Batman, in the form of his lesser known alter-ego Mark Wayne Williams, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to a charge of resisting and obstructing police. No one doubts that Williams was attempting to emulate the caped crusader, but that isn’t necessarily an excuse for his behavior. But many things Batman did were against the law but he had the good sense to keep his identity secret and not interfere with police....
It’s a startling statistic. In America, every seven minutes, a child is bullied. In 4 percent of the cases, parents intervene; children intervene 11 percent. It’s a heartbreaking reality that 85 percent of the time, no one is there to help the victims. In a recently published study on school bullying conducted by Wallethub, Missouri ranked third in the nation for states with the most prevalent bullying. Missouri has been working hard to fix this problem, especially since Megan Meier’s death in 2006 after being cyberbullied by fellow students and their parents....
The Transportation Security Administration’s “nude” body scanners aren’t facing much resistance from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. It’s been exactly one year since the D.C. Circuit told TSA to act promptly and hold public hearings on the nude body scanners, reports Wired. But after one year, there have been no public hearings and no regulations adopted on the use of the scanners. If you’ve traveled recently, you might have seen one of these contraptions....
“[She is] attracted to women. OK? She has the motive. I’m not saying that everyone who’s attracted to women is going to attack children or going to molest children, but we know that she is attracted to females, and [the victim] is a female child.” That, folks, is an improper argument: sexual orientation as motive for molesting a child. And when the defendant’s counsel pointed out the impropriety of the argument in his own closing, and argued that the prosecutor showed them the booking photo of the accused to further that argument, the prosecutor doubled down:...
A few days ago, the topic of the day in the legal world was Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s comments about gay marriage and the Sixth Circuit: If they create a circuit split, it ups the urgency for the Supreme Court to take on the issue. While others were debating the importance and propriety of her comments, I was debating something else: her glasses. Did anyone else notice the debut of Justice Ruth Bader Hipster, whose new thick, black glasses scream: “Straight Outta Brooklyn”?...
There’s a new law firm vacancy in San Francisco. Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, a top New York City-based law firm, is closing its San Francisco office and moving its attorneys and staff to Silicon Valley. Skadden will concentrate its attorneys in its Palo Alto office. All four partners from the SF office have confirmed the move but of the seventeen associates, some are still undecided as to whether they will relocate, Above the Law reports....
The NFL and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones were in court on Thursday, requesting that a judge dismiss the Super Bowl seating lawsuit that seeks damages for ticket-holding football fans left seatless on game day. While the NFL and Cowboys have technically offered to reimburse displaced fans, their argument that these measures go “beyond [their] contractual obligations” falls short. They’re called reliance damages. The Super Bowl seating lawsuit, filed in February, was brought by a group of about 3,200 fans who were moved to new seats or forced to watch the game on a video screen after temporary seats at Cowboys Stadium were left uninstalled, reports The Kansas City Star....
How better to mark the dog days of summer than with a look back at nitwits and ne’er-do-wells whose actions landed them in the dog house? A mid-year roundup of our most popular Legally Weird blog posts so far in 2012 includes fraternity brothers, ghosts, suspected drug use, and the need to relieve oneself. In short, something for everyone. Here, in reverse order, are our Top 5 stories so far this year:...
There’s no question that when it comes to winning titles, the United States women’s national soccer team is more successful than their male counterparts: three World Cup trophies, four Olympic gold medals, and one more CONCACAF Gold Cup title than the dudes. (The men’s team did win a thing called the Marlboro Cup back in ‘89, so they’ve got that at least.) So it’s no surprise that members of the USWNT feel like they should get paid like members of the USMNT, or at least not only one tenth of what members of the USMNT are getting paid....
They are world famous, those New York bagels, and for good reason. No one else seems to be able to quite duplicate that chewy interior lovingly encased in a substantially crispy shell. Now the world capital of bagels will be famous for one more thing linked to its greatest all-time nosh: the sliced bagel tax. That is correct, the Empire State is levying a tax on sliced bagels, cream cheesed bagels and even whole bagels, under certain circumstances....
