Federal Judiciary

Deep in the heart of Texas

Posted on June 26, 2009
By this time next week, I will be a Texas resident. I will be in Austin, not San Antonio, but still this is fantastic.Grateful hat-tip to Above the Law.

Frito...Lays

Posted on June 24, 2009
Plus a shout out to Lowell "The Hammer" Stanley...I remember him from late nights watching TV in college.Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Why am I getting into academia?

Posted on June 16, 2009
...when I have to overcome obstacles like this:A new poll for Fox News is a good indication of how members of the one of the nation's most important institutions operate largely out of the public's consciousness. Asked "Which one of the current U.S. Supreme Court justices do you most admire or agree with?", half of the respondents had no idea...

Judge Sotomayor might be the luckiest person alive

Posted on June 15, 2009
...not just being tapped to sit on the highest court in the land. She's lucky on other counts too. Check out this Chicago Tribue story:Last Nov. 23 she hit a jackpot in a Florida casino, collecting $8,283 in winnings while gambling with her mother.Sotomayor listed her winnings in a recently released disclosure form outlining her 2008 finances...

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I <3 Courtoons

Posted on June 12, 2009
Another epic courtoon!

One Tough Klutz

Posted on June 09, 2009
As you may have heard by now, Judge Sonia Sotomayor is in a cast and on crutches after breaking her ankle:Sotomayor was rushing through the hallways at LaGuardia to catch her flight when she injured her foot. He said she boarded her plane despite the injury and traveled to the Old Executive Office Building next to the White House before determining that she needed treatment...

Concering Umpires and Objectivity

Posted on June 08, 2009
Senate Republicans believe a good Supreme Court justice should behave as if he were a baseball umpire, an analogy first employed by Chief Justice Roberts during his 2005 confirmation hearings. Judge Sotomayor, in the opinion of some Republicans, runs afoul of this principle in her comments that her ethnicity and gender, in some instances, shape her view of the law...

The case for judicial pay raises

Posted on June 05, 2009
Chief Justice Roberts has advocated for a judicial pay raise since he ascended to the high court in 2005. He has been unsuccessful thus far, but here is a new argument he can make in his case to Congress.Federal judges deserve a pay raise because they occasionally have to something as inane as this:[W]hile the challenged packaging contains the word "berries" it does so only in conjunction with the descriptive term "crunch...

Who says justices can't have any fun?

Posted on June 04, 2009
I just finished reading a fantastically juicy book of Supreme Court gossip, called The Secret Lives of the Supreme Court. It's intellectually worthless, but nonetheless, quite entertaining.One of the things I learned reading this book is that only one justice has a credit on IMDB (for something other than playing themselves in a documentary)...

GOP gender hypocrisy

Posted on June 02, 2009
Sorry, but I'm just on a cartoon kick this week. (HT to Slate)

Another legal cartoon blog!

Posted on June 01, 2009
Freackin' awesome! Check out Legal Toast. Visit that site like Chicagoans vote, early and often.

Why you shouldn't piss off the IRS...

Posted on May 29, 2009
This has to be the most interesting IRS sting operation in its history: a hidden camera set up in a freight elevator, charges filed that could carry 10 years in the slammer, and thousands of dollars of damage inflicted.What do you think the charge is: tax evasion, racketeering? No way (if it were it wouldn't be on this blog)! Thanks to the good folks over at the Smoking Gun:A Michigan man was actually named yesterday in a U...

Ambulance Chaser Hall of Fame

Posted on May 28, 2009
Major kudos to Esquire magazine for compiling a list (including videos) of the worst personal injury television ads of all time.My personal two favorites are these. Enjoy!

Yankees hold kangaroo court

Posted on May 27, 2009
From mlb.com:For two months, Xavier Nady dutifully collected scraps of paper in a shoebox tucked near the back of his locker -- clubhouse infractions reported by his teammates, waiting for the day when the Yankees would call those offenses to trial.The tone of the hour-plus session -- which also involved clubhouse workers, video coordinators and other support staff -- was light-hearted...

Grand re-re-opening!

Posted on May 26, 2009
I know I haven't posted much recently. I'm trying to get back in the habit, but unlike most other bloggers, I have a life independent of this URL. Thanks for your patience.I don't care much for the NBA, but this was too awesome not to post. Cheers! Courtesy of the good folks at Courtoons.

Of Courts and Crucifix

Posted on April 14, 2009
It's over with, folks. We finally have the last pieces of evidence - a dishwasher, the movie Private Ryan, and speeches by Douglas MacArthur. And, the predicate has been laid for us in a very revealing interview given by the justice himself. It turns out that Clarence Thomas did it with a flag and a crucifix in the den...

I want you like Lawrence v. Texas

Posted on April 02, 2009
I am a bit conflicted. On the one hand, this music video is hilarious. On the other hand, as a W&M alum, I am required to look down upon UVA. Oh well..., enjoy!

Lawrence v. Texas Has No Effect in Georgia

Posted on April 02, 2009
Welcome to Our First Installment of . . . .DID YOU KNOW?!!!Did you know that Lawrence v. Texas (2003) changed absolutely nothing in Georgia? That is so because, in 1998, the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia struck down OCGA § 16-6-2(a), a statute crimnalizing all acts of sodomy, as an unconstitutional violation of privacy protections afforded under Georgia's constitution?Ironically, this was the very same act that the Supreme Court of the United States held constitutional in Bowers v...

Shortest opinion ever

Posted on April 01, 2009
J.H. GILLIS, Judge. The appellant has attempted to distinguish the factual situation in this case from that in Renfroe v. Higgins Rack Coating and Manufacturing Co., Inc. (1969), 17 Mich.App. 259, 169 N.W.2d 326. He didn't. We couldn't. Affirmed...

Quote of the day

Posted on March 27, 2009
"This is the 'crack' bill, and I think any respectable citizen would be against crack."- Tennessee Rep. Joe Town (D, Memphis)No this is not a drug bill. It's a droopy drawers bill, the retarded bill that just won't die. In case you don't know this bill allows cops to write tickets if they can observe your underwear because your pants are being worn too low...

