Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) bids for laughingstock status [Adler, Root]
Michigan Supreme Court Justice Robert Young
One of the most highly regarded right-of-center state court jurists is up for re-election this year in my native state, and drawing some of the slimiest attacks from Democratic strategists. A sample: they’re hyping still photos of Young with his eyes closed on the bench, supposedly “sleeping,” when videotape context from moments before and after reveals the Justice to be simply blinking or glancing down. Instance #87,231, I’d say, of why it’s dubious to go to the mat in principle for the notion of selecting judges by partisan contested election. More: Tim Skubick/Oakland Press, The Blog Prof.
October 25 roundup
- And she’s a psychology professor too: “Pro se litigant of the day” [ATL]
- “Access to justice” makes handy slogan, but has its limits re: appeal bonds [Ted at PoL]
- New Federalist Society white papers on Michigan, Illinois, California and Alabama supreme courts;
- Per her opponent this year, CPSIA proponent and perennial Overlawyered bete noire Jan Schakowsky ranks as most left-wing member of Congress [ExtremeJan.com]
- Naming opportunity at Faulkner U.’s Jones School of Law falls to Greg Jones of Beasley Allen [BA press release]
- Lockyer pushes divestment of firms for taking wrong stance on ballot controversy [Coyote]
- “Patent marking” suits continue to proliferate as Reps. Latta, Issa propose measures to curb opportunistic filings [Gray on Claims]
- “South Carolina tobacco fees: how to farm money” [ten years ago on Overlawyered]
“I’ll Make Them Pay”
Apparently a Baton Rouge, La. lawyer was awarded a trademark for that phrase last year and is now suing being sued by a Cleveland lawyer who’s been using it in his ads for years. [Cleveland.com]
“D.A.R.E.: Ripping Families Apart Since 1983”
Children inform on their parents. [Radley Balko]
Chevron can depose opposing lawyer in Ecuador case
As evidence mounts of attorney misconduct in a high-profile environmental case, a judge grants the oil company an extraordinary request to put plaintiff’s counsel Steven Donziger under oath. [Roger Alford, Opinio Juris; earlier]
October 23 roundup
- 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]
Denounced anonymously for “seeking Christian roommate” request
A woman “posted an advertisement for a Christian roommate on her local church’s bulletin board.” Someone who saw it denounced her anonymously to the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan which proceeded to file a civil rights complaint against her to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. Nancy Haynes, executive director of the housing center, calls the woman’s notice “a clear violation on its face;” while the Fair Housing Act does not subject actual choice of roommates to penalties, it forbids advertisements expressing a preference.
The Fair Housing Center of West Michigan might ask for an initial reimbursement of $300 for time spent on the issue and training for the woman, in addition to pulling down the ad, Haynes said.
“Our interest really lies in her getting some training so that this doesn’t happen again,” she said.
Trial lawyers step up spending, stick with Dems
No, it’s not exactly going to shock anyone, it just confirms once again the ongoing role of the plaintiff’s bar as an “anchor tenant” in the organized party. [Ingram, NLJ]
U.K.: “Lawyers to be kept out of divorce battles”
“It is hoped that the new mediation stage will reduce legal aid costs by up to £100 million, while fewer expert witnesses would be required to testify before the courts. … Judges would also be able to advise parents early into legal proceedings what the likely outcome would be, in an effort to force through an agreement and avoid long and expensive cases. ” [Telegraph]