Thursday, October 31, 2013
FBI asks DOJ to investigate source of Calderon leak to Al JazeeraIt could be that I’m new to the journalism industry and only recently interested in its developments. But it seems to me as if journalism and law are converging like never before, and on an international stage. While Al Jazeera America …Thursday, October 31, 2013
States cite lack of federal progress in pursuit of privacy reformSpecial interest groups oppose federal privacy reform to prevent onerous new regulations. But this effort must, at some point, become counterproductive. A multitude of state-specific privacy frameworks that, by (federal) law, can’t …Monday, October 28, 2013
On being a female lawyerWorth a read whether you’re a male or a female. Hat-tip to Sheryl Axelrod, immediate past president of the Temple Law Alumni Association and a preeminent Philadelphia-area lawyer, for sharing this on LinkedIn. (Yes, I visit LinkedIn, even when not looking for jobs.)Sunday, October 27, 2013
Poetic copyright troll illustrates need for reformLinda Ellis, copyright troll: If protecting my rights in your eyes makes me a “troll,” then I’ll wear the badge proudly and keep fulfilling my role. Current law does allow hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages for sharing drivel like the …Sunday, October 13, 2013
Corporations Have Personhood. Why Not Dogs?What a good survey of animal law, where it came from, where it is and where it’s going. A pleasant surprise, as I usually write off Huffington Post pretty fast. The only people that argue against the treatment of dogs, and other animals, as more than …Friday, October 11, 2013
One Google, two different privacy rulingsStanford researcher Jonathan Mayer, in an email to the Wall Street Journal’s Elizabeth Dwoskin and Rolfe Winkler: Courts are doing pretzel twists to slot modern electronic privacy issues into antiquated statutory schemes. Congress badly needs to update the …Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Living man declared dead, too late to overturn ruling Hancock County Probate Court Judge Allan Davis, who declared Donald Eugene Miller Jr. dead in 1994, eight years after he vanished from his rental home in Arcadia, told Miller in court Monday the law only allows death rulings to be overturned …Tuesday, October 8, 2013
EFF’s Legal Guide for BloggersThis is useful. If you have delayed starting your own blog because you’re nervous about the legal issues, give this a read and reconsider.Thursday, September 26, 2013
Some oaths are apparently more oathy than othersThis is a great article, but this bit is particularly rich. Tyler Bass of Vice’s Motherboard reports the now well-known Petraeus affair with an elegant juxtaposition of facts: “Oaths do matter,” David H. Petraeus, then C.I.A. director, said at the …Friday, September 6, 2013
Michael Poulshock’s Hammurabi Project aims to make law and regulations accessible to the masses Terry Carter, writing at the ABA Journal: Poulshock, 38, is writing source code for each law, which can then be entered into computers and applied to fact patterns. (The project is open source, online at …Sunday, September 1, 2013
On Law, Policy, and (Not) Bombing SyriaIan Hurd, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University, writing at preeminent international law blog Opinio Juris: It is well known that the [U.N.] Charter forbids the use of force except as self-defense or as sanctioned by the UN …Sunday, August 11, 2013
US government recognizes League of Legends players as pro athletesThis is fascinating, especially with immigration such a hot topic recently.Saturday, August 10, 2013
Legislative failure to define essential terms The definition of terms essential to the application of a law is the most basic requirement for competent lawmaking. Sometimes one or more terms are appropriately defined in an open way, to provide flexibility in the application of a law. This is not one …Monday, August 5, 2013
U.S. directs agents to cover up program used to investigate AmericansJohn Shiffman and Kristina Cooke, reporting for Reuters Washington bureau: The undated documents show that federal agents are trained to “recreate” the investigative trail to effectively cover up where the information originated, …Monday, July 29, 2013
Twitter user arrested for threatening to rape and murder female activistI wrote recently about my disappointment with Twitter’s response to a woman deluged with rape threats. Today, David Edwards of t The Raw Story reports that a man has been arrested in England for threats made against Caroline …Monday, July 29, 2013
