How Appealing

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

"Former trooper fired for KKK ties to argue for job back": The Omaha World-Herald today contains an article that begins, "Nebraska's public policy against racism should bar reinstating a state trooper who joined a group affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan, a state attorney told the Nebraska Supreme Court on Tuesday. Private citizens are free to think what they want and free to join racist groups, Assistant Attorney General Thomas Stine told the court. But the state has the right to set terms of employment for state troopers."

And The Associated Press provides this report on yesterday's oral argument.

Yesterday, the Office of the Attorney General of Nebraska issued a news release headlined "Attorney General's Office Presents Oral Arguments in Former Trooper Tied to KKK Case."
Posted at 09:22 PM by Howard Bashman



"District of Columbia Makes Last Pitch Before Supreme Court Appearance in Gun Ban Case": The Associated Press provides this report.
Posted at 09:18 PM by Howard Bashman


"State court to revisit definition of school threat; Student convicted in 2005 claims his actions were not terrorism; prosecutor says planning attack also counts": The Detroit News today contains an article that begins, "The Michigan Supreme Court today is expected to review whether Andrew Osantowski committed an act of terrorism when he threatened a Columbine-style massacre at his high school."

And The Associated Press reports that "Michigan Supreme Court weighs if terrorism includes threats."
Posted at 09:14 PM by Howard Bashman



"Scalia brings wit, originalist views to Missouri": This article appears today in The Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune.

The Kansas City Star reports today that "Scalia criticizes 'living Constitution.'"

And The Muleskinner of The University of Central Missouri reports that "Justice Scalia says Constitution isn't a 'living' document; must be interpreted as framers intended."
Posted at 09:12 PM by Howard Bashman



"Big Business's Big Term: Victories for the Chamber of Commerce at the Supreme Court." Doug Kendall has this jurisprudence essay online at Slate.
Posted at 08:05 PM by Howard Bashman


The Associated Press is reporting: An article headlined "Court Skeptical of Passenger Rights Law" begins, "A federal appeals panel seemed impatient Wednesday with arguments supporting the first law in the nation requiring airlines to provide food, water, clean toilets and fresh air to passengers trapped in a plane delayed on the ground." The case was argued today before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

And in other news, "Judge Wants to Resolve Indian Lands Case."
Posted at 06:00 PM by Howard Bashman



"The Failure of Bowles v. Russell": Law Professor Scott Dodson has posted this article (abstract with links for download) at SSRN (via "Legal Theory Blog").
Posted at 02:14 PM by Howard Bashman


"GOP planning for new battle on nominees": The Hill today contains an article that begins, "Senate Republicans plan to take a more confrontational approach with Democrats on judicial nominees, hoping parliamentary tactics and the bully pulpit of their presidential nominee will break a logjam over the politically volatile issue."

And Politico.com has an article headlined "Nominations staredown in the Senate."
Posted at 02:11 PM by Howard Bashman



The District of Columbia has today filed its reply brief in the Second Amendment case now pending before the U.S. Supreme Court: Via "SCOTUSblog," you can access the reply brief at this link.
Posted at 02:02 PM by Howard Bashman


"In Case That Could Well Be Taken Up by the Supreme Court, Sixth Circuit Rejects Rule Limiting Basis for Payments to Initiative Circulators": Law Professor Rick Hasen has this post at his newly redesigned "Election Law" blog.

My earlier coverage of today's Sixth Circuit ruling appears at this link.
Posted at 12:28 PM by Howard Bashman



Thirteen million page views: According to this blog's Site Meter hit counter, within the past hour "How Appealing" exceeded the thirteen million page view mark. Just last month, on February 19, 2008, the number of visitors to "How Appealing" passed the seven million mark. Thanks for visiting!
Posted at 11:58 AM by Howard Bashman


"California Justices Set to Weigh Gay Marriage": This audio segment (RealPlayer required) appeared on today's broadcast of NPR's "Morning Edition."

Earlier today, I collected here much additional coverage of yesterday's oral argument.
Posted at 11:48 AM by Howard Bashman



"Of all the conversations I've had with Justice O'Connor over the years, one of the most interesting and provocative was a personal one." So begins a new post that ABC News correspondent Jan Crawford Greenburg has today at her "Legalities" blog.
Posted at 11:30 AM by Howard Bashman


Unanimous three-judge Sixth Circuit panel affirms federal district court's invalidation, under the First Amendment, of an Ohio law that makes it a felony to pay anyone for gathering signatures on election-related petitions on any basis other than time worked: Circuit Judge David W. McKeague's opinion begins, "As with the law in general, the First Amendment is a jealous mistress. It enables the people to exchange ideas (popular and unpopular alike), to assemble with the hope of changing minds, and to alter or preserve how we govern ourselves. But in return, it demands that sometimes seemingly reasonable measures enacted by our governments give way."
Posted at 11:20 AM by Howard Bashman


