Criminal Law

Memory only!

Posted on March 02, 2009

Because, you know, we?re due for some good news

Posted on March 01, 2009

Panic at the legal unemployment line

Posted on February 15, 2009
Last Thursday somewhere over 800 associates and staff were laid off from Biglaw. Scott Greenfield thinks it's inevitable that some number of them will be hanging shingles as criminal defense lawyers.

Why ?State Secrets? Immunity Matters

Posted on February 10, 2009
Following up on yesterday’s sadness: If you’re not sure why it’s so sad that the Obama Administration is doing exactly what the Bush Administration did with state secrets, here’s why it matters: When the executive branch invokes the state secrets privilege to shut down lawsuits, hides its programs behind secret OLC opinions, over-classifies information to [...

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Wha? How? Why?

Posted on February 09, 2009
This makes me want to cry: Obama Administration Maintains Bush Position on ‘Extraordinary Rendition’ Lawsuit The Obama Administration today announced that it would keep the same position as the Bush Administration in the lawsuit Mohamed et al v [...

Two feeds?

Posted on February 04, 2009
I know it doesn't seem to readers of this blog as if anything is happening here. If you subscribe to the RSS feed you've gotten a few twitter updates recently, but that's about it. The truth is, I'm kind of busy, but I've also been thinking about what to do w/the site.

Life and Death

Posted on February 04, 2009
Two items about what counts as "justice" in our society: First, at the age of 13 Joe Sullivan was sentenced to life in prison for the crime of rape.

@Skellywright Good advice for ?

Posted on February 04, 2009
@Skellywright Good advice for attorneys, too. A juror once told me on a post-trial survey that she didn’t like the faces I made. We lost.

More great avice from BarBri: ?

Posted on February 04, 2009
More great avice from BarBri: “WATCH OUT for fertile octogenarians.“

@mariamstripes He just said no?

Posted on February 04, 2009
@mariamstripes He just said nonono.

Deeply trustworthy and valuabl?

Posted on February 04, 2009
Deeply trustworthy and valuable BarBri advice: “Impossibly complex and confused RAP question? Mark A.” WTF?

RT @jdickerson: Let your soul ?

Posted on February 03, 2009
RT @jdickerson: Let your soul expand. http://tinyurl.com/bemm3s

IL Crimlaw Pro and Con

Posted on January 30, 2009
Pro: Con: Lying to a cop about your age is a felony!? (See Jeremy's footnote.)

Height of silliness: Sitting a?

Posted on January 27, 2009
Height of silliness: Sitting at computer checking facebook on iPhone when I could just load the page in the browser right in front of me.

Trying Tweetdeck; all the kids?

Posted on January 27, 2009
Trying Tweetdeck; all the kids seem to love it so. Why? I need a client that will show me the original tweet people reply to. Is there one?

Damn. I hate it when I have to?

Posted on January 22, 2009
Damn. I hate it when I have to agree w/Scalia. http://tinyurl.com/c5qnnv

2pac said ?although it seems h?

Posted on January 20, 2009
2pac said “although it seems heaven sent/we ain’t ready to see a black president.” I’m so glad he was wrong.

Whining

Posted on January 10, 2009
Random thought while reading 9 REasons Not to Attend Law School”: Lawyers who regret and complain about choosing to become lawyers are a little like addicts complaining about taking their first drink, hit, whatever. Shut up and deal, people. And yes, I’m talking to myself here...

Thinking about trying adaptiba?

Posted on January 10, 2009
Thinking about trying adaptibar to study for the MBE. Any experience with this? Thoughts? Advice? http://www.tryadaptibar.com/index.aspx

@Skellywright Just started wat?

Posted on January 10, 2009
@Skellywright Just started watching the first season and I hate to say McNulty is a not bad cop. Jeez. Shh. Don’t tell anyone I said that.

Totally not believing how horr?

Posted on January 04, 2009
Totally not believing how horribly iPhone handles pics received in a txt message. Actually shocked Apple allows this to be so abysmal.

Letting MrTweet recommend peep?