Retarded state legislation: March Madness Edition

Posted on March 18, 2009
Here's a gem from the Kansas state Senate:Kansas Senate tries to keep KU from any more killer B?sTOPEKA | If the Kansas Senate has its way, the Kansas men?s basketball team will never suffer another postseason loss to a team that begins with the letter ?B...

Retarded state legislation: West Virginia edition

Posted on March 13, 2009
H. B. 2918 (By Delegate Eldridge) [Introduced March 3, 2009; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.]Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia: That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new article, designated §47-25-1, to read as follows:ARTICLE 25...

Retarded state legislator: Florida edition

Posted on March 12, 2009
The Florida Legislature (which might be more accurately called Open-Mic Night at the Improv) is debating a bill to make bestiality a crime. Fifteen other states besides Florida do not have laws against this practice, but that isn't the funny part.The bill was amended to "target only those who derived or helped others derive 'sexual gratification' from an animal...

Another funny case name

Posted on March 11, 2009
Funny case names has long been an obsession of Supreme Dicta. We have another member of this fabled fraternity:U.S. v. Eighteenth Century Peruvian Oil on Canvas Painting 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10704The Washington Post describes the case name as "unusual...

In case you missed it...

Posted on March 09, 2009
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Our constitutional landscape: Inflatable rat has more free speech rights than a religion

Posted on February 26, 2009
No doubt, many of my atheist readers will think that this is the way things should be, but I think this is absurd. Let's dive in, shall we?Earlier this month, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled a ten-foot blow-up rat is a form of free expression entitled to constitutional protection...

Worst Motion Ever!

Posted on February 20, 2009
Many thanks to Rodney Chedister for passing this bizarre case along to me:The case Washington v. Alaimo, 943 F. Supp 1395 (1996) was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. It was disposed of on the ?merits? (if you can call them that) based on orders which limit pro se plaintiff?s access to the courts to ?protect their jurisdiction from conduct which impairs their ability to carry out Article III functions...

Worst brief ever!

Posted on February 04, 2009
Another fantastic story out of Wisconsin, but unfortunately not from Sheboygan (sorry Seth).A jazz musician who filed a legal brief in a child custody dispute with rap lyrics won his appeal and will get out of paying nearly $4,000 in fees.Gregory Royal, a trombone player, represented himself and spent three days writing his legal brief in rap form...

And now for something completely different

Posted on February 02, 2009
This post is mostly for Mary...mostly.Here's your newspaper headline 'o the day: Sign hacker broadcasts zombie warnings.Someone reprogrammed two city construction road signs near the University of Texas early Monday morning in an attempt to warn Austin of an imminent zombie attack...

Retarded state legislation: Connecticut and Mississippi Double Edition

Posted on January 27, 2009
Here's a church/state double whammy for you today! Let's start with Connecticut, where it's as cold as a witch's...trial. What did you think I was going to say?In the Connecticut State Senate, Democrat Paul Doyle has proposed legislation every year recognizing the "victims of the witch trials of colonial Connecticut...

Is Barack Obama the first black president?

Posted on January 23, 2009
According to one law professor, the answer may be no...Ken Katkin of the Salmon P. Chase School of Law at Northern Kentucky University tells the Washington City Paper that for one minute, Condoleeza Rice was acting president. Here's a sketch of his argument:(1) The 20th Amendment provides that ?[t]he terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January...

MLK 4TW!

Posted on January 22, 2009
My one little bit of seriousness about the inauguration. Check out this 1964 interview with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in which he predicts the election of an African American president in 25 years or less.OK, I promise that tomorrow I will bring back the funny...

Dusting off the old blawg...

Posted on January 21, 2009
Sorry for the lapse in posting. Those of you who know me in real life understand why blogging has been on the back burner lately. But hopefully this is the first of many (regular) posts to come.Q. How many former editors of the Harvard Law Review does it take to administer the presidential oath of office? A...

This explains a lot...

Posted on December 22, 2008
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I love me some recounts!

Posted on December 19, 2008
Think that election law can't be hilarious? Think again. From today's Minneapolis Star-Tribune (which has done a fantastic job covering the Coleman/Franken recount):br /blockquoteThe board clipped along at a rapid pace in its review of challenged ballots, aided by the withdrawal of challenges, but more time was needed for the study a handful of quizzical ballots, leading to some lighter moments...

Glenn Beck, noted constitutional law scholar

Posted on December 16, 2008
How is it possible to be dumber than Joe the Plumber? Glenn Beck finds a way... (skip to the 1:30 mark)I don't know whether to sigh in frustration or laugh with contempt. Maybe both.

A Sad Day

Posted on December 12, 2008
The Infield Fly Rule is neither a rule of law nor one of equity; it is a rule of baseball. Since the 1890's it has been a part of the body of the official rules of baseball. In its inquiry into the common law origins of the rule, this Aside does not seek to find a predecessor to the rule in seventeenth-century England...

God Save the Commonwealth of Kentucky! (because the government doesn't intend to)

Posted on December 11, 2008
Here's the most outrageous headline of last week: "Atheists sue to take God out of state's terrorism law" (from the December 2 Lexington Herald-Leader). WTF, you might ask? Here the details:An atheists-rights group is suing the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security because state law requires the agency to stress "dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth...

Learned Hand? Meet Learned Foote.

Posted on December 10, 2008
As many of you may know, I am mildly obsessed with Judge Learned Hand, arguably the greatest jurist never to win a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.Which is why I nearly fell out of my chair laughing reading this post over at the Wall Street Journal's excellent Law Blog...

Happy Repeal Day!

Posted on December 05, 2008
It's time to raise a glass and toast...the U.S. Constitution! It was on this date 75 years ago that the 21st Amendment was ratified. For a more thorough look at this historic occasion (and a list of suggested toasts), please go here.

God Bless the Onion

Posted on December 02, 2008

Justice Thomas is NOT a Vibrator.

Posted on November 19, 2008
I'm not sure what else to take away from last week's Slate article on the Court's oral argument in Pleasant Grove v. SUMMUM. Poor Dahlia! She's left trying to make sense out of what seems to be a policy-preference hash. In my free speech seminar this semester, there are no less than THREE (of twelve) students attempting to parse some or all of the Court's religious speech doctrine...

Justice Kennedy and "grabastic pieces of amphibian s#$@"

Posted on November 13, 2008
Sorry, I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but I felt compelled to put up one more post about the obscenity case recently heard by the Supreme Court. Enjoy!

