Overlawyered » Washington D.C.

January 16 roundup

Walter Olson — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:42:18 +0000

Per Chevron, Kerry Kennedy getting undisclosed percentage of the take, potentially in millions, to side with plaintiffs in Ecuador suit [NY Post] Long New Yorker take-out on case [Patrick Radden Keefe]
Freetail Brewing fields a nastygram: “How to Comply With a Cease-and-Desist Letter But Still Win” [Lowering the Bar]
I.e. boycotts illegal? Odd Minnesota law bans economic “reprisals” based on “political activity.” [Volokh]
“Chris McGrath v. Vaughan Jones: An Unpleasant Peek Into U.K. Libel Law” [Popehat; suit over science-and-theology book review] Related: “You Can’t Read This Book: why libel tourists love London” [Nick Cohen, Guardian, on his new book]
Business experience isn’t be-all or end-all for presidential qualifications, but might avert some policy howlers [Kling]
“Arbitration Is Here to Stay and One Lawyer Says That Is Good for Consumers” [Alan Kaplinsky interview, Mickey Meese/Forbes, PoL]
Off-topic random thought: “Iranian nuclear scientist who moonlights in Broadway Spider-Man cast” must be world’s most uninsurable job description;
“D.C. Lawmakers Propose Requiring Students to Apply to College” [Fox]

Tags: arbitration, beer and brewers, Chevron, Minnesota, nastygrams, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., schools, United Kingdom, Washington D.C.

Privatizing retail permitting

Walter Olson — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:45:34 +0000

The Washington Post offers an editorial caution to lawmakers in Montgomery County, the famously liberal slice of Maryland suburbia:

A bill before the Montgomery County Council would force big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Target to negotiate with neighborhood groups as a condition for getting their new stores approved. This is such a spectacularly bad idea, on so many levels, that it’s hard to imagine how it came to be taken seriously in the first place.

By contrast, the nearby District of Columbia, often seen as a challenging place to do business, seems to be making its peace with Wal-Mart, which has announced plans to open six new stores there.

Tags: land use and zoning, Maryland, Wal-Mart, Washington D.C.

“No Muslim student at Catholic University has registered a complaint…”

Walter Olson — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:14:19 +0000

While a publicity-seeking lawprof has been stirring the pot, it’s by no means clear that any actual Catholic U. students consider it intolerably irksome to pray in a room with a cross. [PJ Media "Tatler", earlier]

Tags: colleges and universities, religious discrimination, Washington D.C.

Lawprof: D.C.’s 1:12 lawyer-resident ratio “not nearly enough”

Walter Olson — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:15:33 +0000

One in twelve residents of the District of Columbia is an attorney, but if you think that seems ample, there are those who disagree:

“It sounds like a lot of lawyers, but it’s not nearly enough,” said Matthew Fraidin, a law professor at the University of the District of Columbia. “There are just an immense number of people who go unrepresented every year. The need for legal service attorneys has increased and the funding for them has decreased.”

I’m quoted in the piece too. [Brian Hughes, Washington Examiner]

Tags: law schools, lawyers, Washington D.C.

July 12 roundup

Walter Olson — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:42:47 +0000

Not for first time, Dahlia Lithwick misrepresents Wal-Mart case [Ponnuru, Whelan, earlier here and here]
Merciful gods, please spare us ghastly “Caylee’s Law” proposal [Josh Blackman, Reuters, Greenfield, Frank] More on constitutional flaws [Robson, Tribe]
Mark Perry on efforts to replace the relatively open-entry Washington, D.C. taxi system with NYC-style cartelization via medallion;
“Wrongful Convictions: How many innocent Americans are behind bars?” [Balko]
“Persaud identified himself as a juror, offering to fix the verdict for a fee.” [CBS NY; Long Island med-mal case]
“Is the Common Law the Solution to Pollution?” [Jonathan Adler, PERC]
“Rice Krispies class action settlement” [Ted Frank]

Tags: class action settlements, Dahlia Lithwick, environment, juries, prosecution, Wal-Mart v. Dukes, Washington D.C.

June 24 roundup

Walter Olson — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 05:04:47 +0000

“Law Prof Threatens Suit over University’s Plan to Reinstitute Single-Sex Dorms” [ABA Journal, WSJ Law Blog; John Banzhaf vs. Catholic U. in Washington, D.C.]
Mississippi: Dickie Scruggs files motion to vacate conviction in Scruggs II (DeLaughter case) [Freeland, YallPolitics] Before defending Paul Minor’s conduct in cash-for-judges scandal, review the evidence [Lange, YallPolitics and more]
Woman who filmed cop from own yard charged with obstructing his administration of governmen [BoingBoing]
East St. Louis, Ill. jury awards $95 million in sexual harassment, assault case against Aaron’s rental chain [ABA Journal]
Connecticut unions demand investigation of conservative Yankee Institute think tank [Public Sector Inc.]
“Court Upends $1.75M Award, Finding Plaintiff Lawyer’s Remarks Prejudicial” [NJLJ]
Hold it! San Francisco debates bathroom rights for schoolkids [C.W. Nevius, SF Chronicle]

Tags: colleges and universities, Connecticut, Dickie Scruggs, Paul Minor, San Francisco, Washington D.C.

Turning down the school lunch

Walter Olson — Fri, 27 May 2011 20:06:11 +0000

My new post at Cato at Liberty explains how raw green onion came to be served as the “snack” in a Washington, D.C. public school, and why one smart suburban district decided to pull out of the federal school lunch program entirely.

Tags: Connecticut, eat drink and be merry, schools, Washington D.C.

Want to open a store? We choose your locations

Walter Olson — Wed, 25 May 2011 13:54:10 +0000

“D.C. Mayor Vincent D. Gray delivered an ultimatum in a face-to-face meeting with Wal-Mart officials at a real estate convention Monday: If the chain wants to enter the District at all, it had better commit to opening at Skyland Shopping Center, the long-delayed redevelopment project in Gray’s home ward…. Gray indicated he would be willing to go so far as to nix the company’s requests for building permits on privately owned sites, even for neighborhoods where residents favored Wal-Mart’s opening.” [Washington Post, earlier]

Tags: land use and zoning, Wal-Mart, Washington D.C.

Sues school over wife’s affair with counselor

Walter Olson — Tue, 17 May 2011 05:10:54 +0000

The spurned husband is demanding $10 million on behalf of his daughter; the case is attracting some media attention because its target is the Sidwell Friends School, known for educating many in Washington, D.C.’s elite. [ABC News]

Tags: schools, Washington D.C.

Activists’ demands of Wal-Mart in D.C.

Walter Olson — Tue, 03 May 2011 17:22:36 +0000

Washington Business Journal brings word of the list of demands by a “community group” to drop its opposition to the opening of Wal-Mart stores in Washington, D.C. Given such a welcoming attitude, isn’t it strange that so many major retailers have opened stores in suburban Maryland and Virginia, but not in the District?

Tags: Wal-Mart, Washington D.C.

Overlawyered » Washington D.C.

January 16 roundup

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