Legal Commentary

Oklahoma Legislature Investigates University?s Hosting of Speech by Evolution Advocate

Posted on March 22, 2009
It appears that Oklahoma legislators are continuing their attempted crackdown on University of Oklahoma for the outrage of allowing evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins of Oxford University speak to its students. After proposing two resolutions denouncing the scheduled appearance, legislators are now demanding answers about the funding and communications with Dawkins...

Drop A Drachma And Be Saved: Smith College Constructs Ancient Coin-Operated Holy Water Dispenser

Posted on March 22, 2009
Long before the blessed holy clothes and apocalyptic tapes, it appears that religious organizations found a way to fleece the faithful. Smith College has reconstructed a coin-operated holy water dispenser designed by the Greek inventor Heron. The dispenser was used at Egyptian temples and the faithful could drop in a coin to get a [...

Malaysian Bar Charged With Misuse of the Word ?Allah?

Posted on March 22, 2009
Recently, we followed the crackdown on a Catholic newspaper by the Malaysian Islamic religious council and government over its use of “Allah.” Now, the council is pursuing the Malaysian Bar for using the word on its website in two online polls on whether any particular race has exclusive rights to the word...

Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch Leads to Evacuation in London

Posted on March 22, 2009
A street in East London was evacuated after workers from the Water company found what they believed was a grenade after moving a fire hydrant cover. It turned out to be a replica of the “Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch” from the the 1975 film Monty Python And The Holy Grail...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

Israel Opens Investigation Into Religious Extremism in Its Ranks During Gaza Invasion

Posted on March 21, 2009
The Israeli Military Advocate General Avichai Mandleblit is investigating accounts of religious extremists pushing soldiers to view the Gaza invasion as a “religious war” against gentiles as human rights groups call for the removal of military’s head chaplain, Rabbi (and Brigadier General) Avichai Rontzki, who told soldiers that it was “immoral” to show mercy to [...

After Using Federal Bailout Money To Award Massive Bonuses, AIG Is Now Using Public Funds to Sue the Government To Get Back $306 millions in Tax Payments Tied to Offshore Tax Havens

Posted on March 21, 2009
While Congress attempts to get back roughly $170 million in bonuses paid to executives at American International Group (AIG), AIG is suing the U.S. government (its largest shareholder) for $306 million in tax payments. Between bailouts, bonuses, and tax refunds, it is getting difficult to tell how has what amount of the public fisc...

Something Borrowed, Something Blue: Bribe Files Complaint Over Treatment After Arrest of Intoxication in Wedding Dress

Posted on March 21, 2009
Jade Puckett in Houston, Texas spent her wedding night in a wedding gown in a cell with twenty other women at the Harris County jail after she and her new husband were pulled over in a sobriety roadblock. Police say that Puckett became belligerent and was arrested...

Former Naval Academy Professor Charged With Raping 12-Year-Old Girl While Teaching At Annapolis

Posted on March 21, 2009
Among the academics making the news this week is former Naval Academy professor Patrick Harrison, 66. It is not the type of publicity a professor craves. He is charged with raping a 12-year-old girl while teaching at the Academy. What is interesting about this case is that the alleged victim took 15 [...

Rule Against PETAtuities: Ingrid Newkirk Bequeths Body Parts For Macabre Testamentary Gifts

Posted on March 21, 2009
Ok, there is the rule against perpetuities, but I cannot find a rule against petatuities. PETA President Ingrid Newkirk has released her will that includes giving her body to PETA for the suggested purpose of people eating her flesh and making leather goods from her skin...

?Jackpot Jimmy? and Other AIG Executives Named ? Some Seek Compensation for Security

Posted on March 20, 2009
The first names of AIG executives who received millions in bonuses have been released. Some executives are now suggesting that the company should pay for private security — which would presumably come from public funds. These executives include , labeled “Jackpot Jimmy by New York newspapers...