Quote of the day

Posted on November 10, 2008
A footnote to a recent post...Roberts: "The reason these words shock is because of the association." Scalia: "And that's why we don't use the word jolly-woggle instead of the F-word."Am I the only one that finds the term "jolly-woggle" to be much creepier than the F-word?!? Gross!

Reason #157 why judicial elections make no sense

Posted on November 07, 2008
From yesterday's Houston Chronicle (seriously):The straight-party Democratic voting that ushered in a new batch of civil and criminal district judges in Harris County was not the biggest surprise. But the fact that four Republican judges survived Democratic challenges left courthouse observers to speculate how they did it...

Justice Stevens Proposes the Rule of Hilarity

Posted on November 06, 2008
For those of you swept up in election fever this week (including me), the rest of the country was still operating as usual, including an important oral argument at the Supreme Court in the case Fcc v. Fox Television Stations.Here is the background on the case from Oyez:During the [2002 and 2003 Billboard Music Awards aired on Fox], one musician used an explicative in his acceptance speech, and a presenter used two expletives...

One for the History Books

Posted on November 05, 2008
There is one historical footnote to yesterday's elections that I think is deeply moving. As a Virginian, I was very proud to see my state go blue last night for the first time since 1964. But as an American, I was even more proud of the results in one particular part of Virginia...

Vote, Damnit!!!

Posted on November 04, 2008
Unless you have been living in a cave (by which I mean Canada), you should know today is Election Day. So here's some inspiration to get you to "exercise" your civic duty.

Law Firm Basketball Team Uses a Ringer

Posted on October 24, 2008
One of my favorite West Wing episodes was the one where President Bartlett puts Rodney Grant (a character played by former NBA star Juwan Howard) on his pick-up basketball team.What I never expected was that someone would actually use this tactic in real life...

Vote Terry Tate for Office Linebacker on Nov. 4

Posted on October 21, 2008

"Not Enough."

Posted on October 21, 2008
Morocco has a law that, to American ears, sounds quite jarring. In order to adopt a Moroccan baby, would-be parents have to convert to Islam. That seems kinda strange, but it appears that Moroccan authorities are satisfied with some sort of pro forma conversion...

Chief Justice Joe Friday Roberts

Posted on October 20, 2008
Good gumshoe investigative reporting, Mr. Liptak.From the Bench, a Flair for Hard-Boiled Crime WritingBy ADAM LIPTAKWASHINGTON ? Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has a playful side, and it is steeped in pop culture. In June, he cited Bob Dylan. On Tuesday, in a dissent from the Supreme Court?s decision not to hear an interesting criminal case, he described a street-corner drug deal in South Philadelphia in two paragraphs of clipped, hard-boiled sentences that owed something to Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler...

Stupid is as stupid does

Posted on October 10, 2008
Man I loves me some good ol' fashion public shaming. It is part of the rich history and tradition of American criminal justice, beginning with pillories and stocks. Schadenfreude might be a German word, but it's an American value.Here's a more 21st century, post-modern approach to humiliation, in a case from Wisconsin:A judge gives a man a choice: Spend time in jail or hold a sign saying "I was stupid...

A long way from Mayberry

Posted on October 08, 2008
The Supremes are back! The New York Times reported on a humorous exchange at oral argument earlier this week on a Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule case. The first case concerned an Alabama man named Bennie Dean Herring, who was arrested, searched and found with methamphetamines and a pistol...

McCain and Obama SCOTUS Short Lists

Posted on October 07, 2008
God bless the Daily Show. They are practitioners of cutting-edge journalism. They are the ONLY news source that has obtained short lists of Supreme Court nominees from both candidates. Enjoy:McCain:Justice Janet Rogers Brown: George W. Bush managed to appoint Brown to the United States Court of Appeals despite significant Democratic opposition...

Happy First Monday!

Posted on October 06, 2008
Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! All persons having business before the Honorable, the Supreme Court of the United States, are admonished to draw near and give their attention, for the Court is now sitting. God save the United States and this Honorable Court!OK I know this photo is old, but suck on it...

Want to geek out?

Posted on October 03, 2008
Obama, McCain, and Palin...as Shakespearean characters. Good stuff.

Video Du Jour

Posted on October 01, 2008
Skip ahead to the 1:00 mark. Fantastic stuff...

Let's play guess the state?

Posted on September 30, 2008
A judge from which state was just reprimanded, but not suspended, for "directing profanity-laced invective at lawyers and litigants on multiple occasions"?'>That's right. What did you expect? The disciplinary body decided against suspending the judge because he always prefaces his tirades with the phrase, "No disrespect...

Justice Thomas Fails to Inspire

Posted on September 29, 2008
A brief followup to a recent post about the Supreme Court and college football, Justice Thomas visited the University of Georgia football team after practice last week. What impact did Justice Thomas' pep talk have? Well, the highly touted Bulldogs lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide (w00t, Brandeis)...

Dick Move Du Jour

Posted on September 26, 2008
Hat tip to The Fix over at the Washington Post.OK check out this screenshot of a Wall Street Journal webpage.Now look at this more detailed image.Note the date and time?! Earth the McCain campaign, you can't claim to win a motherfu#$&*! debate before it even takes place...

Greatest. Case. Name. Ever.

Posted on September 25, 2008
On several different ocassions, I have noted some of the funniest case names ever. I thought I had reached the limits of awesomeness with some of these other entries. I was WRONG. Mea culpa! This is the greatest case name ever:United States v. 11 1/4 Dozen Packages of Articles Labeled in Part Mrs...

President Bartlett Meets Obama

Posted on September 25, 2008
Anyone who knows me has had put up with my endless fawning for NBC's The West Wing. So I was very excited to see that Maureen Dowd had outsourced her New York Times column to the creator of the West Wing, Aaron Sorkin.You absolutely must read this dialogue Sorkin created between Jed Bartlett and Barack Obama...

Lawyer of the day

Posted on September 20, 2008
Stick around for the last story in this video clip. It is dictaworthy.