Posted on January 04, 2009
Letting MrTweet recommend peeps to follow, which is silly b/c I don’t get Twitter! http://mrtweet.net?c=12

Plane passengers near the back?

Posted on December 31, 2008
Plane passengers near the back of the plane: just because you can unfasten your seatbelt does not mean you must stand in the aisle. Sitdown!

Enjoying the first 3G signal I?

Posted on December 31, 2008
Enjoying the first 3G signal I’ve seen in a week.

Folly: Attempting to rip a DVD?

Posted on December 18, 2008
Folly: Attempting to rip a DVD to iPod format using a G4 ibook. yawn

Somewhat dismayed that my iPho?

Posted on December 16, 2008
Somewhat dismayed that my iPhone streams YouTube content so much better than my g4 iBook. Yeah, I need a new computer.

It?s time: I now admit that I ?

Posted on December 16, 2008
It’s time: I now admit that I just don’t get twitter and facebook. I’ve tried. Really. What is wrong we me? I think it’s them.

Thinking http://www.abovethela?

Posted on December 05, 2008
Thinking http://www.abovethelaw.com/ is a serious waste of time. Is anyone more snide and pompous than a bunch of “civil” attorneys?

This is apparently what it?s l?

Posted on December 04, 2008
This is apparently what it’s like to work as a biglaw temp lawyer doing document review: http://tinyurl.com/54urwl . Sounds like fun!

Learning the difference betwee?

Posted on December 04, 2008
Learning the difference between biglaw “associates” and biglaw “staff attorneys.” Who knew? http://tinyurl.com/5bbgko

Crazy: My @photojojo Time Caps?

Posted on December 01, 2008
Crazy: My @photojojo Time Capsule!: http://tinyurl.com/5vaevc What a difference a year makes!

Why does my iphone frequently ?

Posted on November 28, 2008
Why does my iphone frequently have no service when every other phone does have service?

Everything looks different fro?

Posted on November 28, 2008
Everything looks different from 1500 feet above the ground. Mileage may vary.

Heading for Millennium Park to?

Posted on November 26, 2008
Heading for Millennium Park to take photos with a big boy camera — a Nikon DSLR. gulp

Thank thank thank soon

Posted on November 25, 2008
Still here, just busy. I've been having a little fun helping out at PD Stuff here and here, while also applying for jobs, searching for jobs, trying to network, oh, and don't forget getting ready for company.... Oh, and trying to figure out what to do with this blog.

@mrtweet

Posted on November 25, 2008
@mrtweet

Overheard @ the library: If I ?

Posted on November 24, 2008
Overheard @ the library: If I hadn’t called the police my house wouldn’ta been raided!

@anamariecox damn, you?re righ?

Posted on November 24, 2008
@anamariecox damn, you’re right. Livestrong for iPhone might make me healthy. Or maybe just guilty.

Wondering whether he could qua?

Posted on November 24, 2008
Wondering whether he could qualify for some kind of loan forgiveness program if he became a monk.

Standing in grocery line he?ll?

Posted on November 21, 2008
Standing in grocery line he’ll. Friday night before thanksgiving is a ridpnculpus time to go "pick up a thing or two." Grrr…

Obama?s secret service code na?

Posted on November 20, 2008
Obama’s secret service code name is "renegade." Theme song: Renegades of Funk by Rage Against the Machine! Listen to it. Perfect!

On the train again for the loo?

Posted on November 19, 2008
On the train again for the loop to check the county job board. Have I mentioned how much I love the train? Much!

Public Defenders Overpaid? Right.

Posted on November 19, 2008
So says a hatchet job article in the Boston Herald.

Cole???S Law Blog: Making a deference

Posted on November 18, 2008
When I first entered law school, I thought that passing the bar was a euphemism that meant that when it was all over you could go into a bar and get any girl you wanted. Turns out, itâ??s some sort of test. @ Ha!

Tii-i-i-me is on my side. No it?s not!

