The highly controversial sheriff from Maricopa, Arizona, Joe Arpaio may be facing serious charges of civil rights abuses and discrimination, but Hollywood considers him such a laugh that they are giving him his own reality show. He intends to use suspects as props for scenes written by comedy writers and staffed by actors. It is the latest sign of the decline of our criminal justice system as our judges, prosecutors, and sheriffs vie for notoriety on television and in the press.
Continue reading ““Smile: You’re Under Arrest: Arpaio Goes Hollywood”
Best wishes to everyone celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah. Our kids get to double dip on both holidays in a play to spread our bets between the two religions of the parents. We have just finished placing the last present under the tree in Chicago. We can now look forward to three hours of sleep before the C-Day invasion. As my gift to you, I have linked a truly inspirational holiday video: Jingle Bells played on microwave ovens below.
A Christmas controversy is brewing in Pensacola, Florida where Tonia Thomas, 35, claims that she was fired because he insisted on greeting callers with “Merry Christmas” rather than Happy Holidays. Her former employer, Counts-Oakes Resorts Properties Inc., insists that there were other reasons for her termination but outside groups have come to Thomas’ aid in suing the company. In the meantime, Muslims are debating whether they can say “Merry Christmas.”
Attorney Damon Rossi, 38, was arrested last week for a curious crime: giving candy to his client in a Prescott, Arizona courtroom. Rossi had asked if he could give his client the candy and was told no. Seeing that his client was hungry, Rossi gave it to him anyway, asking “what are you going to do, arrest me?” The answer came the next day when he was arrested at his home.
This has been a strange and stressful weak for Obama supporters. Environmentalists are 
The Sklar litigation relating to the Church of Scientology was delivered another blow by the Ninth Circuit. Marla and Michael Sklar have been waging a rather lonely battle for 15 years to claim tax deductions for a portion of the tuition they pay to Jewish schools attended by their children. They are relying on the fact that the Internal Revenue Service granted Scientologists deductions for 80% of fees they pay for auditing and training. The IRS decision was viewed as the government knuckling under after litigation from Scientology and has raised legitimate concerns over equal treatment.
Edward G. Kelly, 51, a defense attorney in Fall River, Massachusetts has pleaded innocent to a bizarre criminal allegation: that Kelly pretended to be a district attorney employee to tell government witnesses on the telephone that they did not need to show up for court.
For those who view the RIAA as akin to Land of Mormor have another baffling alleged abuse to cite. Nineteen-year-old Ciara Sauro was sued for allegedly sharing 10 songs online. RIAA lawyers sued her. She didn’t respond so the lawyers secured a default judgment. She was a bit busy getting a transplant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Now it is the RIAA lawyers who refuse to respond.
A major “dram shop” case just settled in New York that could be a forerunner to similar cases across the country. The Giants Stadium and Aramark agreed to pay $25 million to settle the case of Antonia Verni, a girl paralyzed in a crash with a drunken football fan. Usually such settlements are not public, but this settlement was revealed at the request of a public advocacy group.
Judge Robert Ruehlman clearly does not like swearing in his courtroom. Ruehlman recently sent two men — including an attorney — to jail for six months for using foul language. This is not unique, but Ruehlman’s punishment is grossly out of line with a reasonable sanction in such cases.
A rather bizarre scene is unfolding in Berkeley’s City Council which is considering five measures attacking Berkeley Professor John Yoo. One measure demands criminal charges of Yoo for his torture memo as a Bush official while another demands that no student be compelled to take a class from him.
