We have come a long way since the heady days of Professor James Moriarty.
In Missouri, Michael Conley Loyd, 30, pleaded guilty last week to bank robbery. That is not particularly notable, but Loyd wrote his demand note to the teller on the back of his birth certificate and robbed the bank while wearing an ankle monitor. It only got more bizarre from there.
I have a column out this morning on the widespread claim by media and political figures that democracy may be lost if the GOP prevails in the midterm elections. The over-the-top rhetoric was recently captured in the unhinged claim of historian Michael Beschloss on MSNBC that a Republican win could lead not only to the end of history books and democracy but lead to the killing of our children. MSNBC later followed up with an interview with actor and Director Rob Reiner who seemed to struggle to outdo Beschloss in the apocalyptic predictions. Continue reading “Rob Reiner: Republicans Will Kill for Power and This may be our Last Election”
It is a little early to do our Christmas torts column, but this scene out of London is worth sharing: people had to flee giant rolling baubles that broke free of a decoration. The two giant baubles then rolled menacingly through a part of London.
Continue reading “Christmas Baubles Wreak Havoc in the Streets of London”
Dominic Salazar, 31, had a Halloween to remember (or not) after he was arrested for drunken disorderly conduct, domestic battery, and other charges. That was unfortunately not particularly notable given the common crimes and torts that marks All Hallow’s Eve. It was Salazar’s outfit that could make this a particularly challenging defense case.
Last night I wrote a column on the challenges faced by Elon Musk in taking over Twitter and suggested steps to “hit the ground running.” One of those obvious steps discussed in earlier columns was to fire CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal and head of legal policy, trust, and safety Vijaya Gadde, the primary figures responsible for creating one of the largest censorship systems in history. He did so within minutes of taking over and their removal constitutes as singular advances in the cause of free speech around the world. As expected, this morning media figures are in full panic at the thought that one social media platform may restore free speech protections after years of biased and aggressive censorship. The controversial Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz lamented, “It’s like the gates of hell opened on this site tonight.” That’s right, the prospect of others having access to Twitter to express their own views is a hellish prospect for many in the media.
Actor and musician Johnny Depp is back in court. No, not against his former wife Amber Heard, but in an action against a Buffalo professor who has alleged that he and his musical partner Jeff Beck plagiarized one of the songs on their latest album, “18.” At issue are lyrics allegedly taken from a toast called “Hobo Ben” by Slim Wilson, a Missouri prisoner featured in a 1974 book by folklorist Bruce Jackson. Jackson is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Buffalo and is the author of “Get Your Ass in the Water and Swim Like Me,” which contained the toast. On the merits, Depp has a strong argument against this copyright claim in my view.
Continue reading “Who Owns “Hobo Ben”? Johnny Depp Sues Buffalo Professor Over Copyright Claim”
We previously discussed the declaration of Harvard Professor Lawrence Tribe that former president Donald Trump could be charged with the attempted murder of former Vice President Michael Pence. Now, MSNBC legal analyst and Michigan Law Professor Barbara McQuade has gone one better. She told MSNBC viewers that Trump could be charged with manslaughter for his role in the January 6 Capitol riot. Continue reading “MSNBC Legal Analyst Declares Trump Could Be Charged With Manslaughter”
This weekend, I ran a column on President Joe Biden’s off-base boast that the Supreme Court and a lower court had declared that they are “on Biden’s side” on tuition forgiveness. After the column ran, however, the President claimed that he pushed through the loan forgiveness program through Congress on a narrow margin. That boast is particularly embarrassing because the Administration is in court claiming that he did not need to get congressional approval for the plan. It is likely to be raised by challengers in the next stage of litigation. It also may strangely reflect a moment of clarity in his subconscious mind, a faint recognition of the constitutional principles that he once defended as a United States senator. Continue reading ““I Got it Passed by a Vote or Two”: Biden’s Latest Bizarre Boast on Student Loans May Come Back to Haunt Him”
Barilla pasta is facing an interesting class action out of California after Matthew Sinatro and Jessica Prost sued over the claim on every box as “Italy’s No. 1 brand of pasta.” The problem is that the pasta is actually made in Iowa and New York. Continue reading “Pasta Al Dente or Al Des Moines? Barilla Sued Over Claim as “Italy’s No. 1 Brand of Pasta.””
Rorie Susan Woods, 55, is not the first woman accused of assault with a deadly weapon but she is certainly among the few to use bees as that weapon. That is what police are alleging after Woods allegedly met them (as they came to enforce an eviction order) with a swarm of angry bees. She was at the scene as an anti-eviction protester.
Continue reading “Massachusetts Woman Charged with Assault with Dangerous . . . Bees”
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R., Ill.) went on CNN’s “The Situation Room” to declare he is very certain there is very likely “something going on at the Secret Service” … and it could “potentially [be] very criminal activity.” It is also very very late (as was the subpoena of former President Donald Trump) to be asking about the lack of preparation for Jan. 6th riot. Continue reading ““Potentially Very Criminal Activity”: Adam Kinzinger is Very Certain There is Very Likely “Something Going On at the Secret Service””
While it is unlikely to pass, new legislation criminalizing the refusal of parents to affirm their children’s LGBT identity would trigger a likely successful constitutional challenge. WJLA reported that Democratic Virginia Delegate Elizabeth Guzman will introduce a bill that will expand the state’s definition of child abuse and neglect to include parents and guardians who do not affirm the gender identity declared by their children. In the meantime, a journalist, David Leavitt, reported Virginia state senate candidate Tina Ramirez to Child Protective Services over a tweet celebrating Columbus Day as creating an abusive environment for her children. Such unhinged efforts are further pushing parental rights higher among the top concerns for voters. Continue reading “Virginia Becomes Ground Zero in Battles Over Parental Rights”
“Denial is not just a river in Africa.” Those sage words from SNL character Stuart Smalley seemed prophetic this week as ex-MSNBC boss Phil Griffin and ex-CNN boss Jeff Zucker were confronted about their burying of the Hunter Biden story. Their tortured and transparent rationalizations caused an immediate response from some of us who have written about the scandal since its inception. That included Griffin’s almost laughable claim that their approach before the election was justified because “he was never arrested.” Continue reading ““He was not Arrested”: CNN and MSNBC Ex-Bosses Struggle to Justify Burying the Hunter Biden Story”
For those of us who have closely followed the Hunter Biden scandal, one figure remains mysterious in his role in the possible tax violations by the President’s son. Kevin Morris is a wealthy entertainment lawyer who reportedly paid off as much as $2.8 million in back taxes for Hunter. I have previously discussed the relationship and expressed uncertainty as to whether Morris was acting as a friend or a lawyer (use of personal funds in a representational matter can present ethical issues). Now, Morris is the subject of an ethics complaint by the conservative group Marco Polo, which lured him into a hoax exchange over disproving the laptop allegations.
Continue reading “Lawyer Linked to Hunter Biden Hit With Ethics Complaint”
I have previously written about my opposition to the dropping of “The Colonials” as the nickname of The George Washington University, which I teach. The university assembled a committee that seemed pre-disposed to drop the name after objections that, in my view, were historically and logically wrong. That followed an earlier panel that lacked any opposing views on the matter. Now the student editors at The Hatchet have called for the adoption of “The Hippos” as the new moniker — an option that I discussed earlier as a poor alternative (though perhaps optimal if we wanted to call ourselves “The Hippocrites“). Yet, this is deemed the best option and the editorial makes the case by again repeating a fundamental misconception of the original school nickname. Continue reading “GW Student Editors Call For “The Colonials” to be Replaced by “The Hippopotamuses””