Posted on November 16, 2008
Jason Kottke's musing about timeline twins and the subsequent comments is some fun mind candy for a Sunday morning. As one of the comments says, "The fact that it's been 32 years since I first heard The Ramones is mind-blowing to me."

kottke.org: Timeline twins, music and movies

Posted on November 16, 2008
Listening to Michael Jackson's Thriller today is equivalent to listening to Elvis Presley's first album (1956) at the time of Thriller's release in 1982. @ Yes, I do feel old, yes I do.

riding the el downtown for the?

Posted on November 15, 2008
riding the el downtown for the glbt rally in federal plaza.

No, Woman In Black, don?t go!

Posted on November 14, 2008
One of my favorite blawgs in the last year seems to have disappeared. Woman In Black was an experienced public defender in some western state who shared great insights about her practice, constitutional law, and also some details of her particular state's law and practice.

Preaching to the Perverted: Trust me, I?m a lawyer?

Posted on November 14, 2008
I was sworn in yesterday by Thomas R. Fitzgerald, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. @ Congratulations, Dave!

Guardian: Memoir on a postcard

Posted on November 14, 2008
Can you write your life story in just six words? @.

Balancing budgets on the backs of the indigent accused.

Posted on November 13, 2008
Everybody in the public defender world is talking about the NYT article from last week about PD offices refusing cases because they don't have enough resources to adequately handle all the clients being assigned to them.

Chicagoist: Man Dies In Police Lock-Up

Posted on November 13, 2008
Rafe McMullen had been arrested for trespassing and was residing in police custody at the South Loop (1718 S. State St.) was found dead in lock-up on Wednesday morning. Chicagoist: Man Dies In Police Lock-Up.

Yes we Did!

Posted on November 10, 2008
This is news that never gets old: Obama won! Ok, so it's not news.... Still, I can't get over it.

Sarah we hardly knew ye (Scripting News)

Posted on November 05, 2008
Palin is no longer a candidate, she's a punchline. @.

Coming back down to earth. Stu?

Posted on November 05, 2008
Coming back down to earth. Stupid gay marriage ban appears to have passed in CA, MT stayed red, I’m still unemployed, world still f-ed up.

Calling it for Obama. It?s goi?

Posted on November 04, 2008
Calling it for Obama. It’s going to be a landslide. I raise my glass to a better future. Finally!

Still getting out the vote for?

Posted on November 04, 2008
Still getting out the vote for Obama in Indy. My experience: white males who drive suvs r more likely than others to be bad people.

In Indianapolis canvassing for?

Posted on November 02, 2008
In Indianapolis canvassing for Obama! Doesn’t feel very effective. Most people Rn’t home; if home borderline hostile. Still,everyvotecounts!

Watching Jeff Tweedy on the Co?

Posted on October 31, 2008
Watching Jeff Tweedy on the Colbert Report whilst drinking beer at Simons on a Friday afternoon. Unemploment really sucks. ;-)

Trying to decide whether to gi?

Posted on October 31, 2008
Trying to decide whether to give the next four days to the Obama campaign, and if so, how? Go to IN to GOTV? Or IA or WI? Decisions…

In a week?

Posted on October 29, 2008
The mind boggles at what is going to happen next Tuesday.... The polls suggest "yes," but what do polls mean in an age off electronic voting?... But am I paranoid enough?Honestly Obama's 30 minutes of prime time tonight bothers me.

Missouri voter on NPR: ?Rosa s?

Posted on October 28, 2008
Missouri voter on NPR: “Rosa sat so Martin could walk. Martin walked so Obama could run. Obama is running so our children can fly.”

On train downtown for ?intervi?

Posted on October 28, 2008
On train downtown for “interview” w/legal temp agency. Forgot sunglasses & book & ipod dead. Bad omens.

Wondering why so much badness ?

Posted on October 24, 2008
Wondering why so much badness is suddenly associated w/the name “Todd.” First Todd Palin, now Ashley Todd: http://tinyurl.com/6q5zqs Ick.

Magic 8-Ball Says: Are you freaking insane!?

Posted on October 24, 2008
One of the “benefits” of being a member of the ABA (I’m pretty sure my membership has expired, but whatever) is their weekly email of legal news headlines. Today’s email brought great news about the legal job market. For example, Jenner & Block asked 10 partners to leave, a PR firm is advising law [...

