International

ISIS Minting Coins, Claiming They Will Undermine The Economies Of Enemies

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

isis-gold-dinarThough as further evidence ISIS is establishing a form of structuralized government, ISIS claims it will undermine Western currency markets with its minted bullion coins. It is using such to establish internal payments and as a hard currency to fund its black marketeering in illegal trade items. Since ISIS lacks a recognized currency, gold provides an intrinsic value in trade in foreign commerce.

However its reliance on bullion coinage can also make it vulnerable to economic countermeasures.
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Courts, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Media, Politics, Society

Egypt President Pardons Imprisoned Al Jazeera Reporters

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

Flag of EgyptWe have followed the plight of several reporters for the news medium Al Jazeera who were imprisoned and subjected to various appeals on behalf of the prosecution to ensure their place amongst the incarcerated, accused under dubious evidence of involvement with terrorist organizations and the crime of reporting of false information. The courts even went so far as to accuse them of doing the work of the devil. (HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE)

For over a year there has been much outcry in the world media and the public about the abuses against free speech, journalists, and citizens; especially focused it was on these reporters. Now, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi grants a pardon to these Al Jazeera reporters.
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Politics, Society

Mayor Proposes Law Requiring Identities Of Welfare Recipients Be Made Public On State Website

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

robert-e-macdonaldLewiston Maine Mayor Robert Macdonald advocated enacting a state law that would require welfare recipients’ “names, addresses, length of time on assistance and the benefits being collected” be enumerated on a state website that is made accessible to the general public. Mayor Macdonald claims that because recipients of public pensions, they are government employees, that if this information is public record then the people have a right to know where the money is being spent on welfare recipients.

It is rather difficult in reading the mayor’s letter to the editor of the Twin City Times to accept his notion that his actions are in the public’s interest to see where tax dollars are paid, when he simultaneously makes many references disparaging recipients and those who advocate their plight. Yet, he claims to support privacy rights in other respects.

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Academia, Free Speech, Politics, Society

Wesleyan Student Writes Column Criticizing “Black Lives Matter” Movement And Critics Respond By Demanding The Defunding Of The Newspaper And The Editors Apologize

200px-Wesleyan_University_Shield.svgThere is a first amendment controversy that has erupted at Wesleyan University over a column written by Bryan Stascavage, a 30-year-old student who served two tours in Iraq, penned an op-ed in the school newspaper that criticized the Black Lives Matter movement. Stascavage is a sophomore majoring in philosophy and political science at Wesleyan and staff writer for the Argus. He wrote a piece criticizing the Black Lives Matter movement — a position shared by many who view some in the movement as espousing anti-police sentiments and, as discussed on this blog, often denouncing people for declaring that “all lives matter” as racists. However, Stascavage and the editors of the college newspaper were met by a torrent of criticism and calls for funding for the newspaper to be withdrawn. To its credit, the University stood strongly with free speech. However, the editors then issued an abject apology that clearly portrayed the decision to publish Stascavage’s column as a mistake.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Society, Torts

New Jersey Teenager Pulls Off Helmet Of Lineman And Uses It To Assault Him . . . Officials Let Him Continue To Play

Screen Shot 2015-09-24 at 11.05.10 AMWe discussed this week the case of two Texas teenage football players who viciously attacked a ref under orders from one of the coaches. The shocking incident was captured on videotape. Now an eighteen-year-old Linden High School (NJ) football player is on videotape (below) pulling off the helmet of an opponent’s helmet and then hitting him in the head with it. After an outcry, supporters insisted that the opposing player had used a racial slur and cheated. Once again, however, (as with the same allegation in Texas) a physical assault is not a justified response to either alleged act.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Lawyering

Illinois Prosecutor Involved in Bizarre Scene At Sex Shop Agrees To Suspension Of License

Screen Shot 2015-09-24 at 11.09.33 PMWe previously discussed the bizarre case of Cook County prosecutor, Sarah Naughton, who was involved in a drunken, swearing, biting incident at a sex shop after a Cubs game. The Illinois Supreme Court has now accepted a consent suspension for Naughton.

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Criminal law, Lawyering, Politics, Society

State Department Contradicts Clinton’s Long-Standing Account On E-Mails

170px-Msc2011_dett-clinton_0298StateDepartmentThe Clinton email scandal continues to get worse by the day with State Department officials directly contradicting the long-standing account given by Hillary Clinton. Clinton has long maintained that she turned over a portion of her emails (those not deleted as “personal”) after receiving a letter that went to her and three of her predecessors: Madeline Albright, Colin Powell, and Condoleezza Rice as a routine inquiry. The gist is that there was nothing alarming about her exclusive use of a server under her control rather than the secured State Department system. State Department officials now confirm that the request was specifically related to the discovery that Clinton was using a personal email system as her exclusive means of communication. This revelation occurs the same week that the FBI has announced that it has already retrieved some of the emails and that the Clinton staffers who “wiped” the system did a poor job that left the material easily accessible — deepening the earlier concerns over the presence of what is now confirmed to be classified material on Clinton’s unsecured server. The FBI sources described Clinton’s IT person as “not very good.”