"Court Looks At Internet Limits": The Hartford Courant today contains an article that begins, "The dispute over a Burlington, Conn., teenager's Internet journal gave rise on Tuesday to a wide-ranging and contentious federal court hearing about free speech, whether schools can regulate students' language off campus and how the Internet blurs the boundaries of a school campus. Avery Doninger, the 17-year-old high school senior at the center of the case, sat in the front row as a three-judge panel of the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals lobbed questions at the attorneys. Lawyers for both sides described the hearing as uncharacteristically lengthy and suggested that the duration underscored the case's position in new legal territory."

And The Associated Press reports that "Appeals Court Weighs Teen's Web Speech."

The ruling under review, which U.S District Judge Mark R. Kravitz of the District of Connecticut issued on August 31, 2007, can be viewed at this link. This blog's earlier coverage of that ruling can be accessed here.
Posted at 11:11 AM by Howard Bashman



"Calif. Supreme Court Excuses Managers From Retaliation Suits; Ruling brings unusually sharp dissents, with one justice accusing majority of engaging in 'analytical contortions'": law.com provides this report on Monday's 4-3 ruling of the Supreme Court of California.
Posted at 09:34 AM by Howard Bashman


"Same-sex marriage has skeptics on California Supreme Court; The justices pose varying questions during arguments over the constitutionality of the state's ban on same-sex marriage; They have 90 days to reach a decision": Maura Dolan has this article today in The Los Angeles Times.

Today in The New York Times, Adam Liptak reports that "Definition of Marriage Is at Heart of California Case."

Bob Egelko of The San Francisco Chronicle reports that "Court appears split on same-sex marriage."

Howard Mintz of The San Jose Mercury News reports that "State supreme court in gay marriage storm; State's top jurists begin weighing biggest civil rights case in decades."

Josh Richman of The Oakland Tribune reports that "Same-sex marriage gets tough hearing; Ruling by state's highest court could set tone for nation."

Greg Moran of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that "Court hears arguments on same-sex marriage; 'Very divided opinion' expected by one expert."

The Sacramento Bee reports that "Gays' right to wed argued; State justices discuss legality of ban, how to define marriage."

And at "The Volokh Conspiracy," Dale Carpenter has a post titled "Observations on oral argument in the California marriage case."

The California Channel has posted online at this link (Windows Media Player required) the video of yesterday's oral argument. And the Supreme Court of California has made available at this link (Windows Media Player required) the audio recording of yesterday's oral argument.
Posted at 09:30 AM by Howard Bashman



"Supreme Court to Release Same-Day Tapes": Today in The Washington Post, Robert Barnes has an article that begins, "The Supreme Court announced yesterday that it will take the special step of releasing audiotapes of oral arguments on the same day that it hears a case challenging the District's gun law."
Posted at 08:40 AM by Howard Bashman


"Judges Grant Release Of 3 City Crack Offenders": The New York Sun today contains an article that begins, "On the heels of a federal decision to retroactively reduce prison sentences for crack cocaine offenders, judges in the city have granted motions to release defendants from federal prisons, defense lawyers and court officials said."

And The Washington Post reports today that "Government Starts Cutting Sentences Of Crack Inmates; Bureau of Prisons Processes 400 Orders."
Posted at 08:30 AM by Howard Bashman



"Judge asked to drop one Nichols attorney; Public defender leader says state-funded budget is tapped out; staff can help 3 left": Today's edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution contains an article that begins, "Fulton County Courthouse rampage suspect Brian Nichols may lose one of his state-funded attorneys if Georgia officials get their way at a hearing Thursday."
Posted at 08:25 AM by Howard Bashman


"Personality Check: Malingerer Test Roils Personal-Injury Law; 'Fake Bad Scale' Bars Real Victims, Its Critics Contend." This front page article appears today in The Wall Street Journal.
Posted at 08:12 AM by Howard Bashman


"Philadelphia judge threatened with disbarment for 1984 crime": According to an article published today in The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Today, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will hear arguments in Pittsburgh that [the judge] should be removed for failing to report to the state bar association that she is a convicted felon."
Posted at 08:11 AM by Howard Bashman


"FBI: Don't make us pay John Connolly's debt; Fights to get out of $3.1 judgement." This article, about a case argued Monday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, appeared yesterday in The Boston Herald.
Posted at 08:03 AM by Howard Bashman


"BC Law School will not bestow honor on Mukasey": The Boston Globe today contains an article that begins, "Boston College Law School will not award its highest honor to US Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey when he speaks at its May commencement, amid sharp criticism from students, faculty, and alumni over his invitation."