Justice Alito and Socrates

Posted on September 18, 2008
Tuesday night I personally witnessed Justice Alito overturn a death sentence for the first time in his career. Too bad the defendant has been dead for almost 2,500 years and it was a moot court.The Shakespeare Theatre Company put on a moot court to appeal the death sentence of the Greek philosopher Socrates...

Great links

Posted on September 16, 2008
Sorry that I have not been posting as frequently. I am in the midst of changing jobs, and I hope to be more focused on blogging again soon.One of my favorite blawgs is over at the Wall Street Journal. Their Law Blog often gives me some good material for me to mouth off about...

Oral Argument in the 7th Circuit? More like Oral Masscre!

Posted on September 12, 2008
Here is an example of how appellate court judges do in fact come down from the hills after the battle has raged and do shoot the wounded. In this case, the Seventh Circuit should be shooting the wounded (or, at least the counsel for petitioner).The case is Illinois Bell v...

Like Abbott and Costello, except nerdier

Posted on September 10, 2008
An instant message exchange today between myself and Mr. Justice Brandeis:Brandeis: In my free speech seminar, someone yesterday spoke of James Dobson in an approving manner - I spit away the taste of his name.Harlan: Lol. That's the downfall of free speech - stupid and false speech is still free...

You Just Got BarackRoll'd!

Posted on September 09, 2008
I don't usually bloviate on partisan politics on this blog (though I do bloviate about other topics). But I had to share this YouTube sensation with you. Enjoy!Hat tip to my coworker (and Quiz Law) for pointing me in this direction.

Virginia to Student Voters: Lose Your Scholarships

Posted on September 08, 2008
Okay, so it ain't "Drop Dead." But the county registrar in the county where Virginia Tech trains the next generation of dog-fighting quarterbacks recently announced that students who register to vote at their college address (specifically, a dormitory) are subject to sanctions...

Headline of the day

Posted on September 04, 2008
"Gunshot victim sues to get back prosthetic leg." (Actually an even more hilarious version of this headline belongs to How Appealing who quipped: "All your prosthetic leg are belong to us.")According the Scottsbluff (Nebraska) Star-Herald, Val McCabe has a real suckass week...

Are you ready for some football?

Posted on September 04, 2008
Here's a public service announcement: the regular season of the NFL starts tonight, when my Redskins will lose in an embarrassing fashion to the New York Giants.But mainly I was just looking for an excuse to post this picture. A most grateful hattip to the good folks over at Quiz Law.

Move over Footnote 4

Posted on September 02, 2008
(Grateful H/T to Legal Antics)Meet Footnote 27 of the case Clancy v. King handed down by the Maryland Court of Appeals.If a significant motive for Clancy exercising his contractual right to withdraw his name from the Op-Center series was to decrease the profitability of the series, thereby denying his JRLP partner and ex-wife revenue, because he desired to spite or punish King for or as a consequence of their divorce, it reasonably could be maintained that he acted in bad faith towards both the Op-Center Joint Venture and JRLP...

Who says one vote can't make a difference?

Posted on August 28, 2008
Tennessee Official Wins Election With Only One Vote, Her Ownby Associated PressSNEEDVILLE, Tenn. ? Angela Tuttle has won an election, but she won?t have to spend a lot of time thanking the people who voted for her.Tuttle was running for constable of Hancock County, Tennessee, as a write-in candidate...

Who likes short shorts?

Posted on August 25, 2008
Apparently not a judge in Lancaster, Kentucky. Judge Janet Booth of the Garratt District Court jailed 28-year-old Kristie Arnold for wearing inappropriate clothing...for the third time! Arnold is awaiting trial on charges of harassment, criminal trespass, and leaving the scene of an accident...

Biden Delivers First Speech of the Campaign

Posted on August 24, 2008
Text of the Introduction of Joseph Biden as the Democratic Presidential Nominee's Pick for Vice-President. Location: Democratic Rally in Springfield, IllinoisObama: "Americans want meaningful change. They need hope. I know that hope is audacious. And you know that I know that hope is audacious...

Quick Thought for Harlan and Holmes (and the other four of you)

Posted on August 20, 2008
So I'm taking a seminar this semester on free speech, and I've picked out my paper topic. I'll be writing on Perry v. Sinderman, 408 U.S. 593 (1972). The case held that a college professor's dismissal could not be upheld on summary judgment on his lack of a contractual or tenure right to employment when he claimed that his dismissal was due to public criticism of the administration...

Major Civil Rights Anniversary

Posted on August 09, 2008
Today marks the 50th anniversary of one of the nation's first successful drug store sit-ins in Wichita, Kansas.But really, I was just looking for an excuse to post this picture.Aww. The kitty is soo cute!

Quote of the day

Posted on August 06, 2008
Guess who said the following:"If we had no sexual harassment we would have no children."No it's not Clarence Thomas...or Bob Packwood...or Bill Clinton...or Mark Foley.The answer is a Russian judge in sexual harassment ruling.And that isn't the shocking part...

Disclaimer of the Day

Posted on August 05, 2008
For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure, check out Writ Large, the new blog by the Chicago Tribune's Jim Oliphant.In his most recent post, Oliphant recounts watching PBS with his young daughter when he came across a curious public service announcement...

Why I freacking love Keith Olbermann

Posted on July 31, 2008
The whole video is funny, but the joke of the day begins at the 1:45 mark.

Dumbest Free Exercise Claim Ever!

Posted on July 30, 2008
Hat tip to Howard Friedman, who writes the excellent Religion Clause blog.A divorced dad has refused to pay his child support through his state's Central Child Support Receipting Unit. He would rather pay the money directly to his wife because this processing unit violates his First Amendment free exercise rights...

ZeitGeist

Posted on July 28, 2008
For those of you who have never seen the funniest video blog on the Web, let me introduce you to ZeitGeist. The blogger, Willie Geist, is a sidekick on the MSNBC's Morning Joe (and yes, he is Bill Geist's son). Today Willie tackles two good law-ish stories...

Best Performing Arts Center Ever!

Posted on July 28, 2008
I need to get my ass to Iowa. Why might you ask? To get me some culture.You see, Iowa has a pretty strong indecent exposure law that was designed to make strip clubs illegal. But there's a loophole. Nude dancing is allowed at arts centers, theaters, museums, etc...