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Courts, Lawyering

New Jersey Judge Faces Judicial Complaint Over Crude and Personal Comments

108669155Passaic County Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Portelli (New Jersey) is facing formal judicial conduct charges over what was allegedly “poor judgment and a lack of dignity and respect for his office.” What is interesting is the range of comments, including some that would not have been previously considered a basis for discipline but now raise serious judicial conduct questions. The charges could raise an interesting hearing as subject to different interpretations with Portelli claiming that he is merely salty or familiar in his language while others would call it sexist or intrusive.
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Bizarre, Society, Torts

Texas High School Coach Reportedly Admitted That He Ordered Vicious Hit On Ref

920x920imagesThere is a new development in the controversy over two Texas High School players, Sophomore Victor Rojas, 15, and senior Michael Moreno, 17, who tackled a referee during a game earlier this month. The players said earlier that they were following the orders of John Jay High School assistant football coach Mack Breed. Now, there is a report that Breed admitted to giving such an order. Beyond the disciplinary issues, that also raises some interesting criminal and tort issues. Update: Breed has now been fired.

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Academia, Society

Flog the Blog: Res Ipsa Blog Nominated For Top Educational Blog

blog-nomineeTired already of the presidential election? Well, I learned today that we have been nominated for another blog award. The Expert Institute has nominated the blog for best Education legal blog in competition with some of our friends in the blogosphere. These competitions are always fun and allow us to interact with other blogs and potential readers. If you want to vote, click here.

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Academia, Constitutional Law, Religion, Society

New Jersey School District Grapples With Demand For Official Holiday For Eid al-Adha

SchoolClassroomThere is a new conflict over religious rights in public education in New Jersey where Muslim families demanded an official holiday for Eid al-Adha. The meeting erupted when the school board refused to create such a holiday just six days before Eid al-Adha, which would have required thousands to families to scramble to find accommodations for their children. It also raises the slippery slope of adopting some religious holidays and not others. For example, the Jewish community noted that their families do not have official holidays for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The confrontations raises the question of why public schools should create religious holidays as opposed to giving students excused absences for such holidays, which New Jersey does.

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Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Media, Politics, Religion, Society

Le Pen To Stand Trial For “Inciting Racial Hatred” Due To Criticism of Muslims In France

Le_Pen,_Marine-9586Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right National Front, has been criminally charged with inciting racial hatred in the latest example of the rollback on basic free speech rights in France and other European nations. I have been a critic of the crackdown on free speech in France, including the hypocrisy of the government in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo massacre. In this case, Le Pen compared Muslim street prayers to a Nazi-like occupation, a statement that should be clearly protected as political speech in France. Instead, she will be pulled before a tribunal in another example of how free speech is being eviscerated by anti-discrimination and hate speech laws.

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Academia, Constitutional Law, Politics, Society

Muzzling Ole Mizzou: Missouri Law Professor Challenges Ban On Guns On Campus

University_of_Missouri_sealBarondes-RoyceUniversity of Missouri associate professor of law Royce de R. Barondes has placed himself at the forefront of the gun rights debate with a lawsuit challenging the ban on guns on campuses in the state. The lawsuit follows the gunning down of history professor Ethan Schmidt on the Delta State University campus. Schmidt was unarmed and Barondes does not intend to go so easily, it appears.

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Criminal law, International, Military

Bacha Bazi: U.S. Soldiers Told Not To Interfere With Afghan Officers Raping Boys At Base Out Of Respect For Cultural Practice

3251700552Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory T. Buckley, 21, of Oceanside, N.Y., died Aug. 10 in Garmsir, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force. There is an incredibly disturbing story in the New York Times this week where soldiers have reported being told by American officials to ignore the rape and abuse of Afghan boys at a base by Afghan officers so not to interfere with a cultural practice. The boys were brought to the base to be raped as part of what Afghans call bacha bazi, literally “boy play.” Lance Cpl. Gregory Buckley Jr. told his father that he would lay on his bunk at night and listen to the screaming of the boys as they were sexually abused by Afghan officers. Buckley went to his superiors and was allegedly told not to interfere. Buckley was later shot to death by an Afghan policeman at the base in 2012.

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Bizarre, International, Politics, Science, Society

CEO Buys Rights To AIDS Medication And Immediately Jacks Up Price From $13.50 to $750 . . . Then Calls Reporter A “Moron” For Asking Why

CMN7JlVUYAAzwS5Turing chief executive Martin Shkreli (shown here) has become an overnight villain after public interest organizations raised alarm over his company buying a long-used medicine, Daraprim, in the treatment of AIDS and immediately raised the price of $13.50 a pill to $750 a pill. When a reporter asked him to explain the increase for a drug that has been on the market for 62 years, Shkreli called him a “moron” and refused to answer the question. The company has now become a target in the presidential election as an example of how companies are still profiteering on these drugs.

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