The newspaper also contains an editorial entitled "Mukasey's rough justice."
Posted at 07:58 AM by Howard Bashman



"Cartel case papers can be shown, court says": The San Diego Union-Tribune today contains an article that begins, "The public has the right to see documents and transcripts relating to the secret guilty plea of a Tijuana drug kingpin, despite what prosecutors say, a federal appeals court ruled yesterday."

My earlier coverage of yesterday's Ninth Circuit ruling appears at this link.
Posted at 07:50 AM by Howard Bashman



"Wikileaks Is Spared a Shutdown As a Federal Judge Reverses Course: How Broadly Will the First Amendment Protect A Website Inviting Leaks of Confidential Documents?" Julie Hilden has this essay online today at FindLaw.
Posted at 07:42 AM by Howard Bashman



From the Law.com Newswire:


Click to open links in new
     windows

Advertise on Legal Blogs

Related Blogs

20 Questions for the
 Appellate Judge


How Appealing Extra

My Appellate Columns
Especially Appealing Blogs

Above the Law

ACSBlog

Adam Smith, Esq.

Althouse

Bag and Baggage

Balkinization

The Becker-Posner Blog

Bench Memos

The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times

Concurring Opinions

Confirm Them

The Confrontation Blog

Decision of the Day

de novo

Discriminations

Dorf on Law

Drug and Device Law

Election Law

Ernie the Attorney

InstaPundit.Com

INTEL DUMP

Jack Bog's Blog

Jeremy Blachman's Brand New Weblog

LawBeat

Legalities

Legal Theory

Notes from the (Legal) Underground

PrawfsBlawg

Professor Bainbridge.com

Religion Clause

SCOTUSblog

Sentencing Law and Policy

TalkLeft: The Politics of Crime

TaxProf Blog

Throwing Things

tonypierce.com + busblog

The Volokh Conspiracy

Wonkette

Workplace Prof Blog

WSJ.com's Law Blog

Other Links

abcNEWS.com's The Note

The Associated Press Newswire

Best of the Web Today

The Corner

McSweeney's Internet Tendency

Movie Review Query Engine

Obscure Store & Reading Room

The Onion

Overlawyered.com

PointofLaw.com

Salon

Slate

Tapped

Even More Blogs

The 10b-5 Daily

Abstract Appeal

The Agitator

Alas, a blog

AndrewSullivan.com

Anonymous Lawyer

Appellate Law & Practice

Balloon Juice

The Baseball Crank

Beautiful Confusion

Begging The Question

Begging to Differ

Behind the Homefront

Benefitsblog

BenMaller.com

beSpacific

Betsy's Page

Big Picnic

bIPlog

The Bitch Girls

the bitter shack of resentment

The Bleat

Blithering Idiot

The Blog from the Core

Blonde Justice

Blue Mass. Group

Body and Soul

Boing Boing

Braves Journal

Brendan O'Neill

Brian Peterson's Legal Weblog

Brothers Judd Blog

The Buck Stops Here

BuffaloWings&Vodka

Cacciaguida

Calblog

California Insider

Captain Indignant's Fortress of Peevishness

Chicago Boyz

Civil Liberties Watch

Class Maledictorian

Clayton Cramer's BLOG

a clever sheep

ColbyCosh.com

The Comedian

Common Sense and Wonder

Conglomerate

CONTENT / v.3

Copyfight: The politics of IP

Corp Law Blog

Corsair the Rational Pirate

crabwalk.com

Criminal Appeal

CrimLaw

Critical Mass

Crooked Timber

Croooow Blog

Current copyright readings

cut on the bias

DailyPundit.com

Daimnation!

Daniel W. Drezner

Dave Copeland

Deadly Mantis

Dean's World

death by committee

Delaware Law Office

Disputation

The Doc Searls Weblog

Doxagora

Dr. Weevil

Dubyanell Feds

easily distracted

effinchamp

Electrolite

EmoryLaw Student.com: Adam

Eric's Weblog

Eve Tushnet.com

excited utterances

explodedlibrary.info

FalconRed goes to Law School

Final Protective Fire

the fog of warre

for the sake of clarity

Fourth Amendment.com

Froggi's update

Frothing at the Mouth

FurdLog

Gawker

GeekPress

Geodog's MT Weblog

George's Employment Blawg

Gideon's Blog

Grant M Henninger

GreenGourd's Garden

GrepLaw

grrrl meets world

Half the Sins of Mankind

Heh. Indeed.