Losing Makes Ya Crazy

Posted on July 25, 2008
At least, that's the only explanation I can think of for Stephen Calabresi's latest in the Chicago Tribune.Seriously, I have neither the time nor the energy to make this shit up. Obama's too young to be President, based on some bullshit stretching of "living Constitution" interpretation...

Lawsuit of the Day (apparently all the news is NOT fit to print)

Posted on July 24, 2008
America is the most litigious country in the world. But sometimes, a frivolous lawsuit is still very valuable because of the point it gets across. Here's a story from the NPR show On the Media:BROOKE GLADSTONE: News organizations, editors and bloggers all are dealing with the financial difficulties newspapers face, but what about readers? What recourse have they if they're upset with a paper?s efforts to downsize? They could write a letter, cancel their subscription, or even ?sue? That?s the line of attack chosen by a newspaper reader in Durham, North Carolina...

Call me old fashioned...

Posted on May 14, 2008
...but if you are a multi-million dollar corporation (and therefore subject to Sarbanes-Oxley) you might want to hire an expert, not a dummy.From the product description on Amazon:Whether you?re a CEO or a file clerk, it?s important to understand Sarbanes-Oxley, the post-Enron legislation aimed at keeping corporations honest and ethical...

I'll have the Reuben with a side of intercourse, please

Posted on May 14, 2008
Breaking news! A Pennsylvania appellate court has ruled that sex is not an accessory use of a restaurant. Who says being an appellate judge isn't any fun?In MAJ Entertainment Inc. v. the City of Philadelphia, the panel consisting of President Judge Bonnie Brigance Leadbetter and Judges Renée Cohn Jubelirer, Robert Simpson and Doris A...

The Founders were visionaries...

Posted on May 09, 2008

Why I love The Onion (and the Washington Nationals)

Posted on May 08, 2008
Nationals Book It After Foul Ball Accidentally Smashes Capitol Rotunda WASHINGTON, DC?An 8,976-foot foul ball off the bat of Washington third baseman Ryan Zimmerman crashed through the U.S. Capitol Building rotunda Sunday afternoon, prompting both the Nationals and the opposing Pittsburgh Pirates to gasp, turn to each other in shock, and immediately run full speed out of Nationals Park...

Retarded state legislation: California edition

Posted on May 08, 2008
As Justice Brandeis said, state legislatures are the "laboratories of democracy." Well in some cases, a well-intentioned laboratory can produce a Frankenstein monster... or in this case, a GED for your governor! God I love California, they are very dictalicious...

We are a little less Loving today

Posted on May 06, 2008
No snarkiness in this post. Just a solemn, grateful remembrance.Mildred Loving, matriarch of interracial marriage, diesBy DIONNE WALKER – 11 hours agoRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Mildred Loving, a black woman whose challenge to Virginia's ban on interracial marriage led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling striking down such laws nationwide, has died, her daughter said Monday...

Girl fight = hot!

Posted on May 05, 2008
It is on!!!!! According to The Manchester Guardian:What a cat fight it is turning out to be. Later this month, in a courtroom in Riverside, California, Barbie will go head to head with her nemeses, that streetwise gang of four known as Bratz. At stake is not just the future of the multibillion-dollar doll market, but also the ownership over images of femininity that influence the imaginative lives of millions of girls around the world...

Red Sox Nation has its own police force

Posted on May 02, 2008
From today's Boston Globe:Federal authorities are investigating whether the head of the US Marshals Service in Boston assigned deputy marshals, normally charged with tracking fugitives and protecting judges, to ferry Fox Sports broadcasters Tim McCarver and Joe Buck between their hotel and Fenway Park during last year's World Series...

Best trademark dispute ever!

Posted on April 30, 2008
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- A Greek court has been asked to draw the line between the natives of the Aegean Sea island of Lesbos and the world's gay women.Three islanders from Lesbos - home of the ancient poet Sappho, who praised love between women - have taken a gay rights group to court for using the word lesbian in its name...

Retarded state legislation: Lousiana edition

Posted on April 30, 2008
Gracious hat-tip to Quiz Law.As Justice Brandeis said, state legislatures are the "laboratories of democracy." Well in some cases, a well-intentioned laboratory can produce a Frankenstein monster... or in this case, a tasty adult beverage.S.B. 6By Senator Murray§170...

Ars Scientia Propagandis: Law's Problem with Expelled

Posted on April 28, 2008
So Expelled has been causing a little bit furor over its unremitting and unending stupidity. And, I want to be quick to point out, that stupidity does NOT have to do with the content of its underlying "science," creationism (which, for the record, is pretty stupid)...

Lady Justice Does Bubble Dance with Scales. Film at Eleven

Posted on April 23, 2008
In keeping with my (much) earlier post on the use of humor by judges and jurists, I follow up with a post on the use of Rhyme in the writing of opinions. While I find all of these are particularly funny, it should also be noted that rhyme included as part of written opinions is frowned upon by the bar...

Happy Birthday, William Shakespeare

Posted on April 23, 2008

Toughest moot court ever!

Posted on April 22, 2008
But probably a lot of fun!For three days last week, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. heard arguments in a real court in Washington. Then he came to New York to preside over a fake one ? the finals of the moot court competition at Columbia Law School...

Sanctity of...divorce?

Posted on April 18, 2008
I guess we should have seen this coming.Massachusetts, at least early on, let out-of-state gay couples get married there practically for the asking. But the rules governing divorce are stricter. Out-of-state couples could go back to Massachusetts to get divorced, but they would have to live there for a year to establish residency first...

The sign of a rough economy

Posted on April 17, 2008
Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales can't find a job as a lawyer, eight months after resigning in disgrace. His primary income has been from hitting the lecture circuit! Finally, a little bit of divine justice.Asked about reports that law firms have not taken up feelers from Mr...

Fat-Bottomed Girls, They Make the World Go 'Round

Posted on April 16, 2008
So, I hear from lotsa people (okay, the BBC and the Huffington Post) that France's National Assembly has passed a bill to authorize prison sentences for those who advocate "extreme thinness."I don't quite know what to make of this, myself. Speaking just for myself, and I can't believe I'm writing this on a blog my MOTHER reads, I don't understand the impetus toward "attractive" meaning "capable of falling through a crack in the floor...

