We have had a spate of woman catching falling babies this year. A Beijing woman outdid a British tourist in Florida by catching a toddler who fell ten stories. Niu Niu, 2, was left unattended by her grandmother and crawled out the window. Wu Juping, 31, her dangling from the window and rushed over to catch her as she fell.
Continue reading “Chinese Woman Catches Baby After Ten-Story Fall”
Submitted by Mike Appleton, Guest Blogger
“All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.”
-George Orwell, “Animal Farm”
The Supreme Court’s decision in the Walmart class action case has understandably generated controversy for its adverse impact on the litigation of workplace discrimination claims. But the Walmart case is not nearly as far reaching in its implications as the decision issued by the Supreme Court on April 27, 2011 in AT&T Mobility, LLC v. Concepcion, 563 U.S. _____ (2011). The opinion in Concepcion confirms two truths. First, Justice Antonin Scalia is firmly committed to federalism except when he isn’t. Second, corporate America is well on its way to usurping the common law and state statutory law intended to protect the interests of aggrieved consumers. Continue reading “AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion: Has Consumer Protection Law Been Preempted?”
Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, Guest Blogger
No matter which side of the political fence you sit on, it seems undeniable that corporations are reaping large profits at the expense of workers and Americans. In the past, we have discussed the issue of Corporate America paying little or no taxes here on Prof. Turley’s blog. It seems that the corporate “hits” just keep on coming. If you thought that Corporations are sitting on large amounts of cash and not using it to expand jobs or wages here in America, a recent study by Northeastern University just confirmed your hunch. Continue reading “How About A Little Something For The Effort Corporate America?”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
The evolution of religious beliefs, as people try and cope with scientific evidence, has taken some strange paths. By the 18th century, the concept of a heliocentric solar systems, wherein the Earth is one of several planets, was becoming impossible to deny. The scientists and theologians of the day, pondered the question: Would God really have bothered to create empty worlds?
“Mike Spindell, guest blogger”
Three years ago, the story of missing toddler Cayley Anthony became a media sensation. This was a story with all the elements of human drama. It had a pretty, young mother who appeared to be partying while her cute toddler went missing for 31 days. At the end of the 31 days, after having repeatedly lied to the grandparents about her child’s whereabouts the mother, Casey, admitted to her parents, Cindy and George that she didn’t know where the child was. She told them her mysterious “Nanny”, named “Zanny” had purportedly fled with the child for parts unknown. The Police were called and a media circus began.
The devoted Grandparents went on TV pleading for information about their missing child and setting up their own search “headquarters”. The daughters’ interviews with Police became increasingly bizarre as she lied incessantly about what had happened and even took them to her workplace, where after a period she admitted hadn’t worked there for two years. Phone pictures and videos surfaced of her inappropriately partying during the 31 days her child was missing. Photo’s and home videos of this cute child incessantly appeared on the TV in the vain hope that someone would recognize her. It was “the stuff that dreams are made of” for media people hawking their product. After months of searching and continual reportage the decomposed skeleton of the child was found in a wood, down the block from the Anthony’s home. Police had already arrested the mother, first for lying to them, obstruction of justice, Neglect. She made bail was arrested again on bad check charges, bailed and finally arrested for Felony Murder in October 2008. Check here for all the summary details without the emotion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Caylee_Anthony .
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
Edgar Dean Mitchell, a lunar module pilot and the sixth person to walk on the surface of
the Moon, is being sued by NASA. NASA wants Mitchell to return a camera that went to the Moon on the Apollo 14 mission. A lawsuit filed by the federal government on Thursday in a South Florida federal court claims that the former astronaut tried to sell the camera in an auction.
Continue reading “NASA Sues Former Apollo 14 Astronaut over Lunar Camera”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
The case is United States v. Jones which concerns FBI agents who planted a GPS tracking device on Jones’ car and monitored the car’s position every ten seconds for an entire month, without a warrant. A jury found Jones, and co-defendant Maynard, guilty of a single count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine and 50 or more grams of cocaine base.
Continue reading “Supreme Court Grants Cert In GPS Tracking Case”
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
In what can only be described as the most bizarre military recruiting ploy ever, Californian Yupeng Deng is charged with duping Chinese Immigrants into enlisting into his private army. Luring the unsuspecting “recruits” with promises of citizenship, the El Monte native convinced over 200 Chinese nationals to pay initiation fees ranging from $300 – $450. Donning the rank of “Supreme Commander'” Deng paraded his regiment through the streets of L.A., and then led a successful boarding of the U.S.S. Midway which is now a naval museum in San Diego.
A war of giant Jesuses has entered a new phase. A 36 meter (or 118 feet) Christ was unveiled in Poland last year. Now, President Alan Garcia has responded with Cristo del Pacifico (Christ of the Pacific), on a hill in Lima — standing 37 metres (122 feet). That’s right, four feet more than the Polish Jesus — not doubt now to be known as Jesusito (“little Jesus”) in Peru.
Continue reading “Jesus Envy: How Big Is Your Savior?”
One of the longest standing complaints among criminal defense attorneys is that the government often goes ballistic when a defense attorney makes public statements in support of his or her client. Judges often hammer private counsel under increasingly harsh gag orders. Yet, the government routinely influences cases by leaking information that could only come from the prosecutors or investigators on the case. This problem is even more acute in high-profile cases like that of Richard Jewell and my former client Dr. Thomas Butler, where leaks were used to target innocent men to try to force them to plead. Now, like clockwork, the Justice Department has again started the leak war in the case of alleged mobster James “Whitey” Bulger. However, the judge has simply asked the Justice Department for a “plan” on how to stop the leaks. If this were a private firm, there would be a contempt hearing.
In yet another merging of Barack Obama with George W. Bush, the Obama Justice Department has declared that it believes that it can (and may) prosecute licensed growers and dispensaries in medical marijuana states for violating federal drug and money-laundering laws. The position came from U.S. Deputy Attorney General James Cole who rejected claims that a 2009 memo by then-Deputy Attorney General David Ogden gave states some protection from prosecution.
Continue reading “Obama Administration Adopts Bush Anti-Medical Marijuana Stance”
While America may hang our head in shame over Kyoto and the failure to move aggressively on global warming, Canada it appears has asbestos. The article below raises an interesting disconnect between Canada’s blocking of the international listing of chrysotile asbestos to the Rotterdam Convention, a U.N. treaty on hazardous substances while ordering the removal of asbestos from government buildings due to its danger.
Continue reading “Oh Canada: Government Blocks Listing of Asbestos as Hazardous Export While Removing Asbestos From Parliament Buildings”
Friend of this blog (and this blogger) Frank Mascagni attended my speech to the Kentucky bar this month and snapped some pictures. One shot at the “Pursuing Justice” conference produced an ironic twist.
Michigan has implemented some sweeping changes to the role of jurors and judges in trials, including allowing jury to ask questions of witnesses. I have some reservations about the changes below, but I am most concerned over the ability of judges to summarize the evidence. This could invite considerable bias and influence into trials.
Continue reading “MIchigan Implements New Changes In Role Of Jury and Judge In Trials”
John Lennon fans may be a bit surprised to see an interview in the new documentary, Beatles Stories, with Lennon’s long time friend Fred Seaman. Seaman says that Lennon had moved away from his early radicalism and became a fan of . . . wait for it . . . Ronald Reagan.
Continue reading “Imagine: John Lennon As A Reagan Republican”