Leslie and I are leaving New Orleans today (I will post a few pictures tomorrow) after a wonderful trip to the Crescent City. Much has changed since I lived here but thankfully the essence has remained the same. We were here to participate in the reunion of the clerks who served with Judge W. Eugene Davis of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Judge Davis is approaching his 40th year as a judge and has an intensely loyal clerkship alumni. Indeed, virtually every one of his roughly 100 clerks showed up from around the country to celebrate his service and thank him for mentoring us all as young lawyers. Given the reason for the trip, I wanted to share a couple of lawyer signs that I spotted walking around New Orleans. They left me wistful in thinking about my life had I stayed on the faculty at Tulane Law School or . . . even opened up a firm like this one next to a tattoo shop on Magazine Street (perhaps offering “Torts and Tats” as a package deal).
We recently discussed the sentencing of a political dissident in Saudi Arabia to being crucified and beheaded under the Kingdom’s medieval Sharia-based legal system. Now, as if to reaffirm the Kingdom’s opposition to basic human rights and freedoms, the Kingdom has reportedly sentenced a professor and activist to to 10 years in prison and barred him from traveling abroad for another decade. Abdel-Karim al-Khadar, a professor of Islamic studies from conservative Qassim Province, has been under arrest for over two years (since April 2013) for criticizing religious extremism and fighting for women’s rights. That is enough to jail you in the Kingdom, a country that remains one of our closest allies.
Real Communists don’t golf. That appears the message this month from those brilliant Chinese Communist Party functionaries. The latest edict from the Party has banned all 88 million of its members from joining golf clubs or gyms. The move appears part of the latest anti-corruption campaign in China, which is targeting these clubs as common places for bribes and special dealing. Of course, it is little problem to achieve that same corruption deals at a restaurant or a Mah Jong parlor. However, the way that central planners think is that you can fight corruption by attacking a common place for corrupt discussions. It is akin to fighting insider trading by barring limousines.
Continue reading “Real Communists Don’t Golf: Chinese Party Bars Members From Joining Golf Clubs”
The annual Torts versus Contracts paintball teams have met on the field of battle for the 2015 charity competition and I am thrilled to report that Torts emerged victorious — tying the competition now 2-2 over the last four years. It was a sweet victory given the two-year slump for Torts. As in prior years, it was extremely close and came down to the last game but legal descendants of Learned Hand overwhelmed those of Karl Llewelyn in the final minutes.
Continue reading “TORTS WINS 2015 CHARITY PAINTBALL COMPETITION OVER CONTRACTS”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
We previously featured an article on how the practice of private organizations charging predatory tolls on inmate telephone calls. Now, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), a regulatory agency of the U.S. Government, voted to enact guidelines limiting these tolls to be more in-line with reasonable costs that the agency believes will balance inmate needs with legitimate rates of return required by carriers to remain viable in their business venture.
The ruling by the FCC should come not only as welcome news to inmates, their friends and families, but it will also provide a means of comfort for most inmates and might to a limited degree also lead to lower problems affecting staff caused by inmate misbehavior.
Continue reading “FCC Votes To End Predatory Pricing Of Inmate Telephone Calls”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
An outrageous statement, if proven to be true, was made by embattled Pierce County Washington Prosecutor Mark Lindquist following the assassination of four Lakewood Police Officers in 2009.
These four officers were murdered while at a local coffee shop in Parkland. Their deaths were marked by great mourning in the law enforcement community and among Washington State’s citizens.
Showing almost sociopathic indifference, Prosecutor Mark Lindquist was quoted by his former Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Mary Robnett (who is now an Assistant Attorney General) as saying he,
“was going to have to run for re-election and would get $100K of free publicity from the murders.”
Of course, publically he was right there to show his great “remorse” for the officers and their families. His statement was confirmed by other witnesses.
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
Sometimes drunk drivers by their actions seem to almost want to be arrested, and a woman in Lakeland, Florida allegedly made this all the more apparent.
Whitney Beall, police say, drove intoxicated while video streaming her actions via Periscope. Viewers of the video then telephoned 911 reporting a drunk girl was driving through town.
Police later discovered her and placed her under arrest. Video follows this article.
Certainly this is going to be a most difficult violation to defend.