The last episode of AMC’s “Mad Men"aired this weekend, bringing to a close the critically acclaimed, booze-soaked series. While the show focused on the advertising industry in the 1960’s, there’s plenty that lawyers can learn from the chain-smoking, heavy-drinking characters. Besides the best way to mix a cocktail before lunch, or why you shouldn’t smoke a pack a day, here’s five important lessons lawyers can take from “Mad Men:” 1. It’s Not the 60’s Anymore “Mad Men’s” first episode opened in 1960; it’s last was set ten years later....
There’s no doubt that the legal job market is already saturated with experienced lawyers seeking jobs. For new law grads, this means that the competition for the jobs out there is rather fierce, especially for the “good jobs.” According to a recent survey detailed in the ABA Journal, when it comes to those “good jobs,” less than half of recent law grads were able to get one right after graduation. Notably, the survey explained that over a quarter of recent law grads have to spend over a year to get a “good job....
We all dream about keeping the coolest animals as pets. I mean, how awesome would it be to come home to a Quokka to share a good laugh? Some people go for it. They live out their wild animal dreams and befriend the exotic animal kingdom. Sadly, the fantasy rarely plays out according to plan and unlikely friends quickly turn into unlikely criminals. Here are five pets that are (unfortunately) illegal to own in most states, with some exceptions:...
Before law school, you had hobbies. Writing for fun. Remember those college papers you wrote on Theroux back when you were wide-eyed and idealistic, wielding a pen in a clenched fist? Don’t look at them. They will make you sad. During law school, your clenched fist traded in the pen for a PBR. You’re not a scribe, you’re a fish. You should feel comforted by the fact that even if you did have the energy to write for fun, it would probably be verbose garbage that Bryan Garner would mock....
Some conventions die hard, like law school admission exams. The American Bar Association was considering whether to kill off the requirement, but then pulled the proposal off the table. A group of young lawyers said maybe it’s not such a good idea. After all, they said, admissions tests will let prospective students know if they have a chance at becoming a lawyer. May as well destroy their dreams early, right?...
To do, or not to do, that is the question. The Supreme Court of California had to determine the correct standard a defendant had to meet in establishing prejudice, where he was not advised that his plea would affect his immigration status. While the lower courts looked at whether the defendant’s decision would have led to a more favorable result, the Supreme Court held that the determining factor is not what the result would have been, but what the defendant would have done, if properly advised....
The Boston Celtics’ Jared Sullinger faces serious charges following his girlfriend’s allegations of domestic violence. Sullinger, 21, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to the charges, which include assault, battery, and intimidation of a witness. According to the police, reports ESPN, officers showed up at Sullinger’s residence on Saturday evening after his girlfriend, Deann Smith, had called. She claims that, earlier that day, Sullinger had assaulted her, pinning her down onto the bed and not letting her get up....
Kickers and punters tend to be weird dudes. Punter Pat McAfee of the Indianapolis Colts demonstrated that he is no exception to that rule. McAfee decided that since his team was on its bye week, it was time to let off a little steam. “Bye week bye week bye week. Time to get some ish done. Happy Tuesday Party people, I hope you’re all kickin’ todays ass,” McAfee posted to Twitter that evening....
Most people employ creative excuses to avoid jury duty. Peter Atherton has spent eight years arguing that he was improperly removed from a grand jury. In 2009, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that the officials who removed Atherton were not entitled to absolute immunity for their decision. Now, the appellate court is reviewing the case once more to decide if the officials should receive qualified immunity. On April 9, 2001, Peter James Atherton was sworn in as a District of Columbia Superior Court grand juror....
While the Supreme Court gets ready for a redistricting battle, Texas-style, this week, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is gearing up for its own closely-watched set of Voting Rights Act cases in the next two months. Lawsuits from both Alabama and North Carolina aimed at striking down the Act’s Section 5 preclearance requirement have made their way to the D.C. Circuit, and hearings have been scheduled in January and February respectively....