Scientology Sued Over Suicide: Antidepressants Allegedly Locked Away in Favor of Scientology Program

Posted on March 20, 2009
A mother has sued the Church of Scientology after her son, Kyle Brennan, 20, committed suicide. He was on antidrepressants, but his father Thomas Brennan allegedly took away the prescription drugs as part of his Scientology beliefs. After only one week with his father in Clearwater, Florida, Kyle committed suicide...

Charles Manson at 74: Still Not POPS Qualified

Posted on March 20, 2009
The Corcoran State Prison in California has given the world a glimpse of Charles Manson at 74. As the founder and director of the Project for Older Prisoners (POPS), I want to reaffirm that he is not viewed as a good POPS candidate. Manson’s next parole date is 2010...

A Woman Porned: Indiana Woman Tries to Incriminate Ex-Boyfriend for Child Porn But Is Arrested for Bestiality

Posted on March 20, 2009
In Whitehead, Indiana, Michelle Owen, 24, was allegedly so intent on incriminating her ex-boyfriend for downloading child pornography that she forgot about picture showing her engaged in sex acts with a dog. Police report that Owen called them to invite then to review her computer to see her ex-boyfriend’s downloads of child pornography...

Gambian President?s Guard Allegedly Sent to Force Villagers To Be Treated By Witch Doctors ? Resulting in Deaths and Sicknesses

Posted on March 19, 2009
Recently, the aunt of Gambian President Yahya Jammeh died and he reportedly blamed witchcraft. Now, Amnesty International reports the President’s personal guard and both police and army forces have abducted up to 1000 villagers to force them to drink a vile liquid from witch doctors brought in by the government...

Parental Intervention: Mother Arrested After Biting Principal For Suspending Son

Posted on March 19, 2009
Aleyda Uceta, 30, has been arrested after she allegedly punched and bite Principal Rudolph Moseley Jr. of Roger Williams Middle School in Providence, Rhode Island. Moseley had just informed her that her 11-year-old son would be suspended for refusing to go to a room for misbehaving children...

Scandal In Petland: Humane Society Sues Chain for Allegedly Selling Sick Puppies from Puppy Mills

Posted on March 19, 2009
The chain store Petland has been accused by The Humane Society of selling sick puppies and using a supplier that is little more than a puppy mill with horrible conditions, The Hunte Corp of Goodman, Mo. The society is brought a civil racketeering complaint against Petland for fraud in claiming that it purchased goods from [...

Vatican Defends Pope?s Attack on the Use of Condoms As Increasing the Dangers of AIDS

Posted on March 19, 2009
The Vatican has refused to moderate or withdraw the controversial statement of Pope Benedict in a trip to Africa that condoms only “increase the problem” of AIDS. The anti-condom stance outraged Kevin De Cock, director of the World Health Organisation’s HIV/AIDS department, who noted that there is no evidence that condoms increase the rate of [...

Parental Guidance: Nebraska Supreme Court Finds Obese Officer in ?Fair? Physical Conditioning

Posted on March 19, 2009
The Nebraska Court of Appeals has reversed the decision of a Civil Service commission tfire an overweight officer, Christopher D. Parent. Parent, 52, is a 25 year veteran who was fired after questions were raised about his fitness in a combat shooting exercise and his failure to maintain a ?high level of physical, [...

Senator Christopher Dodd Admits Responsibility For Inserting Language Protecting Bonuses

Posted on March 19, 2009
Yesterday, Senate Banking committee Chairman Christopher Dodd took responsibility for inserting language into the federal stimulus bill that protected bonuses like the controversial AIG bonuses. A Treasury official has acknowledged that the Obama Administration pushed for the language...

Publish and Perish: Law Professor?s Writing on His Jury Experience Leads to the Overturning of Verdicts

Posted on March 19, 2009
Most law professors relish any reliance of a court on their academic writings. This may not be what Seton Hall Law Professor Robert Martin had in mind. Martin wrote about his experience as a juror in the New Jersey Law Journal after he and his co-jurors found a grocery store liable for $876,000...

