Cleveland Willis, 28, will face an interesting witness for prosecution for alleged armed robbery . . . himself. When an employee of KFC restaurant recognized Willis behind a mask and asked if it was him, Willis responded. “No, It’s Not Me.”
We often debate how to take the best mugshot. Rep. Greg Gianforte (Mont.) went with the smile option and the results are pretty good. Nevertheless, Gianforte fought mightily to block the release of the mugshot after he assaulted a reporter. He lost this week and a court ordered its release. This is the mugshot.
Continue reading “Court Orders The Belated Release Of Gianforte Mugshot”
Many of us have been warning for years about the anti-free speech activities of various protest groups in barring speakers and even taking over classrooms. I have long advocated suspending students who prevent others from speaking or attending such events and expelling those who are repeat offenders. Now the University of Wisconsin system has adopted such an approach, though some of the terminology is problematic in my view. Nevertheless, while the policy (found here) could be more specific in defining terms like “disrupt,” it is a move that could go a long way in restoring free speech protections.
Ricky Melendez has a right to be a bit confused. Melendez was driving to the grocery store when a 16-year-old driving a stolen sport utility vehicle ran a red light and crashed into his Toyota Camry. The driver, Keontae Brown, was going at 112 mph. Now, Geico has paid the families of the boys speeding in the stolen car damages in a decision which is precisely why insurance companies are blamed for fueling strike suits and frivolous claims.
We have been discussing how Dubai is trying to lure Westerners to the country while it is continuing to impose the medieval Islamic Sharia system with predictably abusive results, particularly for women. Recently we discussed how Dubai police arrested a 30-year-old Ethiopian woman after she gave birth to a child as an unmarried woman. The latest bizarre case involved Briton Jamie Harron, 27, who is facing a possible three-year jail sentence over claims that he touched a man on the hip in a bar. He has already been given a month long sentence for drinking alcohol and making a rude gesture.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has Cowboys owner Jerry Jones saying that any players who protest during the anthem will be disciplined and not allowed to play. The NAACP has denounced the policy as “unconstitutional.” While one can certainly disagree on the merits over the protests, teh NAACP is wrong on the constitutionality of such a policy. An employer can clearly bar political protests during work hours. Moreover, the First Amendment is primarily directed to limiting government interference or regulation of speech. While a public university qualifies as a state actor, it does not necessarily mean that protests are protected. Even on college fields, school are giving considerable leeway in setting such rules, including the recent dismissal of a college quarterback for kneeling.
Continue reading “NAACP Denounces Demand For Players To Stand At NFL Games As “Unconstitutional””
University of Oregon President Michael Schill probably thought that he would be the least likely university president to find himself silenced by the raising anti-speech protests by students. After all, Schill himself has been denounced as part of the anti-free speech trend after he supported the university’s punishment of a law professor for wearing an allegedly offensive Halloween costume at her own party off campus. However, Schill was unable to give his annual state of the university speech after students took over the event and denounced him a “CEO” of a “business firm.”
There is a growing concern over the intolerance shown conservative students and groups on our campuses. The latest such incident occurred at Seattle University School of Law where a debate was planned on immigration with both liberal and conservative views represented. That would seem precisely the type of exchange that law schools relish. However, students protested that one of the sponsors was the conservative Federalist Society. Over a couple hundred people signed a Change.org petition asking the school to cancel the Oct. 16th debate. The debate was scheduled to be part of the school’s “Social Justice Monday” series and was co-hosted by the school’s Access to Justice Institute. The law school eventually withdrew as a sponsor due to the protests from students.
A viral video from a Seattle coffee shop illustrates the growing tension between free speech and religious exercise values. In the Facebook video, Ben Borgman — the owner of Bedlam Coffee shop — threw a Christian group out of his shop while spewing vulgar and obscene comments about their views. There are a growing number of such conflicts as store owners assert their right to refuse to serve those with opposing religious or social values. On December 5, the Supreme Court will hear the argument in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Rights Commission. That case will determine if a cake shop owner could refuse to prepare a cake for a same-sex couple on the basis of his opposing religious values.
My students and I followed the score in the Nationals/Cubs games yesterday in class. I was overjoyed with the final win for the Cubs at the end of the class. However, the Cubs are facing a challenging lawsuit in court that raises, again, the question of liability for fans injured during games. John “Jay” Loos, 60, was hit in the eye during the August 29th game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He lost sight in the eye and is now suing over the alleged negligence in not extending the protective netting.
Continue reading “Cubs Fan Sues Team After Being Hit In The Eye By A Line Drive”
UC Berkeley Professor Harley Shaiken probably did not expect to be denounced as a tool of the racist establishment when he came to class recently. After all, he was simply giving a midterm exam when protesters appeared to demand that he checked his “privilege” and cancel his exam due to the stress that it was causing for students. Instead, the students demanded that he assign a “take-home essay with significant time to prepare.” The scene was truly Felliniesque but whatever humor might be found in the moment was lost by the fact that this is not an isolated occurrence on our campuses, as we have previously discussed.
Feminist attorney Lisa Bloom is under fire from all sides over her work on behalf of Harvey Weinstein, a producer who is accused of breathtaking attacks of sexual harassment against those under his control or influence. Much of the criticism has accused Bloom as well as Clinton advisors like Lanny Davis. However, there appears to have been push back from her actual clients at the Weinstein company, particularly after Bloom’s television appearances where she seemed to struggle with defending Weinstein. Bloom called Weinstein “an old dinosaur learning new ways,” as if calling women to your room in a bathroom and demanded massages was an acceptable old way in the last two centuries. Bloom also said publicly that her media client engaged in “illegal” conduct — a surprising admission for someone serving as a spokesperson who happens to be a lawyer. Critics raised the hypocrisy in Bloom’s past attacks on accused harassers and her awkward defense of Weinstein. Now reports suggest that company board members raised not only a possible conflict of interest in the case but some remarkably ill-conceived advice from Bloom in managing the scandal. Weinstein himself was fired yesterday. Bloom has responded to conflict issues raised in her Weinstein contracts by distinguishing legal from non-legal conflicts of interests.
Continue reading “Bloom Out As Weinstein Adviser Amidst Questions Over Conflicts and Tactics”
The massacre in Las Vegas has brought out the best of our country in response to the savage and senseless attack by Stephen Paddock as strangers rush into danger to save the wounded. It has also unleashed pent up political passions from Hillary Clinton immediately blaming the NRA (for opposing silencers) to a professor blaming the attack on Trumpism to “white privilege.” Others sounded like the relished the deaths or at least refused to be sympathetic for the victims. Now, a vegan food truck owner, Delinda Jensen, 60, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa, is under fire for a Facebook post saying that she doesn’t care how many people died because they are all “meat eaters” and “carnists.” She later deleted the posting and apologized. Jensen runs the Mother Nature Vegan Cuisine Food Truck with her son.
This is not going to look good on Lily B. Bodenlos’ resume. Bodenlos, 29, (left) and Melissa Mimitz, 37, are accused of an armed home invasion in Springfield, Massachusetts. Bodenlos made police work a tad easier by leaving her resume at the scene.