Continue reading “Police Arrest Woman For Alleged DUI After She Used Streaming Video While Driving”
This is truly something that belongs in The Onion. Indeed, I had to double check to be sure that it was serious. China, one of the most oppressive nations on Earth, has given a human rights award to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, one of the most oppressive and corrupt leaders in the world. China continues its almost comical issuance of the Confucius Peace Prize, its answer to the Nobel Peace Prize. China was tired of the Nobel people giving a human rights price to human rights advocates, particularly Chinese dissents or the Dali Lama. So it created its own prize to give those hard-working dictators an opportunity to shine. So this year, China is honoring a man who has destroyed the economy of Zimbabwe, starved his people, oppressed dissidents, and maintained one of the most disgusting levels of corruption and personal excess of any dictator in the world. Vladimir Putin previously won the award. Last year the recipient was that great humanitarian Fidel Castro.
Our close ally, Egypt, continues to lay waste to free speech this month with the absurd sentencing of a Facebook user to three years in jail for simply putting Mickey Mouse ears on a picture of president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Amr Nohan was charged with an “attempt to overthrow the regime” for the comical Facebook posting and tried in a military court.
Yesterday, Professor Luna Turley taught her first law school class at George Washington University to immediate acclaim and rave reviews. Luna helped teach animal liability and is shown here with a few students answering questions after class. One small concern was the observation that a few students were slipping Professor Luna treats to gain her favor. That could be an issue for the Tenure and Promotion Committee, but her pedagogical technique was flawless.
Continue reading “Professor Luna Teaches Historic Torts Class To Widespread Public and Academic Acclaim”
The meetings this week between President Xi Jinping and British leaders came with a clear instruction from the Communist regime: do not raise the issue of human rights. The Chinese told British diplomats that any questioning about the regime’s continued denial of basic human rights would be viewed as a hostile act. As always, the Chinese just want to talk about business and not people. What is most striking is that many countries have become so dependent on China that they follow such outrageous dictates.
Continue reading “China to Britain: Do No Raise Human Rights Or Risk Ruining “Golden” Relationship”
Albuquerque police have announced that they have arrested the man responsible for the killing of Lilly Garcia, 4, in a road rage incident. Tony Torrez, 32, reportedly confessed to the crime and the police hit him with a long list of charges that should guarantee that he remains in jail most if not all of his life. Indeed, even a plea agreement at this point would likely place the sentence near the maximum level but, if Torrez confessed, there is little in terms of a defense to present without striking the confession on some grounds.
We have previously discussed the infamous former Hungarian camerawoman, Petra Laszlo, who was shown tripping refugees trying to enter the country. She has been fired and faces criminal charges. However, in an apparent effort to secure the “Worst Person In The World” award, Laszlo has announced that she plans to sue one of the refugees that she tripped . . . and then possibly move to Russia where true freedom reigns. I expect most Hungarians would gladly help Laszlo and her husband pack and then transport them to the border. I guarantee no one will try to trip her to keep her from leaving.
It is a common lament these days that we seem a hopelessly divided country on virtual every major issue from immigration to health care to climate change. The exception appears to be marijuana. Not only are record numbers of citizens reporting that they use pot, but a new Gallup poll puts support for legalization at 58%. That is up seven points from just one year ago. In addition to the public support, there appears increasing investments and tax revenues associated with marijuana sales. That combination could make it difficult for Congress or the next Administration to reverse this trend toward legalization.
Continue reading “Gallup Poll: 58% Of Americans Want Marijuana Legalized”
Yesterday, I took my annual Fall hike up Old Rag Mountain near Sperryville, Virginia. I hike Old Rag a couple times a year and it is always spectacular. This is one of the most challenging hikes in Virginia but it is worth the effort of the long climb up to the summit. The best time is in the fall when the forest looks like a Monet painting. It takes a full day to get to the trail and take the long trail up the mountain, over the rock scramble, and down through the forest floor. However, as tired as your legs will be, it is truly rejuvenating for the tired urban soul. Having just hiked the Wasatch Mountain in Utah (yes, it is bizarre to be able to climb mountains in Virginia and Utah in roughly the same week), I wanted to tackle Old Rag before it became too cold. Yesterday was ideal with temps in the 70s (after starting out in the 30s) and dry conditions.