Overlawyered » Phoenix

January 5 roundup

Walter Olson — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:57:22 +0000

Big business vs. free markets again: light bulb makers “fuming” over GOP effort to restore consumer choice [Sullum] Large grocery chains like DC’s bag tax [Tim Carney]
Eeeuw! Bystander can sue train fatality victim whose body part flew through air and hit her [Chicago Tribune]
“Recommended Cell-Phone Ban Comes as ‘Shocking,’ ‘Heavy-Handed’ To Some” [Josh Long, V2M]
“Exploding churros are newspaper’s fault, Chilean court rules” [AP]
In New Jersey and North Carolina, GOP friends of trial bar block legal reform bills [Armstrong Williams, Washington Times]
Kozinski vs. ill-prepared lawyer in case of Sheriff Arpaio vs. newspaper that covered him [The Recorder; Phoenix New Times case]
Federal judges block cuts to in-home personal care services in California, Washington [Disability Law, San Francisco Chronicle, KQED]

Tags: Alex Kozinski, cellphones, disabled rights, New Jersey, North Carolina, Phoenix, small business, wayward Republicans

Fall speaking (and your chance to book): Chicago, S.C., Denver…

Walter Olson — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:02:50 +0000

I’m currently planning speaking trips that will take me to Chicago Nov. 7-8, Greenville, S.C. Dec. 7, Denver Dec. 13, and possibly Phoenix Dec. 1. If you’ve got a speaker’s series or organization that’s in one of these places or an easy travel jump away, consider saving on travel expenses by booking me for a talk around these dates. You can contact me directly at editor – [at] – overlawyered – dot – com or Diane Morris at the Cato Institute: dmorris – [at] – cato – dot – org.

Tags: Chicago, Denver, live in person, Phoenix, South Carolina

September 21 roundup

Walter Olson — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 05:39:25 +0000

Free-Range Kids highlight roundup: Tenn. mom faces child neglect charges if she lets her 5th grader ride bike to school (more); “An Alert for an 11-y.o. Missing for 2 Hours?“; “As recently as 1979, a first-grader could…”
Political crusades against chain stores are nothing new [Perry]
“Are You a Surgeon? Sorry, You’re Going to Face a Malpractice Claim By Age 65″ [WSJ Health Blog] Was patient an “obvious” stroke victim? [Duluth N-T via WhiteCoat] Malpractice risks with special needs patients [KevinMD]
Ethics trial begins for former Maricopa County attorney and Overlawyered favorite Andrew Thomas [ABA Journal]
Has defense lawyer in Connecticut home invasion case gone too far? [NYT]
“Reason.tv: Regulation and the Entrepreneur”
“A Decade After 9/11, Police Departments Are Increasingly Militarized” [Balko, Hinkle, more]

Tags: child protection, Connecticut, defense lawyers, disabled rights, medical malpractice, Phoenix, police

March 28 roundup

Walter Olson — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 05:34:14 +0000

Maricopa-cabana: Sheriff Arpaio uses tank (with Steven Seagal along) to raid cockfight suspect [KPHO, Coyote, Greenfield, Balko]
Malpractice reform in New York is about more than money (though it’s about that too) [Paul Rubin, TotM; NYDN]
EEOC initiative combats alleged employer bias against unemployed job applicants [Bales/Workplace Prof, Hyman]
After court rejection of Google Books settlement, where next? [Timothy Lee/ArsTechnica, David Post]
When your lawyerly conduct has been eviscerated by Judge Easterbrook, you know it [Above the Law]
Ninth Circuit rules on legality of keyword advertising using other firms’ trademarks [Coleman]
Election showdown over future of Wisconsin Supreme Court [PoL, more, Esenberg, Althouse]
Legal battle follows NYC’s attempted application of sidewalk bicycle ban to unicyclist [AP]

Tags: advertising, copyright, EEOC, Frank Easterbrook, Google, medical malpractice, New York, NYC, Phoenix, Wisconsin