The Ultimate Legislative Finding of Fact: Congress Considering Resolution That Declares Holy Bible To Be God?s Word

Posted on March 18, 2009
Courts routinely defer to legislative findings of fact, but this one may be a bit too ambitious. Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA), has introduced a resolution seeking to place the Lincoln-Obama bible on permanent display in the Capitol Visitor Center, a very good idea...

Dressing Down: Judge Posner Demands Discipline of Prosecutor Over Alleged Misconduct in Salad Dressing Case

Posted on March 18, 2009
Judge Richard Posner dressed down a federal prosecutor over expired salad dressing. Posner issued the ruling for his panel on United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit which included criticism of Assistant U.S. Attorney Juliet Sorensen for misleading statements...

Chimpanzee Victim Files $50 Million Lawsuit

Posted on March 18, 2009
Attorneys for Charla Nash, 55, and her family filed a $50 million lawsuit against Sandra Herold for her ownership of Travis, a 14-year old Chimpanzee, who left her with massive injuries. The 200-pound chimpanzee was a pet despite that fact that in many states such ownership is prohibited...

When Everyone is at Fault, No One is Accountable: Barack Obama Takes Blame for AIG Bonuses

Posted on March 18, 2009
President Barack Obama has proclaimed that the bonuses to AIG executives is “outrageous” but the “The buck stops with me.” The White House press corp again failed to ask the obvious question: what does that mean? Previously, Obama has insisted in answering questions about investigating war crimes by the prior administration that [...

Lawyer Reprimanded for Suing His Own Sister

Posted on March 18, 2009
Roy A. Raspanti, a lawyer in Louisiana, has been reprimanded by the Louisiana Supreme Court for suing his own sister, Janine Raspanti, for repeatedly filing complaints against him. The Disciplinary Board had recommended a three-month suspension. The disciplinary board had recommended suspending him for three months with nine months’ suspension deferred...

Prêt-à-Prisoner: New Jersey Supreme Court Rules That Witnesses Cannot Be Forced to Wear Prison Garb

Posted on March 18, 2009
The New Jersey Supreme Court has handed down an important ruling that prisoners cannot be forced to wear a prison uniform on the witness stand. The Court ruled that such prison garb “undermine[s] the credibility of the witness.” Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto wrote “The witness’s attire should play no role in the jury’s primary determination [...

Texas Chair of the Texas Board of Education Puts Atheist-Conspiracy Book on Recommended Reading List

Posted on March 17, 2009
Don McLeroy, controversial Chair of the Texas State Board of Education, has recommended released his top choice of his recommended reading list: ?Sowing Atheism? by Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr. — a book billed by creationists as disproving evolution and exposing the worldwide atheist conspiracy...

China Proposes That Other Nations Should Pay For Its Pollution

Posted on March 17, 2009
As China continues its runaway pollution policies, it has come up with a proposal that has the world scratching its collective head. China is proposing that it should still not be held accountable for its massive pollution rate or that fact that it has overtaken the United States as the world’s greenhouse gas producer...

The Ultimate Bailout: Senator Proposes Suicide Pact With Business

Posted on March 17, 2009
Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley has come up with the bailout for executives: suicide. Grassley suggested that AIG executives do the honorable thing and commit Seppuku. The problem is of course that ten of his colleagues immediately demanded $10 billion for the study of Seppuku techniques and the creation of Seppuku centers as [...

Lose the Cross: Rabbi Asks Pope to Take Off His Cross When Visiting the Western Wall

Posted on March 17, 2009
A controversy has erupted over the request by the Rabbi of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinovitch, that Pope Benedict XVI take off his cross before a visit to the wall in May. Rabinovitch stated “My position is that it is not fitting to enter the Western Wall area with religious symbols, including a [...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.