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That Lawyer Dude

A site for non-lawyers (especially students) where issues in law are discussed. Focus on Criminal and Family law. Has a libertarian bent.

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Last Entry: July 04, 2009 at 14:46:00

We Are Not The Land Of The Free Until We Stop The Nanny State Bull Hockey

Posted on July 04, 2009
I don't have the time for a long post today. I love America. I believe in its promise. I get frustrated however when I see that we refuse to trust our people with their own money and their own bodies. There are natural consequences from every act, but legal consequences must not be based on someone Else's subjective test of right and wrong...

Madoff's Fools Get Vengeance at Taxpayer's Expense...Why the Madoff Sentence is Unfair to the Rest of US

Posted on July 01, 2009
Denny Chin an otherwise pretty good judge really screwed the rest of the people that Wall Street cheat Bernie Madoff didn't screw over. By sentencing Madoff to 150 years, Madoff now spends the rest of his life living off the public. We take care of his room and board not to mention his health till he eventually meets the true God of Justice...

Freedom of Speech Does Not Permit You To Break The Law

Posted on June 08, 2009
Ian Barry is a Seventeen year old who knowingly broke the law to make a point. Ian gave a speech as to why Marijuana ought to be legal to a High School class. During the speech, he lit a joint and by the end of the speech, ingested the joint. Police arrested him...

Facebook and DWI: A Defense Attorney's Nightmare.

Posted on June 07, 2009
Chicago IL. Criminal Defense Attorney Steve Komie is doing a bang up job in the case of an 18 year old who was allegedly drunk and killed a motorcyclist. Unfortunately the woman, now 20 can't get out of her own way long enough to help him out.Komie has proved that Town of South Elgin Police destroyed the blood test prosecutors hoped would prove Erika Scoliere was drunk when she collided with motorcyclist Frank Ferraro...

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It's D-Day and That Lawyer Dude Returns... Again.

Posted on June 06, 2009
I may revive this blog more often than Pop Tart Britney Spears revives her career, but I am back. It has been a while. I know that most of you who stop by here come to see me rant on something or just to see if I am alive (thanks for those of you who stop by to see if I am alive)...

Judge to School District: "PISS OFF!!" & Let the Kids Play Chess!!

Posted on June 06, 2009
Sometimes I love writing the title of these pieces can you tell? :P When has a school district "nanny stated" itself too far?? Well in California, it seems that when the Shasta Union High School District wanted to drug test kids on the CHESS TEAM, a court said, uh NO!!! (Emphasis added...

Response to the Ridiculous: A Measured Rant in Resonse to an Idiotic Argument Against the DREAM ACT

Posted on April 13, 2009
The DREAM ACT was reintroduced last month followed by President Barack Obama stating his intention to begin debating true immigration reform.A twitter tweet lead me to this ridiculous commentary by a blogger on "BloggerBase.com" I would normally just leave a comment there but the idiot who wrote the piece didn't want anonymous comments (which is OK by me, I sign my work) and the site won't let you use your name unless you join...

Seems We White Collar Criminal Defense Attorneys Are a Hot Date Commodity. Why? Cause we are IN DEMAND. Who Knew? You Should!!

Posted on March 14, 2009
I found this little tidbit about finding wealthy guys for "gold digging" girls. It says that if you want to find wealthy guys hang out with lawyers...But not just any lawyers. No only Bankruptcy and White Collar Criminal Defense Lawyers. I just told my wife I am a hot commodity...

What is Manly?

Posted on March 06, 2009

Lessons I Learned This Month: Eat Less Calories ,Exercise More, Doodle When You Can, and Don't Mess Around With Pres. Obama!

Posted on March 02, 2009

Open Letter to Agape World Inc "Investors"

Posted on February 01, 2009
Readers, I have been attempting to communicate with Agape World Inc. investors who have been talking trash as well as debating the issues of whether the President of Agape World Inc. was able to run an alleged "Ponzi scheme" by himself or if others knew what he was doing...

Maybe You Are Wondering Where I Am.

Posted on January 29, 2009
I have not posted for nearly 10 days. I have a bad habit of going on "walkabout". I get the urge to write and then after a month or so, it goes away, I have little new to say or too little time to say it well. I am in the second phase now. I have too little time to say what I want to say well...

The Start of a New World, The Week The Dream Comes True : Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Hussein Obama

Posted on January 19, 2009
I have so little to add to all that is being said on the air, in the main stream media and in all the blogs. This is the start of a new world. A world that I am sure many in my lifetime feared, and many more doubted. A world, where finally the promise that any man woman or child can be President of the United States is fulfilled...

Our Sister Blog "Long Island (Criminal) Trial Law" : Why Wall Street White Collar Defendants Need Main Street Criminal Defense Lawyers

Posted on January 19, 2009
With the new administration, and the recent Drier and Madoff scandals leading the way, White Collar Prosecutions are sure to be on the rise. Over at Long Island (Criminal) Trial Law, we are discussing how Main Street Criminal Defense Lawyers are the right solution to Wall Street White Collar Defendant's problems.

Man Bites Dog: Victim Seeks Dismissal of Statutory Rape Charges Against Director Roman Polanski. Should It Matter?

Posted on January 13, 2009
The alleged victim in the Roman Polanski Statutory Rape case, joins with Polanski in seeking dismissal of the charges against him. Filing a separate affidavit, the victim accuses the former Judge and Prosecutor in her case of failures and misdeeds. She also claims that the prosecutors in the case now are seeking to cover up those misdeeds and that their failures are causing her unnecessary grief and embarrassment...

Govenor Palin Attacks Katie Couric: Sarah Still Doesn't Get Why She Cost McCain the Election.

Posted on January 09, 2009
Sarah Palin is the main subject of an upcoming documentary about the election. It is a documentary by John Zeigler, a Neo-conservative film maker who, from what I can see on the YouTube outtake from the movie, was tossing Palin softballs to hit out of the stadium...

Police Use GPS and Google to Find a Kidnapped Child.

Posted on January 08, 2009
I spend a lot of time on this blog criticizing police and Prosecutors. It isn't that I don't like them. It is that I think that since they represent the "people" I think they need to be held to a higher standard of conduct than any individual person. When they "get it right" (and they do get it right far more often than not) however, I think they deserve to be acknowledged...

Public Hypocrite #1: Sen.Arlen Spector Wants a Attorney General Who Can Say No To The President.

Posted on January 08, 2009
This is rich. Arlen Spector, Republican Senator from Pa. and former Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee has announced that although Attorney General Nominee Eric Holder has excellent academic and professional credentials he is "concerned" that Holder may not be able to say no to the President...

Four Blog Posts You Should Read: An interesting Day in the Blogosphere

Posted on January 06, 2009
Some days the quality of posting is just really good. Check these out:Love and Marriage is not for the Funky Brown Chick. Interesting comments.Note to self...don't sarcastically ask if after a day of yelling and fighting with your toddler is it ok to smother her, at least not on Twitter...