Baton Rouge sheriff trying to enforce unconstitutional anti-sodomy lawsIt’s been ten years since Lawrence v Texas saw anti-sodomy laws declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, but I suppose stupidity is eternal. At least the District Attorney is ending the absurdity by refraining from …Thursday, July 25, 2013
NLRB: Overbroad social media policies may violate NLRASue Reisinger, writing at Corporate Counsel: In a warning to employers, the National Labor Relations Board has “unliked” certain social media policies that restrict an employee’s right to speak critically of the employer online, unless the …Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Christmas in jailJohn Futty, reporting for The Columbus Dispatch in Ohio: Judge Michael J. Holbrook placed Young on probation yesterday for five years and ordered that she spend a minimum of three days in jail each Christmas while on probation. This made me smile. Now, crime is bad, and Christmas …Monday, July 22, 2013
Norwegian rape victim Marte Deborah Dalelv “pardoned” by UAEI wrote yesterday about Ms. Dalelv’s 16-month sentence for sex outside marriage, among other absurd charges to levy against a victim of rape, in the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. I’m happy to report that, according …Sunday, July 21, 2013
Dubai: Where rape is only a crime if you’re the victimUpdate: she has been “pardoned.” A Norwegian woman was raped, reported it to police, and was charged and convicted of extramarital sex, drinking alcohol, and perjury. She was sentenced to 16 months in jail. For being raped. And that’s three …Friday, July 19, 2013
MIT wants pre-release review of Secret Service file on Aaron SwartzKevin Poulsen, at Wired's Threat Level blog: MIT argues that those people might face threats and harassment if their names become public. But it’s worth noting that names of third parties are already redacted from documents produced …Monday, May 27, 2013
German railroad mulling anti-graffiti dronesWith US authorities pushing for easier backdoors into electronic communications systems, a network of anti-graffiti drones looks like a good front for general state-wide surveillance. The German privacy ethic runs deep, but it may provide an interesting …Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Minnesota governor signs same-sex marriage bill into lawNumber twelve and counting; this looks to be a big year for marriage equality in the United States.Wednesday, May 8, 2013
The pressing need for hospital pricing regulationThe Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has published data on what hospitals charge for the most common procedures. There is much to look at, and other have done good reporting on it, notably Sarah Kliff and Dan Keating at the Washington Post …Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Delaware becomes eleventh state to approve same-sex marriageAnd the steady march continues, as Delaware joins their ten predecessors in granting gay couples the basic American right to marry.Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Obama May Back F.B.I. Plan to Wiretap Web UsersCharlie Savage of The New York Times: the new proposal focuses on strengthening wiretap orders issued by judges. Currently, such orders instruct recipients to provide technical assistance to law enforcement agencies, leaving wiggle room for companies …Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Air Force sexual assault prevention officer charged with sexual batteryDisgusting. Anything less than dishonorable discharge and jail time will be an insult to victims and to this country.Friday, May 3, 2013
Now you can 3D-print a gun.Andy Greenberg at Forbes: Once the file is online, anyone will be able to download and print the gun in the privacy of their garage, legally or not, with no serial number, background check, or other regulatory hurdles. “You can print a lethal device,” Wilson told me last …Thursday, May 2, 2013
Rhode Island legalizes same-sex marriageThe inexorable march of time sees a tenth state grant gay and lesbian people the statutory right to marry. Those states who have yet to get on board would do well to hurry: you’re quickly running out of time to look like you were ahead of the curve in the …Friday, April 12, 2013
Dr. Kermit Gosnell: Philadelphia’s “Abortion” MonsterThe Atlantic's Conor Friedersdorf quoting the grand jury report (PDF) on Philadelphia “abortion” monster Kermit Gosnell: The Department of State, through its Board of Medicine, licenses and oversees individual physicians… Almost …