If you find yourself in Carpentersville, Illinois, be careful what you say. Town Trustee and Obama delegate, Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski, has been issued a citation for referring to kids in her tree as “monkeys” — a comment found offensive by the African-American family. Continue reading “Free Speech: Constitutional Crisis in Carpentersville”
A major first amendment crisis is emerging from Venezuela. The government of Hugo Chavez has taken “The Simpsons” off the air as inappropriate for children. Until this moment, I did not see how dangerous this man really is to world peace. Continue reading “Doh! Hugo Chavez Cracks Down on the Simpsons”
Hillary Clinton’s superdelegate strategy has highlighted the flaws in our electoral college system — and the need to finally embrace democracy in its truest form in the selection of the President of the United States. The column below explores the controversy.
Continue reading “De-Accrediting the Electoral College: The Real Costs of a Constitutional Relic”
Actor Rob Lowe and his wife Sheryl have gone to Los Angeles Superior Court to seek damages against their former nanny, Laura Boyce on claims of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, breach of contract and other claims. They are seeking both compensatory and punitive damages. The complaint is linked below. Continue reading “Rob Lowe and Wife Sues Former Nanny for Defamation”
Litigation is expected in a terrible tragedy developing over the use of cancerous organs mistakenly given to organ transplant patients who later died or developed cancer. The organs were harvested from 15-year-old Alex Koehne, who was erroneously diagnosed with bacterial meningitis when he really died from a rare form of lymphoma. The has occurred as another family is suing the University of Pennsylvania for giving Tony Grier a cancerous lung in a transplant. Continue reading “Two Organ Recipients Die and Two Others Develop Cancer After Being Given Cancer Victim’s Organs”
Kynesha Dhanoolal, the widow of a soldier killed in Iraq this week, has had to go to court to secure a restraining order against her mother-in-law to prevent the embalming of her husband’s body before she can harvest her husband sperm. This posthumous insemination is becoming more common with the advancement of science and the law. Continue reading “Wife and Mother Go to Court Over Dead Soldier’s Sperm”
Recently, this blog has featured a number of states targeting strip clubs for special taxes — raising serious constitutional concerns. Now a federal court has agreed and struck down such a tax in Texas. Travis County District Judge Scott H. Jenkins has ruled that such laws are unconstitutional under the first amendment. Continue reading “State Court Ends Texas “Pole Tax” on Strip Clubs”
It appears that the final battle from Star Wars will happen in an English court. In this legal sequel, Andrew Ainsworth, a prop designer, is up against the empire headed by director George Lucas and his massive company, Lucasfilm. The dispute is over the rights to the stormtrooper costumes. It seems that Ainsworth may be making costumes from the original mold from the film. “Obi-Wan has taught you well,'” young Ainsworth, but the courts may have different plans for you and your stormtroopers. Continue reading “Obi-Won, Lucas Zero: English Court Faces Financial Demand Over Stormtroopers”
Another disturbing case has arisen over bullying. Mathew Mumbauer, 11, is paralyzed int Massachusetts General Hospital after allegedly being pushed down the stairs by a bully, according to his mother, Alyssa Cormier. This is only the latest such case of an injury or suicide tied to reported bullying. Continue reading “Eleven-Year-Old Boy Paralyzed in Alleged Bully Attack”
In what could well prove the basis for a lawsuit, a Sheriff’s sergeant in Sacramento shot and killed a driver believed to be drunk.
Continue reading “California Police Officer Shoots and Kills DUI Suspect”
You are only allowed to swear once in deposition — at the start and to God. This is a lesson being taught to New York mortgage company owner, Aaron Wider. Federal Trial Judge Eduardo Robreno hit Wider with a $29,323 fine for swearing 73 times in the deposition, shown in an excerpted video below. This is however not unique as the other video below from a different case indicates. Continue reading “Swear Once and Only Once So Help You God: New Yorker Fined for Swearing in Deposition”
There is a wide amount of latitude given to academic freedom in a classroom but destruction of a student’s computer falls a bit outside of the norm. For Professor Justin Leroux, of the HEC Montreal (Institute of Applied Economics), however, it appears part of the lesson plan — though the question is whether this was staged or serious. Continue reading “Socratic vs. Sadistic Method: Video Shows Canadian Professor Destroying Student’s Computer”
This week, Michael Gableman celebrated a considerable victory: the first defeat of an incumbent judge in 40 years for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. His opponent Louis Butler was also the first African American on the Court. Yet, the $5 million race shows the steady trend toward high-priced campaigns to change the make-up of courts by legal and corporate interests. Continue reading “The $5 Million Judge: Wisconsin Race Sets Record in Money and Meanness”
As part of our expanding library of big cats at play and prowl, consider this new water danger. These pictures of a white tiger under water challenges your usual list of “things to fear in the water.”
Continue reading “Aqua Tiger: Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back Into The Water . . .”
A North Dakota town is facing a health crisis over its playground and other states are concerned over their roads. The city elders used a common gravel in the area for base material, only to learn that it is composed of erionite that can cause lung cancer. Continue reading “Toxic Roads and Turkish Cancer”