Retarded state legislation: California edition

Posted on April 16, 2008
As Justice Brandeis said, state legislatures are the "laboratories of democracy." Well in some cases, a well-intentioned laboratory can produce a Frankenstein monster. This is the third time the Dicta has bestowed this honor on the great State of California...

The perfect follow up

Posted on April 11, 2008
...to yesterday's post. From the WSJ Law Blog:The Scalia Roadshow continued yesterday when Nino took questions from a group of really smart students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.To queries about his youth, Scalia said that, while a student at Xavier High School in Manhattan, he played the French horn, was on the junior varsity rifle team, and played Macbeth in a high school play, terming his mastery of Shakespeare?s tragedy ?significant...

What's worse than citing foreign law? Citing Shakespeare

Posted on April 10, 2008
The good folks over at Concurring Opinions have previewed a new article that will be soon be published in my favorite law journal, the Green Bag. Prof. Todd Henderson of the University of Chicago has investigated the extent to which works of literary fiction are cited in appellate court decisions...

Funny legal words

Posted on April 07, 2008
Courtesy of The Billable Hour. Buy their stuff!

Another great case name

Posted on April 04, 2008
United States v. Rayburn House Office Building Room 2113Confused? This is yet another example of an "in rem" action, in which the government is attempting to justify the seizure of an asset. And the asset is listed as one of the parties to the action...

Take me out to the ball game

Posted on April 01, 2008
Some of you may know that I am a little nuts when it comes to baseball. I think it is altogether fitting and proper that Opening Night came one week after Easter. They are both religious holidays in my life. The Nationals unveiled a new ball park on Sunday...

Quotes of the day

Posted on March 31, 2008
In case you missed some of the coverage of the Supreme Court from last week, the Court heard a case testing the extent to which defendants are allowed to represent themselves in court. The case, Indiana v. Edwards, involves a defendant on trial for attempted murder who was ruled to be sane enough to stand trial, but too mentally disturbed to represent himself...

Yale nabs Linda Greenhouse

Posted on March 27, 2008
The so-called Tenth Justice of the Supreme Court is heading to the Yale University Law School. Linda Greenhouse, who has covered the Supreme Court for the New York Times for three decades will be leaving the paper as part of an employee buyout program...

Quote of the day

Posted on March 20, 2008
Tuesday was an historic day for the United States Supreme Court. Screw the D.C. gun case! More Dictalicious was an opinion they handed down in the case Washington State Grange v. Washington State Republican Party. That case involved a challenge to the structure of the Washington State primary election system...

Great case name...or greatest case name?

Posted on March 18, 2008
As you may know, the Dicta loves cool case names. Well I think we have an all-time winner, courtesy of the good folks over at Decision of the Day. The case is...U.S. v. Approximately 64,695 Pounds of Shark Fins, 05-56294 (9th Cir., March 17, 2008)Hang on, I'll wait for the hilarity to sink in...

A word of advice in the gun ban case...

Posted on March 18, 2008
Yes, the day is finally here. The Supremes will be hearing oral argument in the D.C. gun ban case, which is District of Columbia v. Heller. The opinion will likely be handed down in June.N.B. Sorry I didn't post last week. I took my first vacation in a full year! But I'm back now (although still very busy at work).

The most under-reported story of the week

Posted on March 07, 2008
This past Monday night, Hillary Clinton held a rally in Austin, TX to make a last minute appeal to voters before the primary. Of course, a large press contingent follows Sen. Clinton wherever she goes, and they need facilities to file their stories. Where did the press corps get set up during this rally? In the bathroom at a adjoining building...

How U.S. News really makes its law school rankings

Posted on March 06, 2008
Take a gander over at Concurring Opinions. Fantastic stuff.

Could you wait until July to commit your crime, please?

Posted on March 03, 2008
Death penalty opponents have found a novel way to prevent executions in Georgia.Shut down the criminal docket.See, what happened was, Georgia created a state-wide public defender system run by a state agency. This year, the Governor (generous of heart that he is) asked for $3...

Today in Legal History

Posted on March 03, 2008
March 3, 1879 - First Woman Admitted to Practice Before U.S. Supreme Court Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood becomes the first female attorney admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1876, because of the Court?s refusal to admit women to practice before it "until such a change is required by statute," Lockwood will undertake three years of Congressional lobbying, resulting in passage of H...

McCain and "natural-born citizen"

Posted on February 29, 2008
The New York Times has written about a topic that has been on my mind since Sen. John McCain ran for president the first time around - what does the Constitution mean when it states only a "natural-born citizen" is eligible to be president? Sen. McCain was born on a U...

South Park Cited in Appellate Court Opinion

Posted on February 27, 2008
To quote Lewis Black, I have neither the time nor the energy to make s#$% like this up.First, a very grateful hat tip to Decision of the Day.Here's a little context. The case involves a federal employee dismissed from her job for testing positive for marijuana...

Happy Birthday, Judicial Review

Posted on February 25, 2008
Yesterday marked the 205th birthday of arguably the most important Supreme Court case in history, Marbury v. Madison. The facts of the case are a bit confusing: incoming Secretary of State James Madison refused to deliver a commission issued by outgoing President John Adams, appointing William Marbury as Justice of the Peace in the District of Columbia...

Home is where the meth is

Posted on February 22, 2008
The 9th Circuit seems to have a talent for hearing bizarre cases. I might be so bold as to call them the most Dictalicious circuit in the country.The case involves a Fourth Amendment dispute over the reach of Georgia v. Randolph. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled that when two co-occupants are present and one consents to a search while the other refuses, the search is not constitutional...

Lawsuit: Whiskey Tasted Like Urine And I Got Fired

Posted on February 21, 2008
A very grateful hat tip to Quiz Law!Lawsuit: Whiskey Tasted Like Urine And I Got FiredMan Claims Fight Over Whiskey Cost Him Promising Job CHICAGO (STNG) ? A night at the Drake Hotel is unforgettable for most but especially for Christopher T. Turner, who says a night there resulted in him losing a high-paying position, and is the reason he will probably always doing a sniff test before drinking alcohol from a hotel room's mini-bar...

