I have previously discussed the collision between anti-discrimination laws and free exercise of religion. Now, Vanderbilt University has stripped a Christian student organization of official recognition (and presumably funding) because it requires its members to have a personal commitment to Jesus Christ.
Category: Society
Respectfully Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty (rafflaw)-Guest Blogger
As an Illinois resident I was heartened by the fact that a former governor took the politically dangerous action to halt all executions and recently the current Governor of Illinois signed a bill to end the death penalty in Illinois. Tribune With that background, I was saddened to read that since 1976, more than 1/3rd of all executions that took place in our country happened in Texas. Since 1976, Texas has executed 481 people. Truth Progress Why does Texas continue to execute people when many experts assert that the death penalty is not a deterrent to violent crime? Continue reading “Don’t Mess with Texas’ Executions”
Submitted by: Mike Spindell, Guest Blogger
At this point, to be honest, all of the back and forth regarding “evidence” in the Zimmerman Case that has occurred here over a number of threads has been mere speculation that misses the salient issues raised by this case. The real (admissible) evidence will be presented at the trial and a hopefully an unbiased jury will make its decisions. The issues that we need to discuss from my perspective are:
1. Did the Sanford Police make a mistake in releasing Zimmerman rather quickly and allowing him to retain his gun, which was potential evidence?
2. Was there undue outside influence used upon the police to end their investigation quickly?
3. Is there a degree of probability that in many Stand Your Ground venues, had the victim been white and the protagonist of color, that the protagonist would have been immediately arrested?
4. What are the purposes of a business oriented lobbying group, like ALEC, in getting “Stand Your Ground” Laws passed?
5. Is this once again an instance where a media circus has poisoned the ability to have a fair trial? Continue reading “Zimmerman: Media Circuses Make for Bad Justice”
What happened to those homilies about the prodigal son and rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar’s? Parishioners were surprised with this Sunday’s homily by Peoria Bishop Daniel Jenky comparing President Barack Obama’s health care policies to policies of Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin.
Continue reading “Catholic Bishop: Obama Acting Like Hitler and Stalin”
Australian Justice John Nicholas has handed down a rather provocative ruling: that an employee is entitled to worker’s compensation after she was injured during sex at a hotel.
Continue reading “Worker’s Comp? Australian Judge Awards Worker’s Comp To Woman Injured During Sex”
There is an extremely high (and possible record for Colorado) award for the death of a pet n Denver. Robin Lohre will receive $65,000 from Push Maids for the death of her dog, Ruthie, after the cleaning crew let her out of the house and the dog was hit by a car.
Continue reading “Ruthie’s Revenge: Denver Woman Wins $65,000 For Dead Dog”
Recent Cooley Law School grad Aminur Khan did not take long in locating a client: himself. Khan is suing a Michigan photography studio, Call Photography, for using his photo without permission to advertise its ability to retouch blemishes — showing Khan in before and after photos where his skin blemishes were removed.
It is time again to vent as part of the “Things That Tick Me Off” series — an arbitrary list that helps keep me sane by periodically raving at the world. This week’s addition is wi-fi charges, particularly at high-end hotels (though this remains the case with some mid-range hotel chains as well) I am staying this week at the Waldorf-Astoria while I speak at the ABA’s Legal Malpractice conference. Not only does the hotel charge $15 bucks for wi-fi in the rooms but $15 for each and every device such as iPads. The Waldorf-Astoria is a beautiful and historic hotel and it is certainly not alone in this practice. However, it is irritating to be clipped for such costs after checking in. This is less common in Canada and Europe hotels.
Continue reading “Things That Tick Me Off: Wi-Fi Charges At Hotels”
I have repeated complained about the ludicrous scope of U.S. copyright and trademark laws in allowing people to claim common terms, symbols, and expressions (here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here). Now, R&B singer Trey Songz is in court in a dispute with Storage Wars personality Dave Hester over rights to profit from the word “Yuuup!”
Continue reading “Trademark Wars: Lawsuits Filed Over Ownership of “Yuuup!””
As a longtime critic of congressional junkets and travel, I am a bit confused by the effusion of shock and contempt by our congressional leaders in both parties over the recent Nevada conference by GSA employees. There is no question that the conference was outrageous and an abuse. However, these are the same people who have spent hundreds of millions on trips that have long been denounced as little more than paid vacations and long fought for the right to be wined and dined by lobbyists and other interests at swank hotels and restaurants (here and here and here). In the meantime, recent reports show that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has cost the taxpayers $860,000 to fly back and forth on weekends to his home in California. That is almost the exact amount spent at the Nevada conference. They sound like a city of Claude Rains, “shocked, shocked” by the allegations as they rush to make their private flights on government aircraft.
Continue reading “Stones Fly In City Of Glass Houses: Congress and the White House”
Like millions of people in this area, I was thrilled to watch the Discovery fly around Washington on its piggyback ride to the Air and Space Museum. The shuttle first flew directly over my car on George Washington Parkway at an extremely low altitude. It was amazing to see it from directly below at what seems like less than a 1000 feet. I then saw it from different spots while driving in D.C. It was awesome.
Police in Keyes, California are investigating why police officers killed an unarmed 32-year-man after first shooting him with a stun gun. Family members called police to tell them that George Ramirez was suffering from depression and threatening suicide. The Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputy is now on administrative leave. According to reports, Deputy Art Parra Jr. has been on the force for six years.
Even in a city full of lobbyists, John Bowles is a stand out. He is the new lobbyist for the American Nazi Party. With lobbyists from General Electric and Exxon, Bowles will work the offices on behalf of skinheads and antisemites. I can’t wait to see the gift baskets.
With the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, various auction items are being offered to the highest bidder. Last week, an admission ticket for the voyage fetched $56,250 while a menu on the ship sold for $31,250. There is one item on the menu however that caught my eye and curiosity.
Continue reading “They Never Finished Their Capons: Titanic Menu Sold in Auction”
The United States achieved a major victory last week by avoiding the title as the fattest nation on Earth. That distinction goes to the wealthiest nation on Earth: Qatar where half of the population is obese and seventeen percent are suffering from diabetes.