Where the Hell is the Change Barack??? : Cabinet Choices are all Clinton Retreads

Posted on January 05, 2009
Short post:Is it me or is the "Change President" who promised to bring new faces and ideas to Washington just bringing back the same old Democrats we tossed out for 8 years of Bushies (who were just old retreads of his father's failed administration. Let's see we have Eric Holder for Attorney General, deputy Attorney General in the Clinton Administration...

Tony(c) Award for Best Criminal Law Blog for 2008 and an Honor: Professor Doug Berman Sentencing Law and Policy Blog

Posted on January 01, 2009
Thinking of words and phrases to describe out Tony(c) award winning Best Criminal Law Blog is easy: Informative, cutting edge, authoritative, well written, incisive, thought-provoking. The one I like the most is consistant.The 2008 Tony(c)Award for Best Criminal Law Blog is Professor Doug Berman's Sentencing Law and Policy Blog...

Tony(c) Award Best New Voice: Sharon And Her Blog Red Shoe Ramblings

Posted on December 31, 2008
The Tony(c) Award Winner for Best New Voice in the legal Blogoshpere goes to Red Shoe Rambling and its vivacious and energetic author Sharon. I met Sharon through her Twitter persona No Reins Girl. Her tweets were sassy and filled with positive statement...

Free Ride Home For HS Students IN SYOSSET-WOODBURY, PLAINVIEW/OLD BETHPAGE , or JERICHO SCHOOLS Stranded on New Year's Eve: NO DWI'S TONIGHT!!

Posted on December 31, 2008
This New Year's Eve I am offering any High School Student at any High School located in the Plainview/Old Bethpage, Syosset-Woodbury or Jericho-Brookville School Districts, a free ride home from a party, bar or Train Station (Hicksville or Syosset stations) in those school district boundries, if:1...

Tony(c) Award For Best NY Blawgger: JaneAnne Murray for NY Federal Criminal Practice Blog

Posted on December 30, 2008
The Tony(c) Award for the "Best NY Blawgger" (that is a writer who blogs about legal topics in NY) goes to JaneAnne Murray for her blog "NY Federal Criminal Practice Blog." JaneAnne's writing is crisp and understandable. The Blog reads like a law schoolstudent's recitation brief on a casebook case...

Tony(c) Award for Best PD Blog :Gideon at A Public Defender

Posted on December 30, 2008
Being a Public Defender (and in that I am also including members of the Legal Aid Society) is difficult work. Usually thankless work they get the hardest of the cases & clients. Public Defenders have the worst working conditions, carrying big case loads and the pay is...

Let's Stop Lying to the Jury: The Case for Warning Jurors About Acquitted Conduct

Posted on December 28, 2008
Earlier this year US District Court Judge Jack Weinstein of the Eastern District of NY, one of the most reviled and respected judges on the US District Court Bench, issued a Magnum Opus of a decision. The 288 page tome has been roundly criticized by academics, politicians and prosecutors (as if there was really a difference) as a waste of judicial assets and paper...

The Tony(c) Award for Best Law Practice Management Blog Goes To: My Shingle

Posted on December 26, 2008
Law Practice Management for the Solo and Small Practitioner is the difference between demise and survival. Network marketing, hiring staff, CLE, SEO, M.O.U.S.E. (that one is a joke understood best by those who are baby boomers) and others skills are not taught but are expected of a solo or small firm lawyer...

Merry Christmas: A Dad Fable

Posted on December 25, 2008
Every writer, blogger, priest and politician hopes to come up with something profound to write tonight. Something that will help people take the spirit of the birth of the Christ child into the new year, and make this spirit part of their daily lives...

Around the Blogosphere the Week of 12/14/08-12/20/08:Part II- Law Office Management

Posted on December 21, 2008
Continuing my trip around the blogosphere with you, we move on to the Second Part of our Journey Law Office Management and Tech posts.1. Cornell Univ. Legal Information Institute is a really great service providing case law and statutory law for no cost (but you should donate)to users...

Around the Blogosphere the Week of 12/14/08-12/20/08: Part I- Twitter Posts

Posted on December 21, 2008
Here is the deal: This was a pretty good week for blawggers. We had the Madoff thing, the Blago thing, and well, lots of things. We have bloggers finishing their year off with ideas for next year, and we have best of lists for this year (including my Tony(c) Awards)...

Around the Blogosphere the Week of 12/14/08-12/20/08: Part III- In and Around NY and Long Island

Posted on December 21, 2008
IN part III of this trip around the Blogosphere I found myself looking at some of the things happening in legal life around "here." ("Here" is Long Island and the five boroughs of NYC)br /br /1. In the News on Long Island; Freaky Driving stories:br /br /A...

Stupid Cops Are As Big a Threat To Kids as Stranger Pedophiles: Two Cases of Keystone Kops Actions That Will Scar Innocent Children For Life

Posted on December 20, 2008
My first civil rights case, was on behalf of a Haitian kid who had the temerity to cut his grandfather's lawn while being black and wearing dreads... no joke.br /br /Three dolt cops were looking for a car with the license plate WTZ 469 my client had a plate, WZT 469...

Tony(c) Award for Best Legal Technology Blog: Dennis Kennedy His Blog Get an Award and an Honor

Posted on December 19, 2008
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That Lawyer Dude to my Anonymous Grammarian: Good Grammer Ain't My Goal

Posted on December 19, 2008
In a comment on the last post a poster posted:br /br /blockquoteAnonymous said... br /br /Uh, why do you capitalize words that needn't be so? Why do you you write run-on sentences? br /br /As an attorney you really should know proper grammar. This is kind of disturbing to read--for the crimes against written English, not for the content...

Why I Support Sex Worker's Rights: Part I My Introduction to "Patty"

Posted on December 17, 2008
I couldn't wait for my first case. I was a brand new "Lawyer" in Hofstra University's brand new Criminal Defense Clinic (we hadn't taken the bar yet but we worked under a student practice order while supervised by an admitted attorney). I was getting a case load, a client or two that I could "help"...

Happy 50th Birthday Dr. David Leach of the Tampa Eye Clinic.

Posted on December 15, 2008
On my drive up to Albany NY yesterday, I received a strange text message on my cell phone. It said "Hello. We have not heard from Fred. Any word on whether his cell is operational?I noted the area code number and wondered who I knew named Fred. I only know one person, my son's roommate at College...

This Week Around the Blogosphere: Good Trial Technique Suggestions and the Case of Julie Amero.

Posted on December 15, 2008
I know I am supposed to get this out on Sundays but with the Tony(c) awards and the Giants and Jets both in first place in their divisions and my weekly haul up to Albany to handle Depositions in a Civil Rights cases there, I am a little behind. So lets get to them...

