and its investigation. Yet, despite this shocking list of alleged violations including destruction of evidence and witness tampering, the Committee is only seeking a reprimand and $10,000 fine.
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Courts, Lawyering

Covington Accused Of Switching Sides In Litigation To Make Millions

Prestigious law firm Covington & Burling has found itself in an embarrassing position of having its former corporate client, 3M, charge it with betraying its confidence and switching sides in environmental litigation. There is little affection left in the relationship after Covington decided to represent Minnesota in a claim that could bring millions to the law firm. For 3M, the worse moment came when Covington lawyers deposed the same 3M in-house counsel that the law firm once represented on the same subject matter. The company alleges that Covington orchestrated the move to drop it “like a hot potato” to cash in with Minnesota. The lawsuit could prove the most uncomfortably revealing moment since a Covington partner pulled down his pants before a shocked international audience.

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Bizarre, International, Society

South Korean Weightlifter Snaps Elbow In Lift: Are Athletes Pushing Weight Loads Beyond Their Physical Capacities?

Yesterday many of us watched in agony as South Korean Olympic weightlifter Jaehyouk Sa snapped his elbow while trying to life 357.15 pounds. The injury again raised the question of whether weight lifters are trying to push weights beyond their physical limitations.

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Bizarre, Courts, Society

Philadelphia Defies Court Order To Ensure Minimum of Due Process In Parking Citations

Philadelphia appears to be defying a court order to require the most minimal due process protection for drivers in parking violation cases. Common Pleas Judge Leon Tucker issued an order weeks ago that drivers were entitled to some basic protections in ticking such as the right to know where the violation allegedly occurred and to have the right to question the ticket givers. City officials however have declared the protections to be simply not “practical” and appear to be ignoring it according to a columnist. The decision is an important victory for citizens who are often clipped by cities as a source of additional revenue through parking tickets.

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Academia, Animals, Science, Society

Study: Wild Dolphins Are Totally Stuck Up

Still angry about how the jocks shunning you throughout high school? Well, now you know what a wild bottlenose dolphin feels like. For that first time in any other species, scientists have found that the dolphin form cliques based on their skills. The study found that the dolphin engaged in “inclusive inheritability” bonding after observing dolphins in Shark Bay, Australia.

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Courts, Torts

New York Court Rules Non-Emergency Surgery Constitutes Spoliation

There is an interesting case in New York this week concerning destruction of evidence. Supreme Court Justice Charles J. Markey handed down a decision on July 31, 2012 in a personal injury case that the plaintiff electing to have surgery effectively denied the defendant evidence to contest her claim stemming from a fall on a bus. The case is Mangione v Jacobs and is worth reading.

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Courts, Criminal law, Justice, Lawyering, Politics

Federal Court Rules Against Obama Administration in Black Panther FOIA Case

There has been relatively little attention given a remarkable ruling by United States District Court Judge Reggie Walton. In ruling that the conservative watch dog group Judicial Watch was entitled to attorneys fees, Walton found that Obama political appointees not only influenced the decision in the controversial Black Panther case but withheld documents that should have been turned over under federal law.

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Bizarre, International

Say It Ain’t So, Yongbo: Chinese Accused Of Cheating At Badminton

There is another interesting legal controversy in the Olympics (I watch just for the challenges and appeals). The Chinese have again been accused of cheating — this time in Badminton. Onlookers booed and heaped abuse on Chinese players as they clearly threw matches to secure a better draw later in the competition. This reportedly prompted the South Korean team to also intentionally lose – resulting in an embarrassment for the entire field. Eight female players have now been charged with the novel offenses of “not using one’s best efforts to win a match” and “conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport.” The charged players include China’s world champions Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang. China’s long-serving head coach Li Yongbo denied any such effort even though observers said it was obvious and obnoxious. [UPDATE: all of the players have now been disqualified from the competition]

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Uncategorized

Chinese Doctor Involved In Chinese Doping Scandal Raises Questions Over Phelps

For many, the last country to raise an allegation of drug doping would be China — a country repeatedly accused of cheating on everything from the ages of gymnasts to the doping of athletes. Drilling down a bit further, the last Chinese official to raise such an allegation would be China’s Chen Zhanghao who, according to one of China’s reporters “is arguably tainted by his own role in sports doping in the ’80s and ’90s.” Yet in the wake of questions raised by China’s Ye Shiwen’s record performance, it was Chen Zhanghao who went public with the suggestion that Michael Phelps must have been drugged up to win so many gold medals.

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Bizarre, International, Lawyering, Society

South Korean Fencer Sits Down For An Hour On Piste After Controversial Ruling As Coaches Scramble For Cash To File Challenge

The fencing competition came to a halt yesterday after South Korea fencer Shin A-Lam sat weeping on the piste for over an hour after a controversial ruling in the semi-final. As the father of a couple fencers, I was not surprised by the controversy but I was surprised by one of the reasons for the delay — a lack of cash.

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Bizarre, Free Speech, International

Swiss Athlete Removed From Olympic Team Over Anti-Korean Tweet

Twitter appears to be claiming more athletes than drugs or injuries this year. We recently discussed the decision to remove a Greek jumper from the Olympic team over a couple of tweets that were considered offensive. I disagreed with that decision, though many have supported it. Now, Swiss Michel Morganella has been sent home for making insulting remarks on Twitter about South Koreans after the South Korean soccer team beat the Swiss, 2-1, on Sunday.

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