Things: 1) Chicago really is a?

Posted on October 23, 2008
Things: 1) Chicago really is a great biking city. 2) I am not a good biker. 3) Self-sealing bike tubes promise more than they deliver.

My reward for my vacation?

Posted on October 22, 2008
Not that I have sick time anyway, since I was roundly chastised the first and only time I took a day off sick, and have been forced to work through stomach flu and other ailments that even a minimum wage worker would be allowed to go home for. @ Gee, I wish I could find [...

E. McPan, Shiksa at law

Posted on October 22, 2008
After hearing (in great detail) about Yiddish words and stuff, I finally said, "Look, I may be a shiksa, but I'm not a total moron." @.

Sentimental First Year

Posted on October 22, 2008
Whatever lies ahead, I consider my first year as a lawyer to have been a great one and I am thankful that I have been lucky enough to have the experiences I have had. @.

One Person On Your Side

Posted on October 20, 2008
Golden Gate University Law School Professor Peter Keane is featured on today’s edition of This I Believe on NPR. The good professor was the chief assistant public defender in San Francisco for 20 years and he believes that “everyone, no matter what they have done, deserves to have one person on their side...

The Audacity of Barack Obama

Posted on October 20, 2008
He thinks liberals can get beyond the old debate by finally winning it. @.

Rethinking Legal Fees for Lean Times

Posted on October 20, 2008
800 in-house lawyers said they spent 50 percent more last year on large outside law firms than in 2002. They said the hourly rates they paid jumped 70 percent between 1996 and 2005. @.

The next President of the United States is funny

Posted on October 19, 2008
Barack Obama won the best roast, maybe be a wider margin. Along with roasting his opponent, he took the opportunity to roast himself mercilessly, and politics aside, this is a funny speech. @.

The Supreme Court and the Election: What?s at Stake

Posted on October 19, 2008
Here are some of the most important rulings that would be threatened by a McCain Court. @.

Lowering the bar on probable cause

Posted on October 16, 2008
Earlier this week Justice Roberts took pains to call attention to the fact that he wants to reduce the level of evidence and suspicion necessary for cops to stop a suspected drug buyer. The SCOTUS denied certiorari in Pennsylvania v. Dunlap (see the last paragraph of that article), in which the Commonwealth of PA appealed [...

Moving. In the snow. And it is?

Posted on October 10, 2008
Moving. In the snow. And it is very not fun. :-(

Elizabeth Janeway: ?If one wan?

Posted on October 07, 2008
Elizabeth Janeway: “If one wants to change things one must make a fuss & catch the attention of the world.”

Worrying that I?m forgetting h?

Posted on October 02, 2008
Worrying that I’m forgetting how 2live w/o putting every phone call & personal contact into a db I can query later 2remind me what I’ve done

Wondering if today?s look real?

Posted on September 30, 2008
Wondering if today’s look really is “saturday night fever.” Are the 70s back that much?

Skeletor can?t help himself. H?

Posted on September 26, 2008
Skeletor can’t help himself. He keeps talking like Obama is a child, which only makes him look curmudgeonly. Yes, ia am partisan.

Skeletor is getting a little P?

Posted on September 26, 2008
Skeletor is getting a little PO’d. Idea: screw the bank bailout. Put $700 billion into alt energy & socialized healthcare. New jobs galore!

Obama is taking the fight stra?

Posted on September 26, 2008
Obama is taking the fight straight to JM on his tax cuts for the wealthy. Sweetness. Skeletor responds w/a whine taxcuts r good!!!!

CNN?s ?audience reaction? thi?

Posted on September 26, 2008
CNN’s “audience reaction” thingy is not helpful. JM believes in workers & the u.s. Wow! No shit!? That’s original, dude!

McCain has already said he?ll ?

Posted on September 26, 2008
McCain has already said he’ll vote for any bailout that will pass. He travels on the anything-that-will-get-me-elected express.

Watching the debate. On looks ?

Posted on September 26, 2008
Watching the debate. On looks alone, Obama wins. McCain looks like he’s constipated, in pain. He’s trying to sound wise. He sounds old.

