Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Overlawyered

November 18th, 2008 at 11:15 am

November 18 roundup

  • Harvard’s Charles Nesson argues that Digital Theft Deterrence and Copyright Damages Improvement Act of 1999 violates Constitution by letting civil lawyers for RIAA enforce a criminal law [AP/MSNBC, Elefant]
  • In some circles, bitter disappointment at reports that Obama camp probably won’t pursue Bush predecessors as war criminals [Paul Campos, Horton/Harper's; earlier]
  • Latest on wrangle over “exorbitant” fee: Alice Lawrence’s deposition-skipping before her death could endanger her estate’s claim against Graubard Miller law firm [NYLJ, earlier]
  • One benefit of role as law school mega-donor, as Mark Lanier is with Texas Tech, is that you get to rub (hunting-jacket) elbows with visiting Supreme Court justices [WSJ law blog]
  • Lou Dobbs and Phyllis Schlafly were among those who pushed bizarre theory of secret conspiracy to merge U.S. into “North American Union” with Canada and Mexico [John Hawkins]
  • Senate Dems plan to abolish secret ballot for installing unions in everyone else’s workplace, so how come they insist on one for themselves in deciding how to handle Joe Lieberman? [Dan Riehl via McArdle]
  • Congrats to historian Rick Brookhiser and City Journal editor Myron Magnet, among recipients of 2008 National Humanities Medal [White House release, Brian Anderson, NRO]
  • Jarek Molski, California entrepreneur of disabled-access complaints, loses bid for Supreme Court review of his designation as vexatious litigant [AP, Bashman]

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November 3rd, 2008 at 2:25 pm

New at Point of Law

If you’re not visiting my other site — or subscribing to it in your RSS reader, or following its Twitter feed — here’s some of what you may have missed lately:


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October 22nd, 2008 at 11:59 pm

Microblog 2008-10-22

  • McCain hoist on his own campaign regulation petard [WSJ edit] #
  • Conservatives should hold a retreat to talk about why they’re being sent to the wilderness [Friedersdorf/Culture11] #
  • Disability activism and “anti-national sexual positions”: just another day in postmodern academia [Massie] #
  • Unionism on steroids: Employee Free Choice Act would be Thatcherism in reverse [Claire Berlinski, City Journal] #
  • Here’s a twist: a politician walking over his ambition to reach his grandmother #

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May 7th, 2008 at 1:21 am

Johnny Sac on Card Check

» by Ted Frank

Via Kaus, I’m pleased to see someone making this issue crystal-clear:

Earlier on POL: Jan. 24; Jun. 21; Feb. 2, 2007.


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January 30th, 2008 at 4:28 pm

January 30 roundup


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March 1st, 2007 at 11:26 am

“Card check” unionization

I’ve been discussing this very bad bill (fraudulently labeled the “Employee Free Choice Act”) at Point of Law here, here, and here. The Wall Street Journal editorializes against it today (”Walter Reuther’s Ghost”, Mar. 1) as does the Los Angeles Times (”Keep Union Ballots Secret”, Mar. 1). More: National Review, Investor’s Business Daily.


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March 16th, 2006 at 7:52 am

Tactical use of workplace lawsuits

Don’t cooperate with us on one issue, and we’ll arrange for you to get sued on other issues:

More often, unions undertake confrontational campaigns to squeeze employers to agree to card checks [i.e., recognizing the union as sole bargaining representative of workers on the basis of majority sign-up, rather than a representation election]. To pressure Cintas, the giant uniform and laundry company, Unite Here has encouraged workers to bring lawsuits alleging pay violations and racial and sexual discrimination. Cintas has not given in, insisting that secret-ballot elections are fairer.

(Steven Greenhouse, “Employers Sharply Criticize Shift in Unionizing Method to Cards From Elections”, New York Times, Mar. 11).


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