I will confess that there are at times a level of contempt expressed in my columns. However, today will be the first time that a column becomes a legal matter for contempt. Among the ten postings by former president Donald Trump being raised by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in his contempt sanction is the use of a quotation from one of my columns. Continue reading “Court to Decide Trump Contempt Sanction Including Objection to Use of Turley Quotation”
We have previously discussed the growing anti-free speech movement in Scotland with the expanding criminalization of political and religious speech. The new Scottish law is a perfect nightmare for free speech, expanding the potential of a jail sentence for merely insulting language. In response, author JK Rowling has taken a stand and dared the Scottish police to come and arrest her for criticizing transgender status. Continue reading ““#arrestme”: JK Rowling Dares Scotland to Enforce Anti-Free Speech Law”
Happy Easter to everyone celebrating the holiday today. Despite my kids being older, the bunny still came to the Turley house and left baskets overflowing with their favorite chocolates and candies, including a doggie basket for Luna. At our house, the Easter Bunny also leaves corny bunny riddles as a prerequisite for enjoying the baskets.
This morning, Res Ipsa passed the 80,000,000 mark in views on the blog. We have used these moments to give thanks for our many regular readers around the world and share our traffic data to give you an idea of the current profile of readers around the world. We do not have a running data page so these periodic postings allow our community to see the traffic profile of our blog. Because of the growth of the blog, we have gone from million to five million view markers. So let’s get at it. Continue reading “RES IPSA HITS 80,000,000”
For years, I have maintained that January 6th was a disgraceful riot but not an insurrection. That issue came to a head with the litigation over disqualifying former president Donald Trump and similar calls to block dozens of Republican incumbents from ballots. Now, the protest that became a riot has been elevated from an insurrection to a terrorist attack. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and other democrats are using the description despite no one being charged with insurrection or terrorism. Continue reading “From Riot to Insurrection to Terrorism: January 6th Continues to be a Tragedy in the Eye of the Beholder”
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has finally broken her silence with CNN. Willis insisted that she has done nothing wrong while declaring that “the train is coming” for Donald Trump. On this occasion, CNN can be excused for not having an opposing view. Willis circa 2020 denounced Willis circa 2024. Continue reading “Willis v. Willis: Fulton County District Attorney Goes Head to Head with Her Prior Self in Trump Case”
This week, the argument before the Supreme Court in Trump v. Anderson captivated the nation as the justices considered the disqualification of former President Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot. For some of us, the argument brought back vivid memories of covering Bush v. Gore almost 25 years ago. While one justice (Clarence Thomas) remains on the Court, the last major intervention of the Court into a close presidential election is a matter of distant history. Continue reading “The “Unassailable” Theory Faces a Potential Unanimous Rejection”
We often use the end of the year to do a quick review of the state of the blog. In 2023, the blog had another record year in traffic. We will soon pass our 78,000,000 view mark and our community continues to grow rapidly around the world. As a mark of that growth, we are now staggering our periodic updates that used to occur with each new millionth marker since we are now surpassing a million such views on average in less than a month.
Continue reading “State of the Blog: The Record Year of 2023 on Res Ipsa”
Happy New Year to everyone on our blog! We rang in 2024 at home in Virginia after returning from Chicago for Christmas. New Year’s Eve is also my wedding anniversary. Twenty-six years ago, Leslie and I eloped in Old Town Alexandria after dating eight years. (We used my high school ring to seal the deal). Once again, we will celebrate two anniversary dates. I count the anniversary as our 34rd while Leslie insists on counting this year as our 26th anniversary. (She takes a purely contractual calculation in going by the date on the marriage certificate while I apply a relational calculation). We toasted our anniversary and the New Year (as we did 26 years ago and every year since) with a bottle of Schramsburg Cremant. Continue reading “HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!”
Best wishes to everyone celebrating Christmas. We are celebrating our four children, extended Turley clan, and, of course, Luna. So far, Christmas has avoided the series of unfortunate events that made last year so … well … memorable. Continue reading “MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!”
We have been discussing the Disney’s recent acknowledgment that its political and social agenda has hurt profits at the company. In recent filings, the company agreed that there has been a “misalignment with public and consumer tastes and preferences,” including “consumers’ perceptions of our position on matters of public interest, including our efforts to achieve certain of our environmental and social goals.” There are also major disagreements over strategic financial decisions made by the company. Some shareholders appear eager for a change — and a challenge to CEO Bob Iger. Continue reading “Mouse Hunt: Disney Dissenters Move to Secure Two Seats on Board”
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. We started the day with our annual Turley Turkey Bowl — running over 50 years of unbroken tradition. We returned to prepare our big family feast. We do traditional fare with a turkey, stuffing, cranberry, Waldorf salad, pumpkin pies and all the rest. We should be in a food coma in time to watch the NFL games.
I have previously written about the near total meltdown of our public education system in some major cities. Prominent in these discussions has been Baltimore, which continues to fail inner city children in teaching the most basic subjects. This week, that failure is on full display with a report that forty percent of Baltimore’s schools lack a single student who has achieved grade-level proficiency in math. In various cities, the response of administrators has often been to lower the standards to continue to move kids out of the system without the skills needed to thrive in this economy. Continue reading “Forty Percent of Baltimore’s Public Schools Do Not Have a Single Student Proficient in Math”
This morning, Res Ipsa passed the 75,000,000 mark in views on the blog. We have used these moments to give thanks for our many regular readers around the world and share our traffic data to give you an idea of the current profile of readers around the world. We do not have a running data page so these periodic postings allow our community to see the traffic profile of our blog. So let’s get at it. Continue reading “RES IPSA HITS 75,000,000”
John Clauser, a Nobel prize-winning physicist, is apparently the latest target of a cancel campaign. According to a group called the Co2 Coalition, Clauser was scheduled to speak to a group at the International Monetary Fund on climate change when critics spotted a serious problem: he does not support the accepted view on the subject. The response was all-too-familiar (even if less expected by Nobel laureates): Clauser had to be barred from sharing his scientific views or being heard by others at the IMF.
Continue reading “Nobel Prize Winner Canceled by the IMF After Questioning Climate Change Data”