Legal Commentary

Bangladeshi Woman Dies After Caning For Adultery

Posted on December 21, 2010
Sufia Begum, 50, has become the latest victim of Sharia justice. The Bangladeshi woman died after being publicly caned for an alleged extramarital affair with her stepson. Begum was sentenced by an Islamic court in her village and whipped 40 times on Nov...

Misinformation Campaign Alleged in ABA Journal Competition

Posted on December 21, 2010
Well, our friend Lottakatz has certainly stirred up a hornet’s nest. Various posters on the blog have contacted me about the sudden surge of over 100 votes on Legal Satyricon to take it from just 15 votes to the lead in the ABA competition. There was a surge of over 100 votes in less than [...

Georgia Police Officer Kills Family Dog in Controversial Shooting

Posted on December 21, 2010
We have been following a spate of cases (here and here and here and here and here and here)where police officers have shot family dogs in what some are calling over-reactions to such animals. The latest is “Boomer,” a golden retriever who barked at an officer and ran toward him...

Pre-Trial Jury Nullification? Potential Jurors in Montana Excused After They State That They Would Not Convict On Possession of Small Amount of Marijuana

Posted on December 20, 2010
We often discuss jury nullification in class, but usually such a controversial decision to refuse to convict someone on clear evidence of guilt comes at the end of a trial. Not in Montana this month when potential jurors announced that they would not convict a person of possession of a small amount of marijuana regardless [...

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Carcinogen Found in Drinking Water of 35 Cities Across U.S.

Posted on December 20, 2010
A new report found that drinking water in 35 cities across the United States contain hexavalent chromium, a probable carcinogen. The report of the Environmental Working Group, is the first nationwide analysis of hexavalent chromium in drinking water to be made public...

Federal Reserve Bank Examiners Demand Removal of Crosses and Merry Christmas Buttons at Oklahoma Bank

Posted on December 20, 2010
There is an interesting case out of Perkins, Oklahoma where Federal Reserve officials reportedly ordered a small bank (The Payne County Bank) to remove religious Christmas displays. I fail to see the authority of Federal Reserve officials to limit the free speech to a bank, particularly religious-based speech...

Iowa Legislators To Impeach Iowa Justices Who Voted For Same-Sex Marriage

Posted on December 20, 2010
For Republican legislators in Iowa, it was not enough that three state supreme court justices who voted to strike down a ban on gay marriage were recently defeated in their reelection bids after being targeted by conservatives. Now, legislators want to impeach the remaining four justices from the unanimous decision...

A Turley Tort?Er, Torte for the Holidays

Posted on December 19, 2010
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger David (Nal) has been kind enough to provide us with some classic Christmas songs at the Turley Blawg to help get us into a holiday mood. I thought I?d add my two seasonal cents with a recipe for a delicious almond cake that I often make for holidays and [...

Doe v. Moe: There is No Negligent Sexual Intercourse in Boston

Posted on December 19, 2010
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger A Massachusetts appeals court has let the sexually adventurous breathe a sigh of relief.  When confronted with a man, discretely called  ”John Doe,” who alleged rather forcefully that his penis had been “fractured” by a particularly vigorous night of love-making, the Court accorded no relief...

To Serve Banks

Posted on December 19, 2010
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger Recently, Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL), the next chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, told the Birmingham News, “my view is that Washington and the regulators are there to serve the banks...

Honor Killing

Posted on December 19, 2010
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger We have previously discussed Islamic honor killings, here and here. We have previous discussed an Indian honor killing here. We can now add a Christian honor killing to our rogue’s gallery. A newlywed couple was murdered by the brides’s older brother, to restore the family honor...

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Posted on December 19, 2010
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger Santa Claus Is Coming to Town Presented for your listening enjoyment, The Crystals, in glorious STEREO!

One Question for Vice President Biden

Posted on December 19, 2010
SUBMITTED BY LAWRENCE RAFFERTY, GUEST BLOGGER Earlier today, Vice President Joe Biden appeared on Meet the Press and gave David Gregory an interesting answer to Gregory’s questions concerning our exit strategy in Afghanistan.  The Vice President not only confirmed that the Obama Administration still plans on beginning a drawdown of troops from Afghanistan starting in July [...

IS IT ETHICAL ERROR FOR JUSTICE SCALIA TO MEET THE TEA PARTY CAUCUS?

Posted on December 18, 2010
SUBMITTED BY LAWRENCE RAFFERTY, GUEST BLOGGER I recently read that U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann is coordinating a crash course on the Constitution for the new members that will be joining the House in January.  I was a little surprised that one of the guest speakers for that course will be Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia...

Bradley Manning: The Forgotten Person in the Wikileaks Affair

Posted on December 18, 2010
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger Across the Pond: This week, Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, was released on bail from a London prison. Assange will remain under ?mansion arrest? at the 600-acre estate of Vaughan Smith, a London restaurateur and former war correspondent...