Chicago is America?s Most Stressful City!

Posted on September 24, 2008
Chicago's rising unemployment rate, expensive gas, high population density and relatively poor air quality create a perfect storm of stress, according to measures we used to calculate the country's anxiety hot spots. @.

RTB: It just gets better!

Posted on September 16, 2008
The best two things about the second episode of "Raising the Bar": The Elliot Smith soundtrack at the end.The fact that Jerry appears to be using a Mac (an iMac?) at the end of the show.Oh, and of course it's great that Jerry appears to be broken up w/the prosecutor...

?Reason in several words or le?

Posted on September 15, 2008
“Reason in several words or less, please, for the box after REASON.” — AFR “interviewer” to Orin just before he is kidnapped, IJ p. 599

Wishing I could just cry. I kn?

Posted on September 14, 2008
Wishing I could just cry. I know it’s hard to understand why I might be so sad, just as it’s almost impossible to understand why he did it.

Great sadness: DFW eliminated his own map!?

Posted on September 14, 2008
I just learned that David Foster Wallace, author of Infinite Jest, died Friday, apparently by his own hand.

Mourning David Foster Wallace?.

Posted on September 14, 2008
Mourning David Foster Wallace. I just found out he killed himself on Friday, September 12. I just finished Infinite Jest. Very very sad.

Women Against Sarah Palin

Posted on September 14, 2008
We are not in the habit of criticizing women in the public sphere, as we usually feel we should support our female compatriots with as much encouragement as we can. However, Sarah Palin’s record is anti-woman. Feminism is not simply about achieving the power and status typically held by men...

Missoulian: Bear vs. bike: Teacher riding to school runs into bruin

Posted on September 11, 2008
Litz was clipping along the dirt road at 25 mph when he came upon a rise, spied a massive black bear 10 feet in front of him, and pedaled directly into the animal, T-boning its broad side. @ Gotta love Montana!

OMG Teh Cub Scouts!

Posted on September 10, 2008
I await John McCain’s denunciation of scouting. Somehow, I think I’ll be waiting for a long, long time. @

Fun fact: John McCain is 23 ye?

Posted on September 09, 2008
Fun fact: John McCain is 23 years older than the state of Alaska. (Via K-Ro)

Wishing I could figure out how?

Posted on September 07, 2008
Wishing I could figure out how to stop working weekends. :-(

Interview Mistakes Include ???Too Much Information Syndrome??? and Bad Suits

Posted on September 06, 2008
OMG, IMO, the author is right: TMI will not get you hired, LOL, so STFU, but FYI, most BL firms are ISO those like themselves, so WTF, dress well regardless, tell others GFY, and be prepared for a rejection unless you resemble the interviewer. TTYL. @

Zakk Forchilli

Posted on September 04, 2008
Raising The Bar teaches you about the very horrors that could go on with such a crooked legal system. @

Florida GOP delegates stunned by VP?s daughter?s pregnancy

Posted on September 02, 2008
John McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin said Monday that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is five months pregnant, an announcement aimed at rebutting Internet rumors that Palin’s youngest son, born in April, was actually her daughter’s...

Noun, verb, P.O.W.!

Posted on September 02, 2008
McCain’s answer to everything. * (See also…)

Blonde Justice: Introspection

Posted on September 02, 2008
What if I somehow end up on this crazy cycle of one year at a public defender’s office, one year in private practice, miserable for the rest of my life, moving and taking bar exams all over the country? *

Raising the Bar?

Posted on September 02, 2008
Of course I watched TNT's "new hit drama," Raising the Bar. I loved it!

Hi.

Posted on August 31, 2008
By which I mean you people subscribing to this blog in an RSS/newsreader. Has it seemed like this blog has been dead for, like, forever?... But it's also b/c the feed was screwed up, I think, by a WP update or something.

McCain on Palin

Posted on August 30, 2008
John McCain’s top strategist has effectively told the New York Times that the Republican nominee for V.P. won’t be ready on Day One, but that’s fine, because McCain will probably live until 2013. Seriously. That’s his argument...

