Publix stores appear to need a Latin-to-English dictionary. When Jacob Koscinski was declared summa cum laude at this Charleston, S.C., home-schooling program, his mother Cara ordered a cake online from Publix to read “Congrats Jacob! Summa Cum Laude class of 2018.” It is a simple recognition of graduating “with distinction.” However, when it arrived, the store had deleted “Cum” as profanity so that cake read “Summa . . . Laude.” Publix will now receive the distinction of pistrina sine laude, or bakery without distinction.
Below is my column in the Washington Post on the statement by lead Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani that Special Counsel Robert Mueller had assured the Trump team that he would not seek an indictment against Trump while in office. As I have previously written, I do not agree with those who maintain that a sitting president cannot be indicted. However, what is most striking is how many assume that it is better for the President to face an impeachment (which is part of a political process) than an indictment. For a criminal defense standpoint, the opposite may be true. Indeed, the best possible scenario for Mueller would be to have an impeachment before an indictment. None of this means that there is a strong case for either impeachment or indictment, but the sequencing laid out by Giuliani is no favor to Trump.
Here is the column: Continue reading “The Law Of Unintended Consequences: Mueller’s Promise Not To Indict Trump In Office Is No Favor”
The alleged owners of Mugshots.com—Sahar Sarid and Thomas Keesee—are now among the mugshots of the week. The company has long been criticized as little more than a shakedown of people desperate to remove embarrassing mugshots on the Internet. California prosecutors alleged Sarid, Keese, Kishore Vidya Bhavnanie and David Usdan engaged in with extortion, money laundering, and identity theft through the site. Continue reading “California Charges Mugshots.com Owners . . . Then Releases Their Mugshots”
New York lawyer (and GW Law graduate) Aaron Schlossberg who went on a bizarre tirade against Spanish-speaking restaurant workers has quickly become the most hated man of the week in New York. The New York Post reports that he has now been kicked out of his office by Corporate Suites, the company that held his lease. There is also an effort to disbar him and even a petition to hire a mariachiband to follow him around New York. That could lead to an interesting legal fight if he alleges harassment or stalking. The moves against Schlossberg raises our long-standing debate over actions taken against people for obnoxious or unpopular speech in their private lives or on social media.
New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told a supportive audience at the progressive Center for American Progress Ideas Festival that gender alone could make a difference in finance crises: “If it wasn’t Lehman Brothers but Lehman Sisters, we might not have had the financial collapse.” The problem, critics have noted, is that Lehman Brothers had a female CFO during the financial crisis. The bigger problem is how gender is often presented as a de facto credential by politicians and activists without acknowledging that it would also be de facto discrimination if used in this fashion. It is an interesting story coming on the heels of the story out of the University of Akron where a professor declared female students would be automatically given higher scores. Gillibrand’s comment comes when she is pushing for new sexual harassment legislation in Congress.
Continue reading ““Amen Sister”: Gillibrand Declares “The Lehman Sisters” Might Have Prevented 2008 Financial Collapse”
Students in the information sciences class of University of Akron Professor Liping Liu were taken aback by an email that shared some information on how Liu intended to engage in open sexual discrimination in his final grades. Liu announced that he intended to increase the grades of female students to encourage their continuation in the male-dominated field of information sciences. Liu has been prevented from carrying out his flagrantly discriminatory plan but there is no indication that he will face discipline for such abuse of his academic position. Continue reading “Akron Professor Prevented From Increasing Grades Of Female Students Based Solely On Their Gender”
Below is my column in The Hill newspaper on how liberals in New York are supplying the Supreme Court ample reason to rule for a Colorado cake shop owner in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case. As the Court decides whether a baker can refuse to bake a cake deemed offensive, many liberals are asserting the right to refuse to serve conservatives based on their political views or associations.
Here is the column: Continue reading “As The Supreme Court Considers Major Free Speech Case, Liberals Can’t Have Their Cake And Eat It Too”
Cumberland (Wis.) police posted an interesting message for the Cumberland High School students responsible for this year’s prank. Using a black tarp, the students made it look like a car had crashed into Cumberland High School.
