Legal Commentary

Cutie Pictures: ?Father Oprah? Taken Off Radio Disclosure of Pictures With Woman

Posted on May 06, 2009
Rev. Albert Cutie, known in Miami as “Father Oprah” for his popular radio program, has been taken off the air after allegedly laying hands on a woman at a bar and the beach. Pictures were found of Cutie embracing a women in what is a bit strange for a Catholic priest...

Massachusetts Lawyer Robbed During Work As Escort

Posted on May 06, 2009
The ABA Journal is reporting on a case of a lawyer, Nina C. Baccala, 36, who was robbed while moonlighting as an escort. The recent graduate of New England School of Law and Massachusetts lawyer has been waiting for the results of her Rhode Island bar examination...

Dull Tools: Prosecutors Says They Were Right to Charge Grandmother With Pornography For Taking Pictures of Kids in Tub

Posted on May 05, 2009
The arrest of Donna Dull, 59, in Pennsylvania for developing pictures of her 2-year-old getting out of the bath has been the subject of national criticism and a lawsuit against the prosecutors. However, officials added to the controversy by appearing to defend the decision to charge the grandmother despite the fact that the charges [...

Dubai Court Convicts Woman of Manslaughter and Orders Payment of Blood Money for Death of Her Own Fetus in Traffic Accident

Posted on May 05, 2009
There is a trend in the United States to treat fetuses as persons for the purpose of criminal charges. That trend was taken to an extraordinary degree in Dubai where a pregnant woman was involved in a traffic accident and had a miscarriage. Finding that she was following to closely and applying Sharia [...

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Taze Our Daughters and Sons At Work Day: Police Officer Fired After Shocking Children with 50,000 Volt Taser

Posted on May 05, 2009
In Carrabelle, Florida, Sgt. Walter Schmidt at the Franklin Correction Institution had a novel idea for entertaining kids on a “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day” tour. He shocked kids with 50,000 volts from his taser. Schmidt says that he had the permission of the parents, which leads one to wonder why child [...

Bush Officials Reportedly Working To Water Down Internal Justice Department Report on Torture

Posted on May 05, 2009
The Washington Post reports that Bush officials are working the halls and telephones of the Justice Department with the formal end of the internal investigation into former Justice officials involved in the Bush torture program, including Ninth Circuit Judge Jay S...

Obama Administration Reportedly Block Release of Controversial Pictures of Backup Air Force One

Posted on May 05, 2009
The White House has reportedly barred the release of the photographs from the infamous flight of the backup Air Force One plane over lower Manhattan. Despite the fact that the White House approved the flight at the cost of $328,835, it appears to have little hesitation to withhold the photographs to avoid further embarrassment...

England Bans Talk Show Host Michael Savage

Posted on May 05, 2009
Talk show host Michael Savage (aka Michael Weiner) has been banned from entry into England in the latest example of England’s rapid abandonment of free speech principles. As a longtime critic of Savage, it takes a considerable act to get me to feel any sympathy or concern for the man...

Iran Stones Another Adulterer to Death

Posted on May 05, 2009
The Iranian legal system has cranked about another abuse under its medieval application of Sharia law. The government stoned a man to death for adultery, the latest in a series of such executions, here and here. Reports indicate that the woman repented and may have been spared...

Thank You For Smoking: Chinese Officials Order Workers To Smoke Or Face Fines

Posted on May 05, 2009
Authorities in Gng’an county are concerned about the economy and faltering sales of the local cigarette brand, Hubei. The solution was simple. They reportedly ordered government workers to smoke more or face possible fines. China has 350 million smokers, but the authorities believe that civil servants and teachers could do more — setting a target [...

Leading Pakistani Cleric Denounces Democracy as UnIslamic and Praises the Former Taliban Regime as the Model System of Governance

Posted on May 04, 2009
Leading Pakistani cleric chief Sufi Muhammad of Tehreek-e- Nifaz-e- Shariat-e- Muhammadi has declared democracy, communism, socialism, and fascism to be un-Islamic. Hmmm, that leaves what? Of yes, Islamic rule. He has also reaffirmed that it is unIslamic to be photographed...

Parents Charged With Death of Baby After Refusing Medical Treatment in Favor of Homeopathic Treatment

Posted on May 04, 2009
An Australian jury is considering manslaughter charges against parents of a baby girl who refused basic treatment of an eczema condition of their nine-month-old baby. The parents — Thomas Sam and Manju Sam — were believers in homeopathic treatment and stayed with their principles unmoved as the baby Gloria Sam died...

Pregnant British Woman Faces Execution in Thailand for Drug Conviction

Posted on May 04, 2009
British citizens Samantha Orobator faces possible execution for drug trafficking in Thailand after being arrested with roughly half of kilogram. To add to the outcry, Orobator is reportedly pregnant with a child that she conceived while in the Thai prison...

John Edwards Faces Federal Inquiry Over Use of Campaign Funds for Mistress

Posted on May 04, 2009
Former presidential candidate John Edwards is being asked to answer question about more than $100,000 to his mistress’ company. Rielle Hunter was paid for video production and related services. Edwards issued a statement: “I am confident that no funds from my campaign were used improperly...

