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Con-law 101: legal standing made interesting

By Mark Obbie

Jess Bravin provides a primer on legal standing in today's Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) -- not a sure-fire crowd pleaser, but his conversational, example-filled story does a marvelous job of explain an abstract theory to lay readers. The hook for the story is a lawsuit challenging Hillary Clinton's legal right to hold the office of Secretary of State. Bravin, without heavy use of talking-head experts, explains why such cases usually die quick deaths in court, because the plaintiffs lack legal standing. His tone is not mocking or preachy. It should be required reading for any reporter covering a publicity-stunt or partisan hit-job lawsuit. Here's the background you need for an obligatory paragraph that correctly portrays such suits as the long shots that they are.

Full post as published by Lawbeat on February 12, 2009 (boomark / email).