Did Hudson Err? You Be the Judge

Posted on December 18, 2010
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger That would be Judge Henry Hudson who recently struck down the Minimum Essential Coverage Provision of the Affordable Care Act that requiring all citizens obtain health care coverage, here. In one corner we have Orin S...

I?ll Take Potent Potables for $1000, Alex

Posted on December 18, 2010
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger Ken Jennings holds the record for the longest winning streak on Jeopardy! Brad Rutter holds the record for the most money won on Jeopardy!, nearly $3.3 million. The two are being challenged by an IBM computer named “Watson...

Here Comes Santa Claus

Posted on December 18, 2010
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger. Here Comes Santa Claus For you listening enjoyment, we have Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans in glorious STEREO! I hope Santa has brought you headphones/earbuds.

WHAT DOES THE US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAVE AGAINST 9/11 FIRST RESPONDERS?

Posted on December 18, 2010
  SUBMITTED BY LAWRENCE RAFFERTY, GUEST BLOGGER Earlier in the week, the legislation that would have provided medical help for 9/11 first responders was killed by Republicans.  I was shocked to see that any political party would be against getting medical help for true American heroes...

Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell Policy Repealed

Posted on December 18, 2010
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger NOTE: A correction has been made to this post. This afternoon, the United States Senate voted to end Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell?a policy that banned gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military for seventeen years...

Former Police Officer Sent to Prison After Sexually Assaulting Illegal Immigrants

Posted on December 17, 2010
Former Anaheim police officer Bradley Stewart Wagner, 62, is going to jail for four years after pleading guilty to sexual assaults against various women. His chosen victims were illegal immigrants who he threatened to deport if they did not have sex with him...

With Friends Like This: Karzai Again Proclaims that He Wishes He Was Was With The Taliban Instead of the United States

Posted on December 17, 2010
We have another encouraging statement from our ally, Afghan President Hamid Karzai who told Gen. David H. Petraeus, U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry and other top Western officials in Kabul that one of his greatest enemies is the United States and that he wished he had gone with the Taliban when he had a chance...

Now This Is A Kick Off

Posted on December 17, 2010
Ladies and Gentleman, I give you Hawaii’s unparalleled marching band. This also seems a fitting time to note that Rafflaw has agreed to shed anonymity and expressed an interest in posting during our free-for-all weekends. As I mentioned, I have a number of other regulars in mind who have been on the blog for years [...

California Judge Orders Special Meals For Inmate To Celebrate ?Festivus?

Posted on December 17, 2010
When Malcolm Alarmo King went to Theo Lacy jail in Orange County, he was shocked by the menu: salami sandwiches. A fit former model, King demanded a healthier meal. At the suggestion of his attorney, Fred Thiagarajah, he claimed double portions of kosher (non-salami) meals as part of his belief in Festivus — made famous [...

Attorney Claims Wife?s Lover Arrested Him and Planted Drugs in Failed Frame Up

Posted on December 17, 2010
Attorney Robert Yousefian has brought suit against two Glendale (Cal.) police officers and his estranged wife in a case that reads like a made-for-tv movie. Yousefian was arrested on drug and assault charges by Glendale Police Officer Michael Lizarraga, whom was allegedly having an affair with Yousefian’s wife...

Pssst, Hey Buddy, You Wanna Buy a F-5B?

Posted on December 17, 2010
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger The Feds have arrested 35-year-old Californian, Marc Knapp, for trying to sell an F-5B fighter jet to Iran. Knapp was nabbed in a government sting operation that crisscrossed the country from Pennsylvania to California and even ranged to Budapest, Hungary...

Has Johnson & Johnson Become Dumb & Dumber or Just Lax and Laxer?

Posted on December 17, 2010
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger Even free marketeer Republicans are sick of it – literally. Rep. Darrell Issa, (R., Calif.),   has asked U.S. regulators to look into J & J’s use of a contract manufacturer to make Rolaids antacids that were recalled for quality problems...

Things That Tick Me Off: Versailles II

Posted on December 16, 2010
Recently I add Versailles (and more specifically its director, Jean-Jacques Aillagon) to our ignoble list of “Things That Tick Me Off.” Now, Aillagon has succeeded in securing a second appearance on this list with the news that he had decided to convert part of Versailles into a hotel...

Former Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick Indicted . . . Again

Posted on December 16, 2010
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been again criminally charged. This time, he is not only facing a massive federal indictment for corruption but his co-defendants will include his father and three associates over millions of dollars that went to contractors...

European Court Rules Woman?s Human Rights Were Violated in Being Denied Abortion in Ireland

Posted on December 16, 2010
One of the reasons for opposition the European Union was the ability of EU courts to dictate social policies within different countries. This issue is likely to come to a head for some critics with the ruling this week by the European Court of Human Rights that Irish abortion laws violate the rights of a [...

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