Texas Court Supports Review of Murder Case Due to Sexual Relationship Between Trial Judge and Prosecutor

Posted on May 04, 2009
The ABA Journal has obtained the findings of Judge Greg Brewer, who is recommending that the case of Charles Dean Hood be reviewed in light of an intimate relationship between former Collin County District Judge Verla Sue Holland and former Collin County District Attorney Thomas S...

Torture Tots: Condoleezza Rice Teaches Torture?s Necessity To Fourth Grades

Posted on May 04, 2009
In one of the most perverse moments yet in the torture debate, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice took time to explain the need for torture to a fourth grader who was a bit curious why his country tortured people. The question of Misha was considerably more reassuring than Rice’s answers...

Chicago Judge Jails Attorney For Document Irregularity Without Explanation

Posted on May 04, 2009
Lawyers in Chicago are mystified by the actions of Cook County Associate Judge Mark Lopez, who jailed lawyer Nancy Murphy for an unknown offense. Murphy says that she had simply drafted an order and, after giving it to Lopez, was thrown into jail where she was verbally abused by Cook County jail guards and [...

A Boy And His Dog

Posted on May 03, 2009
There is a natural bound between men and dogs that is captured in this photo. While it takes many years for most people to find this perfect state of coexistence, this picture shows that there are some people who are just naturals. I will be on a retreat with a group of people at Shrine [...

Have Mule Will Travel: Georgia Secessionist and Mule Lover Runs for Governor

Posted on May 03, 2009
Georgia has a curious candidate running for governor. Neal Horsley has attracted national attention for his “Nuremberg Files” where he published a list of abortion doctors and then crossed off their names when they were killed. He reportedly would like to see the nation dissolved and has spoken about having sex with a [...

Award-Winning Vocalist and Song Writer Reportedly Killed By Her Brothers in Pakistan for Appearing on Television

Posted on May 03, 2009
Ayman Udas was an award-winning signer and song writer in Pakistan, who was looking forward to a soaring career. Those hopes ended when she was allegedly shot to death by her brothers, who were outraged by her appearance on television a week earlier in the religiously conservative city of Peshawar...

Teacher Reportedly Forces Eleven-Year-Old Girl To Stand in Blazing Sun for Two Hours While Ignoring Her Pleas for Water ? Punishment Ends With Student?s Death

Posted on May 03, 2009
There is a shocking case out of India, where Shanno Khan, 11, was punished by her teacher who forced her to stand in hot sun for two hours as she begged for water. She collapsed in a coma and later died at the hospital. The teacher denies the allegation that she was being punished and [...

Canadian Farmer May Have Given Pigs Swine Flu ? Fear Rises for Iraqi and Eygptian Farmers

Posted on May 03, 2009
Canadian officials believe that a farmer gave swine flu to pigs: an interspecies act of retribution. However, in light of the slaughter of zoo animals in Iraq and the slaughter of all pigs in Egypt, there is a concern that farmers will be next in the world’s governmentally sanctions panic...

Shrine Mont Bound

Posted on May 02, 2009
There will be a delay in any postings this weekend due to my annual trip with the family to Shrinemont, a retreat in the mountains of Virginia. A fitting homage to Justice Souter, who will soon return to his cabin in New Hampshire for a well-earned retirement...

Farewell To Bill Moffitt

Posted on May 02, 2009
Today, William B. Moffitt will be buried in Washington, D.C.. Bill was a friend and one of the greatest trial attorneys of his generation. He was only 60. He will be deeply missed. Bill was the former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and handled some of the greatest criminal [...

Justice Department to Drop Espionage Case Against AIPAC Lobbyists

Posted on May 02, 2009
The Justice Department is moving to dismiss the case against Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman for espionage. The two men are former lobbyists for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. Recently, Rep. Jane Harman was swept into a scandal when it was revealed that she was intercepted by the NSA [...

Torturing For Jesus: Polls Shows Religious Citizens Must Likely To Support Torture

Posted on May 01, 2009
The Pew Forum has released an interesting poll that the more religious Americans, the more likely they are to support the use of torture against terrorism suspects. The majority of people who attend religious services at least once a week support the use of torture either “often” or “sometimes...

Wedding Bells and Bars: Women Arrested in Separate Wedding Crimes

Posted on May 01, 2009
There appears to be an emerging field of wedding torts and crimes this month. Recently, we saw a lawsuit against a woman who ruined a wedding by announcing that she was sleeping with the groom (hint: she was not the bride). Now, in Naples, Florida, Molly S...

Justice David Souter To Retire

Posted on May 01, 2009
Associate Justice David Souter, 69, has announced that he will retire from the Court after 18 years. The announcement comes as a complete surprise because, at 69, Souter is one of the younger members of the Court and was not expected to retire before John Paul Stevens or Ruth Bader Ginsburg...

Iraqi Officials to Kill Zoo Animals to Protect Against Swine Flu

Posted on May 01, 2009
In an example of colossal stupidity, Iraqi officials have called for the killing of the three wild boars in the Baghdad zoo to protect the country against swine flu. This comes on the heals of the Egyptian government moving to kill every pig in the country despite the lack of any evidence that it [...

America?s Torture Doctors Revealed

Posted on May 01, 2009
Meet the America’s Torture Doctors: Bruce Jessen and Jim Mitchell. The names of the two psychologists have been released with a report that they played a critical role in establishing the torture program by attesting to its safety. I will be addressing the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Toronto [...

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