December 7 roundup

Walter Olson — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 19:15:53 +0000

Defendant “was sentenced to two consecutive sentences of death.” Come again? [Volokh]
Supreme Court agrees to hear global-warming-as-nuisance case [Ilya Shapiro/Cato at Liberty, Jonathan Adler and more]
Supreme Court agrees to review Wal-Mart employment case, could be Court’s biggest statement on class action issues in years [Beck, Schwartz, Ted at PoL]
Investigator recommends disbarment of controversial former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas [Arizona Republic, earlier]
Vessel-hull section of copyright law could give Sen. Schumer vehicle for controversial bill to accord IP protection to fashion design [WSJ Law Blog, Coleman, earlier here, here, etc.]
Federal regulators propose requiring backup cameras in new cars [Bloomberg via Alkon]
“Why Rosetta Stone’s Attack on Google’s Keyword Advertising Program Should Be Rejected” [Paul Alan Levy, CL&P]
“Lawyer Got Secretary to Take His CLE Courses, Disciplinary Complaint Contends” [ABA Journal, Illinois]

Tags: climate change, copyright, global warming, Google, Phoenix, Supreme Court, trademarks, Wal-Mart v. Dukes

October 23 roundup

Walter Olson — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 13:01:59 +0000

Suffolk County, New York’s new animal abuse registry [Scott Greenfield and more vs. Elie Mystal]
Examining Dems’ “flood of outside campaign money” claims [Baseball Crank, Sullum]
“Reverse bill stuffer” turns tables on firms’ efforts to amend fine print [David Horton, Prawfs]
Occupational licensure and economic sclerosis in Greece [NYT]
Phoenix cops’ unsettling evidence-plant “joke” [Coyote]
Legal Left trying to set up argument for Thomas recusal on Obamacare challenge? [Steele, LEF]
“How Fannie and Freddie Became a $363 Billion Liability” [John Hudson, Atlantic Wire]
“Lawsuit of the Day: Kid Injured by ‘Deleterious’ Hot Sauce” [Legal Blog Watch]

Tags: animal rights, campaign regulation, food safety, Long Island, mortgages, Phoenix, recusals

Probate poser in Arizona

Walter Olson — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:20:15 +0000

Marie Long, now 88, was “worth $1.3 million when she [suffered a stroke and] came under the protection of Maricopa County’s probate court in 2005. Today, she’s destitute and depends on taxpayers for support.” Where’d the money go? [Laurie Roberts, Arizona Republic and more via ABA Journal] But see: A different view of the affair [Phoenix New Times via ABA Journal]

Tags: Arizona, Phoenix, wills and trusts

January 22 roundup

Walter Olson — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:27:16 +0000

Early reactions to Supreme Court’s blockbuster Citizens United ruling striking down ban on independent election advocacy [Point of Law, more, yet more]
Vision Media Television Group continues its legal push against online critics, Section 230 or no [Consumer Law & Policy, earlier]
Big FBI sting operation could leave firearms business “wounded”, some say [Point of Law]
Runaway’s suit against McKeesport, Pa. school district dismissed on statute of limitations grounds [AP/Law.com]
“Sandra Day O’Connor Backs Campaign to End Judicial Elections” [Schwartz, NY Times, my two cents]
“Sheriff Joe’s Enabler” [Radley Balko on Maricopa County D.A. Andrew Peyton Thomas; earlier here, here, etc.]
Why some D.C. lawyers make so much money year in, year out [Hill & Lat, Washingtonian, quotes Ted; Ribstein and more]
“Hampshire woman jailed for false rape claim” [BBC]
P.S. At this point, politically, Dems almost have to pass something labeled health care reform whether or not the resulting legislation makes any sense [my comment in National Journal blogger's poll, more]

Tags: campaign regulation, free speech, guns, judicial elections, online speech, Phoenix, Sandra Day O'Connor