Tony(c) Award for Best Relationship and Sex Blog: Sex, Lies and Dating in the City

Posted on December 14, 2008
I had such a huge boost in readers after announcing that The Agitator was my favorite News Blog. If you are still reading me after visiting from Radley's blog welcome. Stay around and let me know what you think.Today I am announcing my Favorite Relationship and Sex blog...

Just Some Interesting Links

Posted on December 12, 2008
A court found a 91 year old man who hallucinates due to dementia legally able to stand trial on a murder. He killed a nursing home attendant who happened to come into his room. He thought the guy was an intruder. God Bless the Criminal Defense Lawyer in that one...

NYS Democrats Should NOT Be Given Gun Permits. They Have a Habit of Shooting Themselves in the Foot: NYS Senate May Not Have a Democrat Majority.

Posted on December 12, 2008
What an interesting time to be in Albany. According to yesterday's NY Times, last night the "agreement" that would have kept the 3 renegade NYS Senate members in the Democrat caucus has broken up with allegations of lying, cheating and misrepresentation going back and forth between the Renegade 3 and Senator Malcolm Smith, who was the Senate Minority leader in the last session but was due to be the President Pro Tem in the new Session and thus the "Majority Leader" (one of the three renegades known as the Gang of Three would have held the title but we have to assume Smith would have been the real leader...

Announcing The Tony(c) Awards : That Lawyer Dude Honors His Favorite Blogs and Podcasts. Today We Honor The Agitator Blog

Posted on December 10, 2008
Over the course of the next 21 days I will be slowly, tantalizingly rolling out the Tony(c) Awards. Instead of one big post on all my favorites, I do it the way the Nobel Committee does it, over the course of a few days. Why? 1. It gives me a lot of posts and one never knows when I will announce another so maybe I will coerce a few potential winners into reading and commenting on the blog over the last few weeks of the year, and 2...

That Lawyer Dude Is Coming To You Cryogenically From Albany: It's Not the Temperature It's the WindChill

Posted on December 08, 2008
GOSH IT IS COLD HERE. I am in happy Albany,NY home of the State University, the Govenor's Mansion, The NY Bar Association, and the NY State ZOO (um I mean Legislature.)So I thought I would rumble through a few thoughts about the happenings in our State Capital just to keep warm...

Inspector General Finds Health Dept. Investigator Stomps on Rights of the Accused: Forget the Miranda Violations HE IS A PARKING VIOLATOR TOO!!!

Posted on December 08, 2008
This story is sad. We have an investigator in the NYS Health Dept. (which oversees the Dispensing of drugs) who has a thing for pain killer lollipops. He also has a thing for violating the civil rights of people he arrests. (He goes after Docs who write bad scripts and patients who try to use forged prescriptions)...

Revisionist History Lesson: Mauro on the Nixon Library Releases Tape of Nixon-Burger Phone Call

Posted on December 07, 2008
When I was in College, I had a Professor named Parkman. He was a phenomenal teacher. Right out of central casting. He could just as well have been at the Louisiana Purchase as written about it. He had to be 115 years old (or so it seemed to me as an 18 year old Freshman)...

My Final Words on Blogs, "Blads" and Other Forms of Legal Marketing

Posted on December 03, 2008
Certain legal bloggers led by a couple of people I hold in moderately high regard, are ticked off about what they see as a proliferation of Blogs that are not conversations but are in their not so humble opinions "advertisements". These "BLADS" are annoying to them because: 1...

More Lists From That Lawyer Dude: Ten Poignant Final Photos and Two Lists of Important Blawgs. On One You Can Vote For Your Favorites!

Posted on December 02, 2008
This is a quick hit. I was sent the link to this site after my blog roundup on Sunday. I love lists. I don't know why. While I was looking around, I saw this list of the last photo's taken of famous people. Though they did not know they would die soon after taking these pictures, there is a haunting aura about them as we know what is about to happen...

Do Not Support Mother's Against Drunk Drivers: That Lawyer Dude Responds to a Request for Financial Support

Posted on December 01, 2008
My friend Bob Kraft is a great lawyer and great and giving guy. Why just a few months ago I paid good money to get his rear-end out of jail on bail, as a fund-raising gimmick for MDA. Bob is a man who not only gives his time and money, but his name to charities...

Some Fun on the Blogosphere: Kicking Back

Posted on November 30, 2008
Photo courtesy of The Perrysteins (Congratulations on the Baby!!) This has not been a relaxing start to the Christmas season. Today was the first Sunday of Advent and I am not thinking Christmas Music. I am thinking death, destruction and doom. Hence it is time to change the Music in my head...

Porn Stars In the Classroom, Hookers Right Next Door, Here I Am Stuck In The Middle With You

Posted on November 29, 2008
This story and this blog post caught my attention. In their own way, each is about the same thing. Unlike the way sex workers are portrayed in the movies or on TV (especially during a "sweeps" month), most of the people in the trade are not really different than the person in the next apartment...

Nassau DWI Arrests Spike on Thanksgiving Eve: Some Thoughts From That Lawyer Dude

Posted on November 28, 2008
Nassau County Police announced that their DWI arrests spiked by 300 percent. Nassau Police usually average about 10 arrests a night however on November 25th police arrested 35 people in Nassau County alone. Suffolk County numbers are not available.Nassau Police are targeting bars and restaurants in Nassau over the Thanksgiving Holiday season...

Breaking News Black Friday Tragedy : Disturbing Video

Posted on November 28, 2008
OThers bloggers are turning their attention away from India and onto the "Black Friday Tragedy" that killed Jdimytai Damour of Jamaica, Queens.This is a very disturbing Video (Hattip: Anderson Cooper 360)Newsday has a story about the kind of guy Jdimytai was...

Savages At The Gates: Walmart Shoppers Stomp Store Security Guard To Death On Long Island

Posted on November 28, 2008
"They kept shopping. It's not right," a hysterical co worker said. "They're savages."Jdimytai Damour of Jamaica, Queens a 34 year old man was stomped to death as alleged shoppers stormed into a Walmart store to get at early morning "Black Friday" sales...

Happy Thanksgiving: Why I am Thankful

Posted on November 27, 2008
Image originally by Norman Rockwell.Happy Thanksgiving my friends.Things I am Thankful for:My Family. It is especially good to have my Son Salvatore home from college. I miss him a lot when he is gone. I wish he was staying longer. The house has more music when he is home...

Women Wins Blind Date, Sues Radio Station: Win A Date,. Get Raped, Sue!

Posted on November 25, 2008
A That Lawyer Dude Quick hit. ABA Journal News Now Blog has a story about a woman who entered a radio station contest to win a date with a guy who is a "great guy but too busy to find love". Yeah great guy my foot. He was twice convicted of Breaking an Order of Protection and he sexually abused the woman in the case at bar...