The police posted the image above with the message “Hats off to the Cumberland High School Class of 2018 on your senior prank. Congratulations Class of 2018 on one of best senior pranks that Cumberland High School has seen.”
That is high praise from your local police station.
Below is my column in USA Today on recent disclosure of Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, received hundreds of thousands of dollars from companies like AT&T seeking access to Trump. Accounts indicate that Cohen actively sold himself as a conduit to Trump to companies seeking influence. Cohen is only the latest in a long line of sleaze winding its way through Washington.
Caught red-handed in influence peddling, AT&T reportedly fired the Vice President responsible for the Cohen contract and called it a “big mistake.”
Here is the column:
Continue reading ““Reach Out To Touch Someone”: Michael Cohen and Washington’s Only Indigenous Crop”
As I mentioned yesterday, the highlight of my recent trip to New Orleans was my visit (with my son Jack) to the greatly expanded World War II Museum. I have visited the museum repeatedly since it was first opened. As someone who continues to study and write on military history, this museum has been a joy to watch expand and improve through the years. It is now the greatest military museum for the greatest generation. It is easily on par with the great museums of Europe like Musée de l’Armée at the Les Invalides in Paris. It should be a point of pride for all Americans in its expanding and unique collection of artifacts and weaponry from World War II. Moreover, it is expanding even further and is now composed of multiple buildings and soon will be joined by The Higgins Hotel & Conference Center along with the massive Bollinger Canopy of Peace that will cover all of the buildings. The result will certainly be a truly unparalleled facility committed to military history. Continue reading “THE GREATEST MUSEUM FOR THE GREATEST GENERATION: A TRIP TO THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM”
I recently visited New Orleans for a speech during the celebration of its 300th anniversary. It coincides with the French Quarter festival and my son Jack and I had an absolute ball. I lived in New Orleans when I taught at Tulane Law School (after clerking on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit). I still have tremendous love for this unique city and its wonderful people. Unfortunately, due to events in Washington, I have been delayed in posting some of the pictures. Tomorrow I will be posting the pictures from my visit to the greatly expanded World War II Museum. As discussed below, my only negative review is the Royal House restaurant, which was truly abysmal.
Continue reading “New Orleans at 300: Aging Gracefully Along The Banks Of The Mississippi”
We have previously discussed the questionable assurances of reforms from the Russian government after its government-led, systemic doping scandal. The greatest proof came this week when the Russians barred German Journalist Hajo Seppelt, the man who broke the Russian state doping story, from entry to the World Cup in Russia. If the Russians were so shocked and repentant, they should welcome Seppelt as a hero. Instead, they declared him an “undesirable person” for revealing their systemic cheating. Of course, the FIFA (which has distinguished itself as one of the most thoroughly corrupt organizations) has taken no real action.
Most Americans rightfully view Sen. John McCain as a genuine war hero and American icon. That view is not shared by President Donald Trump’s supporters, it would appear. Kelly Sadler, a special assistant to the presidend, is under fire for telling staff that they should laugh off McCain’s opposition to Gina Haspel as CIA director over her record of torture because his opinion “doesn’t matter” since “he’s dying anyway.” On Fox Business, Thomas McInerney, a former Fox News military analyst, rebuked McCain by saying torture clearly “worked for John” and that is why is calling “Songbird John” for cracking under torture.
Continue reading “White House Aide And Former Fox Expert Mock McCain As Dying and A Traitor”
Below is my column in The Hill newspaper on the emerging strategy from the Trump legal team with the addition of Emmet Flood and the comments of Rudy Giuliani. It is strikingly familiar to those of us who were around for the Clinton impeachment. The team appears to be moving toward the worst case scenario as the only scenario. That puts the President on a path that increases the risk of impeachment. The rhetoric is already laying the foundation to refuse to cooperate and litigate issues like a subpoena in court. Just as the Clintons claimed a “vast right-wing conspiracy” was out to get them, the Trump team is alleging a “deep state” conspiracy. The team is now on a course of confrontation — a course that could make things far worse unless Special Counsel Robert Mueller yields to the public taunts by figures like Giuliani.
Here is the column: Continue reading “The Crack Suicide Squad: The Trump Team Moves Toward The Worst Case Scenario”