Thinking McCain will be presid?

Posted on August 29, 2008
Thinking McCain will be president if he names a woman as his veep. Please tell me I’m wrong. Please!

Hating the repetition ad nause?

Posted on August 28, 2008
Hating the repetition ad nauseam of pop radio. Grrr.

Not listening to Bill Clinton ?

Posted on August 27, 2008
Not listening to Bill Clinton at the convention. Can someone tell me why I should care what he says?

You must be freaking kidding me!

Posted on August 24, 2008
So I’m supposed to remember if I’ve been “ticketed, given a summons or written warning, arrested, or taken into custody and questioned or accused formally or informally of the violation of any traffic law, excluding parking violations and charges [already] disclosed”? And if I say yes, I must “must submit with the paper portion of [...

Considering ?weltschmerz,? whi?

Posted on August 24, 2008
Considering “weltschmerz,” which allegedly means world-weariness or hip ennui. IJ p. 694.

Testing.

Posted on August 24, 2008
Please ignore. This is a test.

Nightmare

Posted on August 24, 2008
List every job (other than those listed in response to preceding questions 23A and 24), including without limitation all temporary, part-time, full-time, and self employment, paid or unpaid, you have held for the ten year period immediately prior to the date of the filing of this application...

The Social Network as a Career Safety Net

Posted on August 23, 2008
The old business adage that itâ??s not what you know but who you know takes a twist in the Internet era: itâ??s what you know about social-networking sites that can get you ahead. *

Thinking how sad it is that so?

Posted on May 29, 2008
Thinking how sad it is that so many prosecutors r smarmy, manipulative, untrustworthy bullies. Many r also whiny babies & sore losers. Sad.

Waiting 4 a reely looong train?

Posted on May 28, 2008
Waiting 4 a reely looong train to pass. I should write a song about waiting on a train. I could write ten songs this train is so long.

OMG! Favorable Dicta is gettin?

Posted on May 28, 2008
OMG! Favorable Dicta is getting married! http://tinyurl.com/5d37az

Reading: ?At every instant, a ?

Posted on May 25, 2008
Reading: “At every instant, a trillion trillion possible futures; the pickiness of pure chance & physical laws seemed like freedom.”Saturday

Driving around Rawlins, WY. We?

Posted on May 24, 2008
Driving around Rawlins, WY. We have come to hell & everything’s closed.

Going out of my mind: No cell ?

Posted on May 24, 2008
Going out of my mind: No cell service or internet for the last 20 hrs. Not that long, I know, but still… What if I had missed something!?

Misogyny Insanity

Posted on May 23, 2008
Listening to the NPR tell me that groups of Hilary Clinton supporters are going to vote for McCain if Obama becomes the Democratic candidate. Exqueeze me?

Starting a 4-day break from wo?

Posted on May 22, 2008
Starting a 4-day break from work. Probably the last time that happened was last Nov-Dec. I think being away will b good 4 clearing cobwebs.

Missing salt bagels toasted w/?

Posted on May 22, 2008
Missing salt bagels toasted w/cream cheese. No one makes salt bagels here. It’s very sad…

Trying to spell ?deputy? w/2 e?

Posted on May 20, 2008
Trying to spell “deputy” w/2 e’s and no y. My mind is slipping like an icecube down a waterslide. Hmm, I’d really like to go for a swim…

Trying to learn how to repond ?

Posted on May 19, 2008
Trying to learn how to repond when clients demand I do things that will only damage their case & make me look like an ass.

Click with caution!

Posted on May 19, 2008
I believe there may be two or three people who actually visit this page once in a while to see if there are updates (others read on RSS, which I think is the better way). This message is for those of you who actually load the page: Don't click on the random photo near the top of the page...

Fixing the timing on the mgb. ?

Posted on May 18, 2008
Fixing the timing on the mgb. Now it runs like a sportscar again instead of like a bucket o’bolts. Just in time 4 top-down summer!

Waiting for a haircut & th?

Posted on May 17, 2008
Waiting for a haircut & thinking for the zillionth time I should just shave it all off or cut it myself & stop caring what it looks like.