Banned in Simpleville: Bye Scottie Boy, It's Been Ok To Know You.

Posted on November 25, 2008
Seems that I have struck a nerve with one of the "Bloggers" who attacked me yesterday. I have been refused the right to reply under my blog name on his blog and I am now subject to editing of my posts if he feels I am "marketing myself." I guess that means if he feels that I am driving readership to That Lawyer Dude by leaving messages on his site, he will ban it and label it as "Marketing" (I wish I could add the sinister music you hear in the movies when someone says something evil on a soap opera)...

Public Defenders, If You Don't Want Clients To Think They Get What They Pay For, Give Them Value: That Lawyer Dude responds to S.Greenfield and Gideon

Posted on November 23, 2008
All day there has been a lively discussion on blogs and on Twitter between myself, Scott Greenfield over at "Simple Justice" and Gideon's Trumpet over at "a public defender."*What started this discussion was a combination of this post and the comments by the anti-lawyer marketing Mr...

That Lawyer Dude Talks Tech,Law Office Management and Internet Marketing: Some Favorite Posts in the Blawgosphere

Posted on November 22, 2008
My friends and families think I am so tech savvy because I blog, tweet, and have done a few podcasts. I market through AVVO.com, The Virtual Loop, The Attorney Store and I use the computer for educational reasons. Some even think it is wild that I have 2 E-Mail Accounts...

BREAKING NEWS: US ATTORNEY GENERAL MUKASEY RUSHED TO GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIV. HOSPITAL AFTER SUFFERING A POSSIBLE STROKE.

Posted on November 21, 2008
At 10:30 EST while giving a speech to the Washington DC chapter of the Federalist Society, USAG Michael Mukasey began to fall into his podium and collapsed. Observers said he suffered what appeared to be a stroke. Mukasey's security detail stopped him from falling to the ground but it was clear he was very ill...

People v. Jason Z. A Win For That Lawyer Dude: False Confessions Are More Frequent Than We Want To Admit

Posted on November 20, 2008
I achieved another big win for a client in Queens! This one was in the Grand Jury. No true bill equals not enough evidence for the Grand Jury to believe that my client committed a crime. In other words, my client was falsely arrested and held in jail for quite sometime...

Simple Justice May Be Taking A Too Simple Approach To Lawyer Marketing: That Lawyer Dude Responds.

Posted on November 19, 2008
Scott Greenfield is the author of Simple Justice. His is a NY Criminal Law blog. Sometimes he comments about other things. I love the blog and I urge my readers to look at it. Scott writes well and posts often. With that said, however I take umbrage. Scott seems to think that all lawyers do on the Internet is market themselves and that doing so makes us no more than "used car salesmen" (actually he thinks us lower than used car salesmen...

BREAKING NEWS SDNY US ATTORNEY MICHAEL GARCIA RESIGNS

Posted on November 18, 2008
REUTERS NEWS AGENCY REPORTS BREAKING NEWS: SDNY US ATTORNEY MICHAEL GARCIA RESIGNS EFFECTIVE DECEMBER 1ST 2008. Garcia's anticipated resignation came today at 5:30. He is leaving after just 3 years as the lead prosecutor and US Attorney in Manhattan to join a law firm (rumored to be Kirkland and Ellis )Garcia has presided over the investigation into the Prostitution ring that brought down NY Governor Elliot Spitzer and the corruption case of Former NYS Assemblyman and AFL/CIO leader Brian McLaughlin...

Around The Blogosphere The Week of November 11, 2008 Part III of III* : Of Women, Music and All That Jazz.

Posted on November 16, 2008
*I know I previously said four. I reserve the right to consolidate because I am tired. Here is my last installment from the Week of November 11, 2008.1.Two Sex-Workers Talk About the Sex Trade.(Links are NSFW).I spend a lot of time representing men and women who are involved in the Business of Sex...

What Would Happen If There Were a Disaster At the Inauguration?: A Potential Flaw in the Rules of Succession

Posted on November 15, 2008
I often worry about disasters. I am not sure why. I think I am an optimist. On the other hand, Lawyers are planners and one of the things Mrs. Lawyer Dude always compliments me on is that I usually see things happening down the road and I always have a contingency plan...

Round the Blogosphere Nov 11, 2008... Part two of four." Lawyers in Trouble the Good The Bad and The Stupid.

Posted on November 15, 2008
Part II of this little job around the Blogoshere is about Lawyers in trouble. Here they are:A.The Good:From what people are telling me, this poor guy is getting screwed because the US Attorney in Southern Florida is still pissed off at Roy Black for winning a drug case where DEA Agents died...

Interesting Stories From the Blogosphere week of November 11, 2008 Part I of IV. Technology and You (and Pres-elect Obama too!)

Posted on November 15, 2008
I read a lot of blogs and online newspapers every week. I love the Internet and find it a source of information and relaxation. I get most of my ideas for my blog from other writers as I do not often have the time to run the stories down myself. Sometimes I come across posts that would make a nice mini post on my blog, but I am not willing to write a whole post about them...

The Fierce Beauty of Nature: The Teacup Fire in Santa Barbara

Posted on November 14, 2008
This is a dramatic picture of the fires that rage in Santa Barbara California. It is fierce and crazy and beautiful. This photo is amazing.http://vielmetti.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c4f1a53ef010535ee0565970b-pi

Bush and Paulson Impose More Rules on Internet Gaming: They Just Can't Help Themselves Deep Down Inside, They Just Aren't Really Conservatives

Posted on November 13, 2008
Gambling has gotten the Republican Party in trouble before. After all the Jack Abramoff Scandal was all about the Republican lobbyist paying off Republican Congressmen to protect his client's (Indian Casinos) interest. That included curbing Internet gambling...

Stuff I Missed Blogging About: Obama, Neo-cons, Smart and Stupid Conservatives.

Posted on November 09, 2008
While I was without a Laptop, and couldn't really post the way I wanted to, a lot occurred. The last week of October and the first week of November of an election year has got to be the worst time of the year to have your laptop stolen. Here is what I would have linked to had I been able to (and a few I can link to in a more timely fashion)...

Just When You Thought It Was Safe

Posted on November 08, 2008
So I was on this blogging roll getting a post out on a somewhat regular basis, and what happens? My laptop gets stolen out of my luggage on a trip to Tampa. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) my ass!! All that garbage at the gates of our airport is Bull hockey...

Are You In Or Out Of The "LOOP?": A Product Review

Posted on October 24, 2008
Hello everyone from rainy Florida, my stay in the sunshine state has so far been pretty cloudy. It's been raining and some baggage handler stole my computer, which really sux. Anyone who knows me knows that my computer is an extension of my arm. Fortunately my friend Catrina has offered to help me out and is taking this post down for me...