Did I Stutter? I Said I Plead the Fifth

Posted on February 18, 2008
A murder suspect is being questioned by police and says, "I plead the Fifth." Obviously, under Miranda, when a suspect asserts his Fifth Amendment rights, all police questioning must cease. But it doesn't stop. The officer responded, "Plead the Fifth? What?s that?" The officer continues the questioning and the suspect's subsequent answers become the basis of a conviction...

Pitchers and Catchers Report Today!

Posted on February 15, 2008
It is altogether fitting and proper that the day after Valentine's Day is also a day of love...for baseball fans. Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training today, meaning there are only 44 days until Opening Day.As a native Washingtonian, my favorite team is the Nationals, the team with the worst odds to win the World Series (Vegas says we are a 200 to 1 underdog)...

A Standard of Review too Far

Posted on February 11, 2008
Of course, no matter how fabulous and brilliant I am, this post is going to piss you off. Why?It's about abortion. (cue heavy dramatic music).So, I've been thinking, what's a way to reconcile the moral claims of both sides of the abortion debate within our current legal framework...

Best headline ever: Can a Sandwich Be Slandered?

Posted on February 08, 2008
I was planning on writing about this a couple weeks ago, but I got distracted. But considering today is the 12th anniversary of the CDA, I revived the post.In 2006, Quiznos created a contest encouraging ordinary people to record home video commercials of why Quiznos is better than Subway...

Chief Justice Akhil Reed Amar?

Posted on February 07, 2008
It's going to come true....if Mike Gravel is elected president. Before you point out that Gravel will never win the election, please consider that biologists are making huge progress in cross breeding birds with pigs.According to today's Yale Daily News:In a recent interview with the News after speaking to students at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N...

Retarded state legislation: New Mexico edition

Posted on February 06, 2008
As Justice Brandeis said, state legislatures are the "laboratories of democracy." Well in some cases, a well-intentioned laboratory can produce a Frankenstein monster. Or, more precisely, a mechanical roadrunner. Confused? Read on:SENATE MEMORIAL 40DESIGNATING THE NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING AND TECHNOLOGY AS THE HOME OF THE MECHANICAL ROADRUNNER...

Happy Black History Month

Posted on February 04, 2008
From a Walgreen's in San Francisco. It's real, I swear.

The Highest Court in the Land

Posted on February 01, 2008
This is a short story I found recently which explains how the greatest cases in modern Supreme Court have been decided. Here's a brief excerpt:Everything you were taught about the Supreme Court and its decisions is bunk. For most of the nineteenth century and all of the twentieth, our biggest, most far-reaching legal decisions have been decided not by careful examination of facts and reference to precedent but by contests of game and sport between the justices...

Oregon Supreme Court Rules on...Circumcision?!?

Posted on January 29, 2008
I know divorce is painful for children, but this is ridiculous.The wishes of a 12-year-old boy should be considered in a dispute between his divorced parents about whether he should be circumcised, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled Friday. The father, James Boldt, converted to Judaism in 2004 and wants the boy to be circumcised as part of the faith...

Court TV

Posted on January 25, 2008
The New York Times published an editorial today calling on the Supreme Court to televise its proceedings. The editors reasoned:Just last week, [the Supreme Court] heard arguments on a challenge to a harsh Indiana voter ID law, a partisan scheme to disenfranchise poor and minority voters...

Would you pass the butter, Justice Breyer?

Posted on January 24, 2008
The quote of the day comes from Justice Breyer's dissent in Ali v. Federal Bureau of Prisons:The word ?any? is of no help because all speakers (including writers and legislators) who use general words such as ?all,? ?any,? ?never,? and ?none? normally rely upon context to indicate the limits of time and place within which they intend those words to do their linguistic work...

Larry Sabato - professional amateur constitutional scholar

Posted on January 23, 2008
The most shameless, self-promoting, media diva in political science has released yet another book. Larry Sabato has released A More Perfect Constitution, which contains 23 suggestions for constitutional amendments to improve our democracy. Most of his ideas can be summed up as "radically stupid...

Breaking News: Having Sex With Patients Not A Job Duty of Therapists

Posted on January 17, 2008
(Once again, thanks to How Appealing)File this one under the heading of "No Sh#%, Sherlock."So a therapist in Kentucky started sleeping with one of his patients. His patient, shocker, got more depressed and sued the doctor for seducing her. The doctor wants to use his liability insurance to settle the claim, but the insurance company argued that sleeping with patients is not within the scope of employment for a therapist...

Judge Posner lays down the law

Posted on January 16, 2008
Via How AppealingIn a recent reinsurance case (which are usually very boring) Judge Posner oberseved:One who voluntarily confers a benefit on another, which is to say in the absence of a contractual obligation to do so, ordinarily has no legal claim to be compensated...

Floor or Ceiling?

Posted on January 15, 2008
The Supreme Court recently heard oral argument in a case that sits at the intersection of federalism and the search and seizure jurisprudence. The question is: what happens if a state law gives criminal suspects more privacy rights than those guaranteed under the 4th Amendment? Here are the facts of the case:In this case, the police in Virginia arrested a man for driving with a suspended license...

Benchmark Writing from the Bench

Posted on January 14, 2008
Lately, I have noticed a kind of ?theme? emerging from some of the research I have conducted into opinion writing. This theme is not really a theme at all, but a set of threads from present time and distant past, observations on opinion writing, and also the efforts of judges themselves in resolving conflicts before their courts...

No Comp for Crack Dealer

Posted on January 14, 2008
Now that I have your attention...Who says state supreme courts never have any fun? Check out this story from Workforce Management magazine:Continually selling crack cocaine amounts to employment and thus is sufficient cause to terminate permanent total disability compensation, Ohio?s Supreme Court has ruled...

It's Official: Hell Has Frozen Over

Posted on January 11, 2008
Snow...in Baghdad.

Gay people must have cooties

Posted on January 11, 2008
Otherwise how can you explain this story? The Toronto Star is reporting that the Canadian health care system bans most gay men from donating organs because of the alleged prevalence of HIV/AIDS within that community.Now doctors are beginning to speak out...

Who Stands in the Way of ?The Great Wall of Bush?? Rootin?-Tootin? Cowboys from Tejas!