January 18 roundup

Walter Olson — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:51:53 +0000

Already-infamous Coakley-for-Senate rape-ad mailer: did they really line up all those photo permissions? [Lopez, NRO] Earlier on photo-permissions legal exposures here, here, here, here, here, here, here, etc.
“Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Peyton Thomas: Blame the Libertarians!” [Balko, earlier]
Georgetown lawprof Robin West takes such a rude tone with homeschoolers, it’s enough to make you wonder who brought her up [Common Room, Izzy Lyman/Big Journalism, "The Harms of Homeschooling" (PDF)] Parents charged with child endangerment for homeschooling their kids without submitting lesson plans [Albany Times-Union]
Videogames and the ADA: “Sony Launches Defense to Gamer’s Equal Access Suit” [OnPoint News, earlier]
Regulations may spell end for independent New England fishermen [AP/MSNBC, earlier]
Veteran California pol Willie Brown criticizes civil service entrenchment [Kaus] Government employment has its privileges [Stuart Greenhut, Reason]
New Jersey appeals court reverses $260K award over student’s fatal window fall at Fairleigh Dickinson U. [Star-Ledger]
Georgia federal judge orders plaintiff to pay $268K costs of discovery for stretching patent claims [Fulton County Daily Report]

Tags: art and artists, civil service, colleges and universities, disabled rights, discovery, loser pays, Massachusetts, patent litigation, Phoenix, schools, videogames, web accessibility

January 8 roundup

Walter Olson — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:19:54 +0000

Pa. cash-for-kids judge allegedly came up with number of months for length of sentence based on how many birds could be seen out his office window [Legal Ethics Forum, with notes on ornithomancy or bird divination through history]; “The Pa. Judicial Scandal: A Closer Look at the Victims” [WSJ Law Blog on Philadelphia Inquirer report]; feds charge third county judge with fraud [Legal Intelligencer, more]; state high court overturns convictions of 6,500 kids who appeared before Ciavarella and Conahan [Greenfield]; judge orders new trial in Ciavarella’s eyebrow-raising $3.5 million defamation verdict against Citizens’ Voice newspaper in Wilkes-Barre; some web resources on scandal [Sullum, scroll to end]
Says drinking was part of her job: “Stripper’s DUI Case Survives Club’s Latest Attack” [OnPoint News, earlier]
Hundreds of lawyers rally to protest Sheriff Arpaio, DA Thomas [Coyote, Greenfield, ABA Journal, Mark Bennett interview with Phoenix attorney Jim Belanger, earlier here, here, and here]. In deposition, Arpaio says he hasn’t read book he co-authored in 2008 on immigration [Balko, Coyote] And as I mentioned a while back, Maricopa D.A. Andrew Thomas turns out to be the very same person as the Andrew Peyton Thomas toward whom I was uncharitable in this Reason piece quite a while back.
Ted Roberts, of the famous sex-extortion case, begins serving five-year term [AP/Dallas News, KENS]
New Hampshire lawsuit over leak of documents to mortgage gadfly site raises First Amendment issues [Volokh, earlier here and here]
Did someone say paid witness? Judge tosses decade-old animal rights case vs. Ringling circus [Orlando Sentinel, Zincavage] Bonus: Ron Coleman, Likelihood of Confusion, on PETA and Michelle Obama;
How’d foreclosure tax get into Connecticut budget when both parties claimed to oppose it? [Ct. News Junkie]
Best-legal-blog picks of Ryan Perlin, who writes “Generation J.D.” for the Maryland Daily Record, include one that’s “humorous though sometimes disheartening”, while La Roxy at Daily Asker salutes a certain website as “Lurid, i.e. satisfying”. Thanks!

Tags: accolades, animal rights, Luzerne County judicial scandal, newspapers, online speech, Phoenix, Roberts sextortion, strippers and exotic dancers

Overlawyered » Phoenix

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