Libertarianism Defined: Not Safe for the Kids

Posted on October 23, 2008
Stripper blogger Renegade Evolution has a rather vulgar but very accurate description of why a younger generation is turning away from the Republican Party that chooses Sarah Palin as one of it's standard bearers. RenEv as she calls herself, is not kidding in her reasons or the strength of her belief in liberty...

Trial Techniques: Exposing Police Testilying

Posted on October 20, 2008
I am representing a nice kid charged with Burglary 2d degree in Queens County. I am trying this case with a good friend John Scarpa who is a former Queens County Assistant District Attorney and a really talented trial Defense Criminal Trial Lawyer.The case is crazy...

Victory for That Lawyer Dude's Client in Queens NY: Jury Acquits Clients of All Charges! They Too Believe NYPD Lied

Posted on October 20, 2008
I am very proud of our jury in Queens today. They were presented with a case where police lied and they stayed with the case till the very end, didn't form any opinions and watched as police officer and detectives lies unraveled before their very eyes...

Of Heroes and Goats: Hero- Andy Law, Goat-Robert B. Ryan President ? Beacon Woods Civic Association, Inc.

Posted on October 14, 2008
The "Bored" of the Beacon Woods Civic Association... one pompous un-neighborly group of geriatric curmudgeons. Today's old Goats...Yesterday, I blogged about a 66 year old guy who could barely put bread on his table, who went to jail because his CIVIC ASSOCIATION tried to force him to fix up his Lawn...

Catching Up: A Week of My Favorite Posts... by Others!

Posted on October 12, 2008
Ok, just because I am in trial, (in Queens County NY) doesn't mean I am not keeping up with my reading. It is my writing that goes to pot.Anyway, I want to get this post up, so no more small talk:1.Over at Sentencing Law and Policy Blog, Prof. Berman had three interesting posts that make my list this week:A...

The First Monday in October: SCOTUS OPENS ITS NEW TERM

Posted on October 06, 2008
I have mentioned this before, but I love the First Monday in October. I used to love going to the Supreme Court of the United States as a student at Tufts. Catch the train or drive at an un-Godly hour; sleep as much as possible; walk from Union Station in the October air; stand in line to get in, and watch the 9 most important men (it was all men then) in law take their seats and begin to work...

An "Interesting" Observation On My Jury Selection: Do Naturalized Americans Care More About Jury Service?

Posted on October 06, 2008
I am trying a Burglary case in Queens Supreme Court in Kew Gardens NY. The trial is moving along well. We have 11 jurors after one day of jury selection. Interesting thing is that I have been picking juries in Queens County NY for about 15 years and every time, I get more and more naturalized Americans on the jury venre...

Sex in the News: A quick look at Cyber Crimes and Prostitution in the Newspapers.

Posted on October 05, 2008
A sizable portion of my law practice deals with representing people accused of sex crimes on Long Island (Nassau & Suffolk Counties) and in New York City (especially in the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens. Since I have found the Tweetdeck, I can do a lot of research as to what is happening around the country (and world)in practice areas that I focus on...

Craig's List is a Hotbed of Online Prostitution: So Who Knew??

Posted on October 05, 2008
This must be the week for Prostitution on blogs. Instapundit sites this article about the (sewer/treasure trove{?}) that Craig's List Erotic Service Section has become in the search for "sex on the run." I think the comments below the article are interesting however...

In The News: What People In Law Are Talking About

Posted on October 03, 2008
Ok everybody is talking about the Biden/Palin Debate...so that doesn't make it "legalcentric".Here is what my friends and I have been talking about in court, on Twitter and over the Internet:1. Computer Crimes:A young hacker got busted in Canada, made bail and was met at the prison door by the USA FBI...

Judges Have to Give Brady Teeth: Sen. Stevens Judge Emmet Sullivan Blows the Chance to Fix Brady Violations Forever.

Posted on October 03, 2008
The Brady Doctrine (for those of you unfamiliar it is a doctrine that holds that the Prosecution must turn over to the Defense, all material that could probably have an effect on the verdict in a case)is a very strong rule that gutless courts have watered down to the point that it has almost no meaning...

BREAKING NEWS: HEATHER LOCKLEAR MAY HAVE BEEN SET UP! PROSECTUTION IN DISARRAY

Posted on October 01, 2008
The celebrity gossip website TMZ is reporting that Actress Heather Locklear was set up by an out of work gossip reporter Jill Ishkanian illegally obtained information about Heathers whereabouts by hacking into her former employers website, followed her, called in a false tip and then sold information to a paparazzi that Heather was about to be arrested...

Avvo.com Legal Guides: A Few Quick Articles to Help You Navigate the Legal System

Posted on September 29, 2008
I have been publishing legal guides at www.Avvo.com. I thought I would give you a way to link to my Publications there and also link you to some good articles by others on AVVO.com.Avvo.com offers two types of Legal Guides. The easiest to publish is the How to Guide...

BREAKING NEWS: BUSH AND CONGRESS WORK OUT THE BAILOUT

Posted on September 28, 2008
This just in from our friends at Yahoo News,President George W. Bush and Congressional leaders including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid agreed early this morning to a bailout of the nation's banks hit hard buy the downturn in the real estate market and the misuse of Subprime mortgage loans...

Heather Locklear Arrested for DUI: Understanding Addiction

Posted on September 28, 2008
I was sorry to get the Twitter post earlier this afternoon that the beautiful Heather Locklear, was arrested in Hollywood for Driving Under the Influence of a Narcotic. Earlier this year (June 2008) Heather checked herself into the Sierra Tucson Rehab facility...

A Couple of Cartoons Explain the Tough Stuff: Understanding the SubPrime Mess and the Immigration issue.

Posted on September 26, 2008
Try explaining why asking an alien to wait in line back home is bad for business and bad for America is well illustrated in this cartoon using a flow chart to show that a path to citizenship is nearly impossible for most people even if they have relatives here...

"I Am Shocked, Shocked! There are Teens Texting While Driving in Casablanca!!

Posted on September 25, 2008
I love that movie... and that line.Anyway, no big surprise here, but I am following up with the post I had a few days ago on Suffolk County NY's decision to ban Texting while Driving or as we Criminal Defense Lawyers like to call it TWI. Nassau County is about to go along and I think that we will see a NYS VTL Law to this effect shortly...

Lex Ridculum: Spilling Soda , Passing Gas can get you arrested, and G-d Forbid You Have Your Way With a Goat...

Posted on September 24, 2008
There is so much important stuff going on in the world. We have the collapse of the world's stock marketsWe have the Bush buyout plan to "save the markets" Which Jay Leno put just about right, "You screw up your investments... You Pay!, They screw up their investments YOU PAY!!!" right on Jay...