Posted on January 10, 2008
The Associated Press is reporting that the Department of Justice is readying 102 lawsuits against property owners in border states who refuse to grant access to Department of Homeland Security officials selecting sites to build border fences. The Bush administration hopes to erect approximately 370 miles of fence and 300 miles of car barriers along the Mexican border before the end of 2008...

All rise! The Honorable Judge Haberdasher Presiding

Posted on January 09, 2008
The Associated Press has a story (via How Appealing) about a judge after my own heart:Circuit Judge William Sosnay held up court for about three hours Tuesday after a prosecutor showed up wearing a red ascot to court despite a rule requiring lawyers to wear neckties...

Please Hold, Your Approximate Wait Time is...25 Years to Life.

Posted on January 09, 2008
Here is the first of hopefully many posts by my good friend, Holmes.On January 7, 2008, in the case Shawano County Sheriff v. Van Patten (07-212), the U.S. Supreme Court issued a per curiam opinion overturning a decision of the 7th Circuit Court of appeal that Joseph Van Patten did not receive effective representation of counsel when he pleaded no contest to first degree reckless homicide and was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment...

Keep It Simple, Stupid!

Posted on January 07, 2008
The Richmond Times-Dispatch (via How Appealing) has a fantastic story about law students using simple language. Heretofore, lawyers have felt the need to contort the English language to make their arguments ipso facto. But every once in a while, a word is just a word...

Justice Scalia and "24"

Posted on January 04, 2008
I read the following over at Salon (via Quiz Law):Last June during a panel discussion in Ottawa about terrorism and the use of torture, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia stood up for the TV torturerextraordinaire and hero of Fox Broadcasting's "24...

An overlooked bicentennial

Posted on January 03, 2008
Last year, there was great fanfare celebrating the 200th anniversary of the United Kingdom's ban on the slave trade. The movie Amazing Grace chronicled the story of William Wilberforce, the parliamentarian who championed the cause of abolition.But January 1, 2008 marked another bicentennial that most people did not notice - a ban on the importation of slaves into the United States...

Words of the year

Posted on January 02, 2008
Leave it to uppity English professors to come up with a list of the most useless words of 2007. Academics at Lake Superior State University compile an annual List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness...

Wait, you mean Brandeis is asking for YOUR help?

Posted on January 01, 2008
Yes. I know you want to strut like a rooster, but wait until you actually read the rest of this to do so. Wait, wait - okay, strut if you want.Done? All right, moving right along.I've been fired up by a decision issued last week by the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board, the court that decides disputes between workers acting collectively and employers)...

Ten Most Retarded Administration Legal Arguments of 2007

Posted on December 31, 2007
It wouldn't be New Year's without a Top Ten List of Something from 2007. Dahlia Lithwick provides a really interesting and (unfortunately) hilarious list of the biggest whoppers the Bush Administration has passed off as a legal argument this past year...

Best Motion for Continuance Ever!

Posted on December 27, 2007
Thanks to the good folks at Above the Law for breaking this story. Sorry you have to rotate the image and zoom in. But it is worth the effort. Your browser does not support embedded PDF files.

Best 9th Circuit Decision Ever!

Posted on December 21, 2007
Alternate title to this post: "They may take our lives, but they'll never take...OUR BEER!!"Thanks to Quiz Law and Reason Magazine for bringing this landmark civil rights case to my attention.An employee of TransUnion, one of the three major credit rating agencies, pleaded guilty to fixing people's bad credit reports in exchange for bribes...

Ft. Sumnter...again!

Posted on December 21, 2007
I can think of no better way to celebrate the peace and goodwill of the holiday season than secession. No, you have not been transported back to 1861. This is 2007, and the United States just got a little smaller.The Lakota Indians (yes, the tribe that produced Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse) have withdrawn from every treaty they have made with the United States government...

Justice Scalia's worst nightmare

Posted on December 17, 2007
I always love it when important legal issues are discussed in very bizarre cases. A swingers club run on the weekends in a home outside of Dallas is causing a controversy over the reach of local government's police power. The club is so popular that it is apparently pretty loud and the streets around the house become crowded...

Tea Time

Posted on December 17, 2007
Happy Birthday to the Boston Tea Party! It was on this day 234 years ago that Boston Harbor became very tasty, when the Sons of Liberty destroyed 300 crates of tea from the East India Company.In a brilliant stunt yesterday, supporters of libertarian Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul staged a reenactment of the Tea Party yesterday...

Happy Birthday to Heart of Atlanta Motel!

Posted on December 14, 2007
Thanks to Today in Legal History for providing such good material. On this day 43 years ago, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the 1964 Civil Rights Act in the case Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States.The case was brought to the Supreme Court by attorney and notorious segregationist Moreton Rolleston who refused to let African Americans stay at his motel...

Retarded state courts: equity.

Posted on December 13, 2007
Our favorite thing to do here at the dicta is call state governments "retarded," because let's face it: state governments are frequently retarded. The legislature of Alabama has actually entertained a bill to repeal the laws of gravity. California experienced that marvelous phenomenon of a political party telling its supporters to vote against recalling an unpopular governor AND to vote for a replacement for that governor...

Picture of the day!

Posted on December 12, 2007
Here's President Bush with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Look very closely. At the dashboard. Wow. I thought Bush quit drinking. Maybe it belongs to Merkel (I would definitely need some alcohol to get through a meeting with our country's Jackass-In-Chief).

Embracing my inner nerd

Posted on December 11, 2007
One of the reasons I love the month of December is that it is the time when all the good movies are released. I urge you to go see The Great Debaters, which will be out on Christmas Day. The film, which Denzel Washington directs and stars in, chronicles the journey of Professor Melvin Tolson, a debate coach at a small HBC who trains his students to become elite debaters...

Retarded state legislation: Pennsylvania edition

Posted on December 10, 2007
Justice Brandeis once called state legislatures "laboratories of democracy." Well occasionally a good laboratory can produce a Frankenstein's monster. Check out this special holiday edition from Pennsylvania (with a few additions suggested):HOUSE RESOLUTIONNo...

So raise your glasses up me boys and drink a hearty cheer!

Posted on December 05, 2007
On this day, 74 years ago, the 21st Amendment was ratified, officially ending Prohibition. Thus, I hope you will all celebrate Repeal Day today with a tasty beverage of your choice. But before you crack open a cold one, let's review the history surrounding this august occasion...