A nation laughs, even if many kids don’t. [CNN, earlier] More: “Why the government has no business banning Happy Meals” [Steve Chapman] “Banning Happy Meals Could Be Bad for Kids” [Atlantic Wire]
Archive for 2010
Great moments in judicial conduct
“Former justice Elizabeth Weaver, who retired this year after 16 years on the Michigan Supreme Court, evidently made secret recordings of internal court deliberations and has released transcripts of some of the meetings.” Most of Weaver’s former colleagues on the court have signed a letter condemning her resort to secret taping, saying they were unaware of it and would never have consented to it or to her revelation of court deliberations generally. Weaver came to the bench as a Republican but was long at odds with the other GOP members of the court. [WSJ Law Blog, Knake/Legal Ethics Blog]
Another “too-hot-looking” employment plaintiff
This one is suing a Florida nonprofit, and, like the Citibank employee in the last such controversy, is being represented by Overlawyered favorite Gloria Allred. [OnPoint News]
Back to the campus speech code wars?
According to FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, an “anti-bullying” bill lately introduced in Congress would alter the definition of harassment in such a way as to give university administrations a strong incentive to punish many forms of controversial student speech, and also press those administrations to monitor students’ use of Facebook and other social media in intrusive ways. I’ve got a new post at Cato at Liberty relaying some of the warnings (welcome Instapundit and Fark readers).
“R.I.P. Cabell County Swing Sets”
“Ye Gave Children Joy, And Exercise Too/It’s Too Bad Those Parents Decided To Sue.” An epitaph on a West Virginia county’s swing sets [KaBOOM.org]
“Rent Too High” candidate sues New York election board
“The founder of ‘The Rent is Too Damn High Party’ is outraged that in 2006, when he ran for governor, and three years later, when he ran for mayor, the board took the world ‘Damn’ off his ballot line.” Officials say it was a matter of lack of space; in the last election they were able to accommodate his imprecation in the ballot heading by shortening the party title to, “Rent is 2 Damn High Party.” He’s representing himself and wants $350 million. [New York Post]
“Niche Lawyers Spawned Housing Fracas”
November 23 roundup
- Growth of regulatory state makes lobbying more attractive path than innovation [Morris Panner, WaPo]
- Long-awaited Norma Zager book flays Erin Brockovich role in Beverly Hills High School controversy [CJAC]
- Colorado high court: no need to limit medical fee awards to sums plaintiffs actually paid [CCJL, Law Week Colorado]
- Please, law firm marketers, don’t assume we’re in need of your services [Popehat]
- Updates on prosecutorial silencing of pain treatment activist Siobhan Reynolds [Sullum, more, yet more, Balko]
- Comments of NTSB official notwithstanding, riding motorcycle without helmet is no “public health issue” [Boaz, Cato] Watch out for more paternalism premised on government health care expenditures [Coyote]
- No contracting out? Can California really be this screwed up? [Coyote]
- Claim: railroad should have warned against walking on the right-of-way [six years ago on Overlawyered]
Schools cancel shop classes to avoid liability risk
Thus bringing us closer to a society where few people grow up knowing how to operate tools and machinery. [John Ratzenberger, Washington Times] (& welcome Amy Alkon readers.)
Loco parentis: schools to send parents “your kid’s too fat” notes
Joining the obesity-as-public-health-issue crusade, Flagstaff, Arizona schools will begin weighing all students, after which they will send home warning notes to parents of kids who fail to conform to desired weight ranges. Apparently about half of students are expected to fall outside those ranges. [Arizona Daily Star, which likes the idea; Daily Caller]