That Lawyer Dude is Tweeting Over At Twitter.com

Posted on September 23, 2008
Ok so for the longest time I have been trying to figure out how in the heck I should use this MicroBlog spot named Twitter. I couldn't figure out how I could use this little son of a gun to help my practice. I have found a way.Here is the deal. Twitter allows you to send out a "tweet" which is a short message, (like a text message) to everyone who "follows" you...

The House That Ruth Built Closes With a Great Big NY Goodbye

Posted on September 21, 2008
It was really a fine farewell. I am an old foggie and I don't handle change well, but I must admit, if they had to close Yankee Stadium this was the way to go. The night started off with a tribute to the first Yankee team to take the field in 1923. The First team was announced and introduced each player represented by an actor...

Texting While Driving: A Law That Makes Sense, A Statement I May Come to Regret.

Posted on September 17, 2008
If you text and drive in Suffolk County NY (and soon in Nassau County too) you will get stopped by police and given a very expensive ticket. One Hundred Fifty Dollars to be exact. Unlike the cell phone ban while driving which I am basically against, this bill makes sense...

From the Headlines on Long Island

Posted on September 17, 2008
Busy day in the courts on Long Island. Newsday reports that former NY Giant receiver and Superbowl hero Mark Ingram was sentenced to 7 years 8 months for trying to launder money for people he thought were drug dealers. They were in fact FBI undercover agents...

Helen Mirren Catches Flack on Her Opinion on Prosecuting Date Rape.

Posted on September 16, 2008
Fellow crime blogger Corey Rayburn Yung of the blog Sex Crimes is blogging about the comments British actress Helen Mirren made concerning her victimization as a young actress on what used to be called "the Casting Couch". In fact she was the victim of a number of Date Rapes...

My 9-11-01 Remembrance.

Posted on September 14, 2008
I did not post this, for a couple of days because I always have a hard time expressing what I feel about 9-11-01. I wasn't sure how much of this I wanted to share. I have decided to share it all. A month before 9-11-01, I had decided to stop practicing law...

Around the Blawgosphere: The week of July 14 2008

Posted on July 20, 2008
Don't forget about 8:30PM tonight, I begin blogging once a week at Long Island (Criminal)Trial Law. Tonights topic: Voir Dire of the Prosecutions Expert.Ok so what did I find interesting last week?1.This article from CrimProf Blog about how Facebook can help prosecutors and defense attorney's destroy the character of young witnesses...

Long Island Criminal Trial Law Is Back:

Posted on July 19, 2008
I have decided to start posting on Long Island Criminal Trial Law Blog again.I know, you may be saying that I barely post here, how will I find time to post to both blogs?Well, I don't know. But here is the thing. I have a few things to say, that will appeal to people interested in the academia of the law and won't appeal to the regular reader of this blog...

Wow What a Summer, (And It Is Not Even Half Over)

Posted on July 17, 2008
When I last left you, I was sad that Debra Jean Paltrow decided to end her life. I think it was a permanent solution to what was a temporary problem. I also thought her prosecution (not to mention her conviction) was a monumental waste of taxpayers time and money not to mention personnel resources...

Why Caps on Attorney Fees Hurt Citizens: Fed Prosecutors say Cook County Jail (Chicago Il.) Systemically Violates Prisoners CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS

Posted on July 17, 2008
Russian novelist and philosopher Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote that "The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons." If that is the case, then the jails of Cook County Illinois (Chicago) and I think those of Nassau County NY present an utter lack of civilization on their citizen's part...

BREAKING NEWS: Deborah Jeanne Palfrey, The "D.C. Madame" Commits Suicide

Posted on May 02, 2008
Deborah Jeanne Palfrey "The D.C. Madame" kept her macabre promise. She killed herself rather than spend another day in jail. Her elderly mom found her hanging from a steel beam in the shed... That is two deaths now associated with an Escort Service/prostitution ring...

Hillary Wants to Tax the Gasoline Industry... How about you just work to cut spending and stop taxing the gasoline???

Posted on April 30, 2008
Gosh it isn't hard to figure out why democrats rarely have a sound economic policy. They hate people who are successful...Democrat Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton wants to put a windfall profit tax on petroleum companies because they have figured out how to make a profit no matter what the price of gasoline is...

The "Mouse" in the House is a "Rat": Disney Flogs Cyrus and Lebowitz While Selling Sleaze Abroad

Posted on April 30, 2008
Disney jumped all over poor Miley Cyrus and celebrity photog Annie Leibowitz for taking pictures of Cyrus while her upper body was under a silk sheet and her back was exposed. Religious Righters who must make up a majority of Disney stockholders and allegedly the parents of Hannah Montana fans, completely forgetting their youth, freaked out over pictures that wouldn't steam up the windows of a hot house...

Welcome to a Day in My Life

Posted on April 30, 2008
Radley Balko blogs at a Cato Institute inspired (?) blog called The Agitator. He has a very funny piece today on Strip Club legal etiquette. As a First Amendment/Civil Rights/Constitutional/Criminal Defense Lawyer in New York and on Long Island, I have to answer questions like these 100 times a week*I also love my job Radley, but it can sometimes get tedious...

Hannah Montana NUDE??? What Is The Big Deal with the Miley Cyrus Vanity Fair Photos??

Posted on April 29, 2008
The Today program is trying to tell parents how to "Deal" with the Photos of Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus in Vanity Fair. GIVE ME A BREAK.First off, give me a break. The photos do not rise to PG-13. If no one said anything about it most under the age of 15 would never have known she was in there...

Scalia on 60 Minutes: The Rock Star Speaks

Posted on April 27, 2008
It was a great interview. Nino starred. His sense of humor and his actual humility came through. I am not going to go around and look for ways that he is either a hypocrite or even wrong. I think for the first time since Justice Douglas, we have an erudite well spoken and well read judicial hero...

A Sunday Jog Around the Blogosphere

Posted on April 27, 2008
Wow what a busy week. 8 posts in one week!! Pretty good especially for me. I doubt I will be quite so prolific this week as I am going to be back on a suppression hearing on Tuesday and maybe Wednesday in People v. Ronald "Shorty" Rodriguez, before the Hon...

The Sean Bell Verdict in the Words of Justice Arthur Cooperman

Posted on April 26, 2008
From Newsday.com:Judge Arthur Cooperman's verdict11:51 AM EDT, April 25, 2008"Before dealing with the business at hand, I would like to remind everyone how important it is to honor the decorum of the court and remain quiet after the verdicts are rendered...

Mothers Against Drunk Drivers New Tactic : First Thing We Do Is Gag All The Lawyers

Posted on April 25, 2008
Our friends at DUIBLOG alert us to a new idea being tried out in Tennessee. A State Senator (a former nurse) has introduced an amendment to a Homeland Security bill to forbid Criminal Defense Lawyers from advertising their expertise in handling DWI cases...

