Practicing lawyer and University Bookman editor Gerald Russello has a perceptive (and favorable) review (PDF) of my book Schools for Misrule in Academic Questions, the journal of the National Association of Scholars. More here.
Further update roundup
- More on prosecution of “jury nullification” activist Julian Heicklen [Brian Doherty, Tim Lynch/Cato, earlier]
- Age-bias litigant who complained about 88 year old judge is reassigned same judge [NYDN via Ellie K., earlier]
- Court certifies Nutella class action [Russell Jackson, earlier here and here]
- D.C. agency dismisses Banzhaf’s complaint about single-sex dorms at Catholic U. [Caron, earlier]
- After SCOTUS decision in Brown v. Plata, L.A. faces possible release of thousands of inmates [PoL, earlier here, here and here, Federalist Society panel]
- Cautionary tale of star attorney Stanley Chesley [Corporate Counsel] Ken Feinberg, Harvey Pitt back off expert avowals in Chesley cases [Robert Ambrogi] Judge Bamberger disbarred in Kentucky fen-phen scandal [ABA Journal]
- Texas doctor will surrender license in case where nurses faced false criminal charges [PoL, earlier]
- Mistrial in case of New Jersey lawyer Paul Bergrin [Star-Ledger, earlier]
Baroque performers glum as Europe bans gut strings
Violin and cello strings made of animal intestine might transmit Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, if you ate enough of them. [Telegraph via Tim Cavanaugh, Reason]
Red Cross considers crackdown on videogame “war crimes”
Next up, regicide on the chessboard? “One of the world’s largest and most respected humanitarian groups … is investigating whether the Geneva and Hague conventions should be applied to the fictional recreation of war in video games.” [Kotaku]
Medical roundup
- Talking back to the “malpractice litigation is no big deal, docs should grin and bear it” theorists [David Sack, ACP via White Coat] “Worst states for medical malpractice risk” [White Coat]
- Jury awards $25 million against hospital that didn’t file abuse report after boy came in with broken wrist [Fayetteville, N.C. Observer]
- “Doctors Question Disability Decisions as Agency Moves to Speed Up Process” [WSJ via Walter Russell Mead]
- New “Federalist Society equivalents” in medicine (Benjamin Rush Society), business, foreign affairs [John J. Miller, Philanthropy]
- Fieger wins $144 million verdict blaming hospital for newborn’s cerebral palsy [suburban Detroit Tribune]
- Feds force birth control coverage on Catholic organizations, and free association suffers [Roger Pilon, Cato]
- Phone call from doc to patient’s home did not establish subsequent jurisdiction to sue there [Madison County Record] NY steps up program to streamline courts’ handling of med-mal claims [WSJ]
Montana: “Bicyclist Gets Nearly $100G After Fall on Icy Trail”
“The president of the Florence Park District says he’s disappointed in a system that allows a man riding a motorized bicycle on a winter night on a trail that doesn’t allow motorized vehicles to receive an insurance settlement. Half of the settlement came from a Florence bar because snow was pushed onto the trail when the bar parking lot was plowed.” [AP]
“Chick-fil-A Is Worried You Can’t Tell Kale From ‘Chikin'”
The slogan “Eat More Kale” gets a Vermont t-shirt silk-screener in trouble with the fast-food chain. [Gothamist]
Risks of trying to be safe dept.
“Alarm fatigue” is said to be a growing peril in hospitals as “nurses become so desensitized to the constant beeping that they don’t hear or ignore important warnings that a patient’s condition might be worsening.” [Liz Kowalczyk, Boston Globe]
Trying cases in the press
Yes, media coverage does affect the outcome of court cases, and here are some of the ways [Andrew Trask]
Synagogue youth workers wage-hour suit
“A youth group adviser from California has brought a class-action suit against her employer, the Orthodox Union. …Her complaint states that in addition to her ‘nine-to-five’ duties of teaching classes, meeting with students and co-workers, cooking for holiday meals and running programs, she also had students at her house on Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays. She had to make herself constantly available to students and their parents by phone and e-mail, and she worked around the clock while chaperoning Shabbatons and trips.” Overtime was not paid for these duties as legally required, her lawyer says. [JTA via Helfand/Prawfs; related on scope of “ministerial exception” in employment law]