Hit & Run

HobbsOnline

Hoplites

Hose Monster Blog

HowardOwens.com

Howling Point

HughHewitt.com

Ichiblog

The Importance Of

inappropriate response

Inchoate

In Context

The Indiana Law Blog

infoAnarchy

Insolvent Republic Of Blogistan

Inter Alia

Interrobang

Ipse Dixit

IsThatLegal?

Jens 'n' Frens

Jewish Buddha

Jim Dedman

Joanne Jacobs.com

Joe Gratz's blog

John Scalzi's Whatever

joyfulchristian

Jumping To Conclusions

Kausfiles

Ken Layne

Kieran Healy's Weblog

The Kitchen Cabinet

KittySays

Kiwi Pundit

Kyle Still Free Press

l8r

Law Dork

LawMeme

Lawrence Lessig

Law School UNconfidential

LawSites

Legal Fiction

Legal Ramblings

The Legal Reader

The Leiter Reports: Editorials, News, Updates

Letters of Marque

Lex Communis

Life, Law, Libido

The Light of Reason

The Lincoln Plawg

little green footballs

Log -- David Chess

Lonestar Expat

Lonewacko

Lucpher.com

The Manifest Border

Mansfield Fox

Man Without Qualities

Mark A.R. Kleiman

Marstonalia

Matthew Yglesias

MaxSpeak Weblog

MC Estoppel

Media Dragon

Mellow-Drama

Mercurial

Michael J. Totten

Mirthful Ones

moxie.nu | blog

ms. morality

MyFreePress.com

Natalie Solent

NathanNewman.org

Neal Pollack's The Maelstrom

Nerdlaw.org

The Neutral Zone Trap

nikita demosthenes

Ninomania

No Left Turns

Notes from the (1L) Underground

No Watermelons Allowed

Nuts and Boalts

Off the Kuff

Off the Pine

Oliver Willis

One Fine Jay

One Maven

Open Book

OrinKerr.com

Oscar Jr. Was Here

Outside the Beltway

Overpundit

Overtaken by Events

OxBlog

Oy Vey!

Paper Chase

Parkway Rest Stop

Pathetic Earthlings

Patio Pundit

Patterico's Pontifications

Paul's Boutique

The Perpetual Three-Dot Column

Phillip Coons

PhotoDude.com

PIKER

Political Animal

Political Parrhesia

Political State Report

Power Line

Prince Roy's Realm

Public Defender Dude

Q Daily News

Quare

rabbit blog

Rachel Lucas

Rain Man 2

Random Jottings

Rantophilia

The Rattler

rc3.org

RealityChecker.org

Reason & Liberty

Refference

Regions of Mind

The Remedy

Res Ipsa Loquitur

RiShawn Biddle's The Usual Suspect

The Rittenhouse Review

Robert Fortuno's Weblog

Roger's View

Rory Perry's Weblog

Running With Lawyers

Samizdata.net

Sarah Eve Kelly

Sarah Lai Stirland

sasnaK

A Sassy Lawyer in Philippine Suburbia

Scoobie Davis Online

ScrappleFace

Scripting News

sean.harding

Second Opinions

Second p0st

The Securities Law Beacon

Seeking for Righteousness

Semi-Daily Journal

The Shout

Shouting 'Cross the Potomac

Silflay Hraka

Simone Koo

skippy the bush kangaroo

The Slithery D

Snark Attack

SnarkSpot

Sneaking Suspicions

The Sound And Fury

South Dakota Politics

The Spoons Experience

Sporadic Thoughts

SteveSachs

Stop the Bleating!

sugarmama

Sugar, Mr. Poon?

Sugarpoet.com

superficial intelligence

Supreme Court Blog

Susan Crawford blog

SW Virginia law blog

Taegan Goddard's
Political Wire


taiwanon.com

the talking dog

Talking Points Memo

TarheelPundit

TBOGG

Tech Law Advisor

Terebi II

Texas Law Blog

that abby girl's journal

That Broken Girl

That's News To Me

The Third Branch

Tierney's WeblAG

Tim Blair

Tom Tomorrow

The Trademark Blog

Troppo Armadillo

trr

The Truth Laid Bear

Tutissima Cassis

uggabugga

unbillable hours

UnivAtty

Unqualified Offerings

Uppity-Negro.com

urban nomad

U.S. Supreme Court Blog

UXblog

vigilant.tv

The Ville

Votelaw

vpostrel.com

Waddling Thunder

walterindenver

WampumBlog

WarLiberal.com

The Week in Review

William Burton

Will Work for Favorable Dicta

The Wired GC

WOIFM

Woman of the law

Xrlq's Blog

A Yank in Oz

The Yin Blog

Yourish.com

zonitics.com

#!/usr/bin/geek