I was a guest this morning of the Texas-based radio broadcaster, discussing my recent City Journal article on supposed “criminal incitement” via campaign speech, as well as the danger of a straitjacket for broadcast opinion in the form of a revived Fairness Doctrine.
Archive for 2008
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Guestbloggers are welcome through the year at Overlawyered, but especially next week, when I’ll be trying to wrap up a big deadline. Drop me a line at editor – at – thisdomainname.com.
“Tunneling boy’s mother sues utility”
“A Canadian woman whose 9-year-old son tunneled [under a fence] into an electric sub-station and was badly burned is suing a Manitoba power utility for negligence.” (UPI, Oct. 22).
Henry Blodget on damaging emails
When Congressional investigators come calling, or hostile lawyers begin trawling in electronic discovery, guilty and not-so-guilty alike can be caught in the net:
It’s the folks who are just chattering and venting to colleagues about normal business tensions who are most at risk. The computer doesn’t capture the wink or head nod. It doesn’t say “this is my first reaction…when I have considered everything in detail, I’ll give you my final opinion.” Etc.
(h/t Pete Warden, from whom more).
Why stores have surveillance cameras
It only takes a couple of incidents like these for the system to pay for itself, and that’s aside from the anti-shoplifting benefits.
French president: I’ll sue voodoo-doll maker
The company offers a doll for sale resembling President Nicolas Sarkozy (as well as one of his rival, Socialist Segolene Royal). “The doll bears a number of colorful quotes from the outspoken statesman (such as ‘Get lost, you pathetic ______,’ which he allegedly said last year to someone who refused to shake his hand) and comes with a manual telling buyers to stick pins in the quotes.” The nastygram from Sarkozy’s lawyer says the maker must recall the 20,000 dolls or it will infringe on Sarkozy’s “exclusive and absolute rights over his own image”. (Lowering the Bar, Oct. 22; BBC).
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 #
Roy Pearson presses pants suit
After losing below, he’s now hauled the dry cleaning Chung family before an appeals court in his seemingly never-ending litigation over the pair of lost pants he said should be worth $54 million (WSJ law blog, Oct. 22).
Judge Joyce’s insurance-fraud trial begins
A year ago we reported on the indictment of Erie, Pa.-based state appellate judge Michael T. Joyce, whose $440,000 settlement after a rear-ending of his Mercedes-Benz was premised on his having suffered physically disabling injuries, but who in fact was found to have engaged in scuba diving and golf, among other pastimes, during the period in question. According to the indictment, the judge used the proceeds to buy a Harley-Davidson and a share in a Cessna, as well as for other purposes. Today his trial is set to begin. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Tribune-Review, Erie Times-News via Bashman).
October 22 roundup
- Bulgarians employ “decoy lawyers” to get around corruption in official bureaus [Cowen, MargRev]
- Forum-shopping vol. MMMCCXII: Taiwan company claims Apple broke California unfair-practices law so of course it sues in Texarkana [AppleInsider]
- “U.S. produces far too many lawyers for society to absorb” and one reason is that law schools want warm seats on chairs [Greenfield]
- Second Circuit: lawyers can’t buy their way out of sanctions for filing meritless lawsuit [Krauss, PoL]
- Some reasons furor over free speech in Canada is relevant this side of the border [Bernstein @ Volokh]
- We’re quoted on the subject of those websites that offer “point-and-click access to trial lawyers” [Business First of Columbus]
- Tight lid kept on study of disposable diapers’ environmental impact since findings were … inconvenient [Times Online (U.K.) via Stuttaford]
- Judge backs Kentucky’s bid to seize domains of online gambling sites, implications for everyone else [Balko, “Hit and Run”; earlier here and here]