Breaking News: Cops Acquitted of ALL CHARGES in SHAWN BELL MURDER CASE

Posted on April 25, 2008
This just in. I saw this as a possibility. Queens NY Supreme Court Justice Arthur Cooperman hands the Defense a full acquittal in the murder of Shawn Bell.Cooperman has always been considered a law-enforcement judge but the defense did a wonderful job in attacking the witnesses...

Sharpton Reaction To The Bell Verdict: The Reverend Has The Right Idea, Just The Wrong Place ( Do Not Protest in Front of The Judge's House.)

Posted on April 25, 2008
Let me begin by saying, if one is not happy with a policy or action by there government, one of the best ways of expressing that dissent is through peaceful civil disobedience. Another good idea is to protest in places where your words will have an effect...

Reactions to the Sean Bell Shooting Verdict

Posted on April 25, 2008
I am listening to radio and to the reactions to the verdict in the Sean Bell shooting case.For those of you who do not keep up on race relations in New York City, Bell was a young man who was shot up by police who thought he, or someone in his car had a gun and that they were shooting at them...

Predictions In The Shawn Bell Manslaughter Case

Posted on April 24, 2008
Tomorrow Queens Supreme Court Justice Arthur Cooperman will announce his verdict in the Shawn Bell Police Manslaughter case. You will remember Bell is the Queens (NY) man who was killed in a hail of police bullets the night before his wedding. He was unarmed...

Deed Piracy: A Particularly Cruel Type of Mortgage Fraud

Posted on April 22, 2008
With the advent of the "Depression of 2008", there are a lot of desperate homeowners in Suffolk (NY) and Nassau (NY) counties who are facing foreclosure. It is one thing to lose your money or your friends. It is quite another to lose the home and memories you've grown to love...

Number 201: A Jog Around The Blogosphere

Posted on April 20, 2008
I am starting an exercise program. (Yes smart guy another one.) So I figured I would start exercising here too. Hence we will jog around the Internet. Let's see how we do.I. Volokh Conspiracy is talking about a lot of things (hell 5685 law profs blog there...

Sub-Prime Mess Leads to Mortgage Fraud Prosecutions: The Millionaires Play While the Homeowners Will Pay With Their Freedom

Posted on April 20, 2008
On Friday the FBI announced that the sub prime mortgage mess is going to lead to an uptick in mortgage fraud prosecutions.Now what that translates to is that everyone who did something to help homeowners buy houses that they could not afford will be prosecuted, while the banks that profited all those years will pretend that they were unaware of the rampant fraud in the marketing of mortgages so that they can get as much of their money back while little players go to Federal prison...

To Err is Human, To Forgive Is Divine, To Forget Is Wrong

Posted on April 18, 2008
Bernardine Dohrn,William Ayers. I remember those names. I don't know why. Bernardine was the face and leader of the Students for a Democratic Society(SDS)splinter group the "Weather Underground." Ayers was one of it's founders.The "Weathermen" as they were called were militant and violent...

Yeager Is Allowed to See His Daughter : Half a Loaf is Better Than None I Guess

Posted on March 28, 2008
Well, I guess the pressure worked...to a point. I am told that Yacie Yaeger got to see her father one last time for a half hour yesterday. He was briefly given a visit...a half hour to visit with her. Seems that the Warden was deluged with calls.As for me, I'm sorry, but really is it so hard to be compassionate? Furlough the guy so he can stay at the bed round the clock...

Jayci Yeager Has Died. She Was Ten Years Old.

Posted on March 28, 2008
You can find the story here. My prayers go with her, and her family. She appears to have been a very special person.

Time to Let Her Daddy Come Home: Dying Child's Last Wish Is To See Her Imprisoned Father Before She Dies

Posted on March 23, 2008
There is a child dying in Lincoln Nebraska tonight. She is a very brave child. Her father was a very stupid man. You see, little Jayci Yaeger's father Jason, possessed and sold Crystal Meth. As a result he got a five year sentence in federal court. He would be going to a half way house in August 2008...

Learning To Persuade From Barack Obama

Posted on March 22, 2008
Learning to speak effectively is the number one need of the trial lawyer. Let's face it, what makes most of us want to become trial lawyers is the opportunity to convince others of our positions. As we travel through college and law school, we realize public speaking may not be our forte or even something we like...

Well I think we finally have a plan

Posted on March 21, 2008
Well I think I finally have a plan for this blog. I have wanted to mesh both blogs for a while. (Long Island (Criminal) Trial Law and That Lawyer Dude.) I also wanted to kind of start over for a bunch of reasons. I was trying to get the thing redesigned but my time for this is kind of limited...

What's Happening

Posted on December 18, 2007
At the present time, I have not been posting as I am working on launching a new blog same name. This may take a while. Meanwhile, Blogger's hatred of Opera (which I love) is cramping my style. It won't let me access my blog anymore unless I give in to Explorer or FireFox...

Hey Judge SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!

Posted on September 19, 2007
People v Thorpe2007 NY Slip Op 06731Decided on September 13, 2007Appellate Division, First DepartmentIn the above cited case, after denying the defendant an opportunity to even present a defense, we learn the the judge felt the need to "participate" in the case a little differently than allowed by law...

NEWSFLASH: Luciano Pavarotti, Italian Tenor, Is Dead at 71

Posted on September 06, 2007
The New York Times Reports that Maestro Luciano Pavarotti has died. With it, the heart of the opera world is broken and bereaved. As an American of Italian descent, an Opera lover and singer, and as a fan of Italian culture, I am more than sad. Another part of my history is gone...

NEWS FLASH CRAIG MAY NOT RESIGN!! Is This The Making of a Libertarian???

Posted on September 05, 2007
NEWS FLASH: IDAHO SENATOR LARRY CRAIG IS RECONSIDERING HIS DECISION TO STEP DOWNThe NY TIMES and the Associated Press (here)report Senator Larry Craig who said he was resigning from the US Senate after it was reported he was convicted of Disorderly conduct after being accused of soliciting gay sex in a public toilet, has let it be known he is reconsidering his decision...

That Lawyer Dude's Favorite Answers to Lawguru.com Questions

Posted on August 28, 2007
As Promised in the last post, I am going to repost some of my favorite Q & A from questions posted at LawGuru.com. These will be my answers to these questions.Feel free to send in your own questions to this blog by writing me at Catlaw1@yahoo.com. I will respond to everyone that I can...

Thank You Dennis Kennedy... And LawGuru.com

Posted on August 28, 2007
I have been very busy on the Internet, especially of late. I am in year three (3) of my Internet based Marketing Plan. I now market our firm's services through the Internet only. I use a Findlaw website, a blog (your reading it), and I answer questions posed on a few legal sites such as Findlaw's forums, Court TV forums, LinkedIn's Q & A andLawGuru...

The Week in Review

Posted on August 20, 2007
These stories got my attention this week: 1. Perverted Justice.Ted Rall a Pulitzer Prize nominated editorialist and cartoonist, rails against the prosecution of "Mahmud Faruq Brent, a 30-year-old D.C. taxi driver, is about to spend the next 15 years behind bars for 'conspiring to support a terrorist organization'...