When gas goes up 1 cent/gallon?

Posted on May 16, 2008
When gas goes up 1 cent/gallon, the costs for the USPS to deliver mail go up $8 million? That’s what NPR said. Wow. Buy forever stamps now!

If I could try just doing the ?

Posted on May 15, 2008
If I could try just doing the work of one person instead of 2 or 3 people my job would be superexcellent. Or maybe I just suck @ this.

You know it?s a busybad day wh?

Posted on May 07, 2008
You know it’s a busybad day when your ipod sits in your bag all day and you don’t listen to a single song all day long. :-(

Public Defenders as witnesses to crime

Posted on May 05, 2008
Blonde Justice recently posed a great question: Can the Defense Ever Be Pro-Proseuction? Her hypo is about a fellow defense attorney "who had recently been a crime victim."

Pop quote: "Wanna put my ?

Posted on April 30, 2008
Pop quote: "Wanna put my tender haert in a blender & watch it spin around to a beautiful oblivion?" what a twisted image! (yes I am punny)

Artist of the week: Raconteurs?

Posted on April 29, 2008
Artist of the week: Raconteurs. Song: Intimate Secretary. "R u part of this kakistocracy!?"

Today feels like the first day?

Posted on April 29, 2008
Today feels like the first day of spring. Desperate *not* to b at work.

Coming down w/a cold. *again* ?

Posted on April 28, 2008
Coming down w/a cold. *again* This is like the 4th time since fall, or more. I’m so tired of always feeling like crap!

Why do I even bother? (Audacity v2.0)

Posted on April 27, 2008
I have to remind myself that I?m a lawyer, not a social worker / substance abuse expert / anger management counselor. Ugh! ? I so have that problem. Double-ugh!

Car Talk Podcast

Posted on April 26, 2008
Want to take Car Talk with you? Be our guest. Just prepare to be shunned when news gets out that your iPod is loaded with Click and Clack. ? Finally!

There really r times when Meta?

Posted on April 25, 2008
There really r times when Metallica is completely appropriate. Really.

Mental Detox Week

Posted on April 24, 2008
The idea is simple: take your TV, your DVD player, your video iPod, your XBOX 360, your laptop, your PSP, and say goodbye to them all for seven days. ? You can take my tv, but my laptop? Never!

Richie Ramone was Robbed!

Posted on April 24, 2008
Richie Ramone, one of the drummers for The Ramones, lost his fight to get paid for 6 songs he wrote because a judge said that digital files are not "manufactured or sold" but are instead transmitted and licensed.Wha?

Let it end!

Posted on April 22, 2008
Today is finally the day of the Democratic presidential primary in Pennsylvania.

The wheel in the sky keeps on ?

Posted on April 21, 2008
The wheel in the sky keeps on turning, but sadly, I know where I’ll b tomorrow. Here. At work. *sigh*

I heart technology

Posted on April 20, 2008
You know you're living in a wonderful world when you can just open a web browser and read a chronology of the events in Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.

Words

Posted on April 19, 2008
poetaster, digital hitchhiking, corrigible, horse surgery, carburetor, apposite, incompetent, superrelationships, soul-mates, and timing.

Is it really always darkest be?

Posted on April 18, 2008
Is it really always darkest before the dawn? Does melodrama ever work? Thank goodness for Radiohead. Really.

From the NLG: "John Yoo s?

Posted on April 10, 2008
From the NLG: "John Yoo should be disbarred . . . dismissed from Boalt Hall and tried as a war criminal."

QOTD: "It?s very sad that?

Posted on April 05, 2008
QOTD: "It’s very sad that people seem to have lost a sense of the future." -Chris Thornberg on American Public Radio’s "Marketplace Money."

One of our best attnys left to?

Posted on April 04, 2008
One of our best attnys left today. I wish him the best but it’s very sad. "Go on, take the money and run."

@cranium Go public defender! Y?

Posted on April 03, 2008
@cranium Go public defender! You won’t regret it! (& have u ever thought of spending a summer in montana?)