In Memoriam: Alva Mae Groves Another Casualty In the No Win War On Drugs

Posted on August 12, 2007
The Following is printed with the permission of Howard Kieffer of BOPWatch. When are we going to realize that we have got to approach the drug problem in America from a new and more understanding angle???In Memoriam - Alva Mae Groves - Sentenced to 24 years in prison at at age 72...

Around the Universe...Too Much News!!

Posted on August 05, 2007
Wow it feels like this was a huge week. Here I was in bucolic Woodloch Pines in the Poconos having the time of my life while the world was attacking freedoms and limiting liberty. So lets see what I missed:1. Judge Okays an "Innocent Pedophile's" Right to Publish Clean Photo's of Children on His Blog...

Look Out!!! : A Rant!!

Posted on July 17, 2007
Whenever an idea to "reform" criminal law comes down, there is an abject hue and cry from the defense bar, not because we don't want to improve the system, but because we see every "reform" as another way for the crazy people on the other side of the reform to screw with the wheels of justice...

Don't Give Up, Don't EVER Give Up.

Posted on July 15, 2007
The words spoken in the title, were spoken to me, and to millions of others, by the great, late Jimmy Valvano a basketball coach, a sportscaster, a cancer victim, a son, brother,father,and husband. Jim's fight with cancer, is the reason there is a Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research...

Crazy Texas School Decision; Pass the Second Chance Act; Reduce Sex Abuse...Stop watching the Abusers; A Favorite Blogger Returns...With Some Sad News

Posted on July 11, 2007
Oy So much to blog, So little time...I. Child Writes "I Love You" on a Wall in School, Gets Kicked Out at Taxpayers Expense! What's Wrong with this Picture???Well this storycaught my eye. Twelve year old girl falls for Fifteen year old boy, professes her love with a blue magic marker, gets a year in Alternative school...

STIFLE HIM ARLENE: Senator Spector Introduces a Bill to Ban the Use of Presidential Signing Statements in Court Decisions

Posted on July 10, 2007
Does any elected official in Washington DC actually read the US Constitution???Senator Arlene Spector (R-Pa.) has introduced a bill to ban Courts from using Presidential signing statements to reflect part of the history of any law. You can access a copy of the proposal here...

President Bush Finally Figures Out a Way to Use the Constitution Rather Than Go Around It.

Posted on July 05, 2007
I have been reading the stories about the Republican Right and the push for a pardon of I. Scooter Libby. In fact, I have no problem with Libby getting a sentence commutation or for that fact even a Presidential pardon. Just as I had no problem with Clinton pardoning his brother or Mark Rich...

Pardon Me???

Posted on July 04, 2007
If I started to link to all the bloggers/blawggers and others who are writing about the sentence commutation of I. "Scooter" Libby, I would be up all night. I will therefore give one link, to my friend Professor Ellen Podgor whose analysis is spot on for what we as lawyers or professors have to now consider for our clients who are in a similar situation as Libby...

What is the State of The First Amendment in Schools?

Posted on July 01, 2007
As most of you know by now, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the school district in Fredrick v. Morse (or in the Supreme Court case Morse v. Fredricks A/K/A the "BONG HITS FOR JESUS" Case)the SCOTUS ruled that students free speech rights could be curtailed when their message inspires drug use (See dissent by Stevens...

Where Have You Been Tony Boy???

Posted on July 01, 2007
Well I doubt very much that this blog still has any readers, but for those who may happen onto it, I thought I might explain, where I have been. I have been struggling for a while to find my voice on the Blogosphere. I started this blog, in part to attract attention to my ideas about the law...

Is This How YOU Want Police To Spend Your Tax Dollars?

Posted on March 21, 2007
I am involved in a really difficult matter in Brooklyn. It borders on heartbreaking. I represent a guy who is just an average Joe. He works hard, earns a decent but not great living and takes care of his family. Everybody likes this guy in the neighborhood...

"The Attorney General And The FBI Are Part Of The Problem, And They Cannot Be Trusted To Be Part Of The Solution,"

Posted on March 11, 2007
The words above belong to ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero. The sentiment behind them speak for me. It is time we drop this national charade and stop the destruction of the greatest piece of political writing the world has ever known. It is time to deconstruct the "Patriot Act" which was never patriotic to begin with...

Ripped From The Headlines

Posted on March 07, 2007
A few issues ?Ripped From The Headlines.?I. Credit Card Fraud.From May It Please The Court. we learn that cash register receipts may no longer display your entire credit card number. These receipts may only show THE LAST FOUR(4)DIGITS of the credit card number...

A Weekend Filled With Bloggable Fun: What I Found Interesting

Posted on February 26, 2007
I. Criminalizing Domain Name Sales to TerroristsCyberCrime Law has this post about a well-meaning but ultimately meaningless proposal in the NY State Legislature. The bill seeks to ban the selling of domain names to terrorist organizations. Seems to me that this is something that the NY State Legislature has no control over...

The Land of the Sheep and the Home of the Frightened

Posted on February 21, 2007
I spent yesterday afternoon on Capitol Hill. I used to love that place. The Hill was to me, the epitome of Freedom, and Liberty. With street names like ?Independence? and ?Constitution? I could breathe the air there, and be infused with the breath of vigor that drove Clay and Webster, Lincoln and Truman, JFK and Goldwater...

Why Can't Prisons Be Made Safe For Prisoners: The Prison Litigation Reform Act and Qualified Immunity, Two Concepts That Are Bad Public Policy

Posted on February 17, 2007
The Volokh conspirators are having a lively debate about governments inability to stop or decrease prison rape. The following is a reprint of my input into that debate:Enforce 1983 as written. NO Qualified Immunity, No Prison Litigation Reform Act. Trial lawyers can and will force government to do what it is supposed to do...

Dean Arron Twerski Resigns as Dean of Hofstra University School of Law: Dean Cites Health Concerns

Posted on February 16, 2007
Aaron Twerski has been Dean of Hofstra University School of Law for two years. He has been part of Hofstra Law's family for far longer. He served as an Intrim Dean, and as a full fledge Dean. He was there at or near the beginning and after a move to Brooklyn Law School (for family reasons more than anything)he returned to Hofstra to begin to rebuild the school after a couple of disasterous years that saw the school move into the lower tier of the US News & World Report rankings...

Relaunch of Long Island (Criminal) Trial Law Set For Monday: Let me Introduce You To My New Blogging Partners

Posted on February 15, 2007
I am very excited to announce that my formerly solo blog Long Island (Criminal)Trial Law is back and going to be better than ever. If you are reading carefully, you saw the word "formerly" in the last sentence. That is because LICTL is becoming a group blog...