Working in a zoo w/a bunch of ?

Posted on April 03, 2008
Working in a zoo w/a bunch of 5-year-olds. "I need direction to perfection no no no no help me out, yeah you know u gotta help me out."

Sucka! (Who, me?)

Posted on April 03, 2008
I read on my treo RSS reader that Gideon of the blog "a public defender" was quitting his job to go into private civil practice and I totally believed it. My treo downloaded the post before he updated it to say that it was an April fool's joke and I haven't had time to look into it further since reading it, so for two days now I've been wondering, 'How could he do that? What's going to happen to PD Stuff!?'

"Wish it were Sunday?.&?

Posted on March 31, 2008
"Wish it were Sunday…."

Then why do I keep counting?

Posted on March 30, 2008
The song on constant rotation these days is Why Do I Keep Counting by The Killers. I mean, really, if all of our days are numbered...??

Stranger than fiction or fictional strangers

Posted on March 29, 2008
But it’s really super fun to work on a case in which the prosecutor and defense are sniping at each other to the point where it boils down to one side saying, “Judge, that’s not the law.” “That is the law.” “That’s not the law...

Zillow.com says our house is w?

Posted on March 29, 2008
Zillow.com says our house is worth $113k. Three months ago it was worth $134k and it’s dropped $6k in the last 30 days. Dang.

Lawschool: This sucks. I can?t?

Posted on March 28, 2008
Lawschool: This sucks. I can’t wait 4 graduation — light at the end of tunnel. First job as a lawyer: Oh god, that light was a train!

Feeling like I?m back in law s?

Posted on March 28, 2008
Feeling like I’m back in law school — w/a bunch of law-type people & absolutely nothing to say.

Wishing I could keep up w/my c?

Posted on March 28, 2008
Wishing I could keep up w/my caseload so I could stop being blindsided by things I should have already known / done. *sigh*

A Good Day In the Trenches

Posted on March 28, 2008
My client told his story; I walked with him back to the guarded elevator down to the holding cells; went back to the office; got a call on my cell. He blew it out! Case Dismissed! He’s home! ?

OpenSocial Foundation Debuts

Posted on March 28, 2008
It’s like the Justice League of social media: Google, Yahoo, and News Corp.’s MySpace.com announced on Tuesday that they have formed the OpenSocial Foundation… ?

Recovering from mild food pois?

Posted on March 27, 2008
Recovering from mild food poisoning & wondering if it’s possible to be precautious.

Jaywalking in front of the cop?

Posted on March 24, 2008
Jaywalking in front of the copshop. I’m such a rebel.

Nothing to do w/anything

Posted on March 23, 2008
Big firm associates are apparently "lost" and "unhappy." Don't you feel sorry for them?

Hmm. Wondering if there?s some?

Posted on March 22, 2008
Hmm. Wondering if there’s something wrong w/getting to work earlier on a saturday than on a weekday. I don’t think I have a problem, do u?

Happy first day of spring!

Posted on March 20, 2008
Happy first day of spring!

Auction Scoots

Posted on March 20, 2008
Appropos of nothing, I went to a big going out of business auction today.... The real reason I was there were the scooters and motorcycles for sale. Some of them have been parked out front for weeks and months and I have walked by them a hundred times, wishing, wishing.

How is it that just when I thi?

Posted on March 17, 2008
How is it that just when I think I’ve had the most *Monday* Monday evar, the next one is even worse? I’m screaming; u just can’t hear me.

Trying not to want things I ca?

Posted on March 16, 2008
Trying not to want things I can’t afford. It’s not a feeling, it’s an ability.

Wishing spring would get here ?

Posted on March 15, 2008
Wishing spring would get here & stay forever!

Judge was Mr. No this morning?.

Posted on March 10, 2008
Judge was Mr. No this morning. What do I think? "Carry on my wayward son! There’ll be peace when u r done." (Sometimes hope is all we have.)

Wyoming Dems give Obama a win, momentum

Posted on March 09, 2008
Obama won seven delegates and Clinton won five. In the overall race for the nomination, Obama led 1,578-1,468, according to the latest tally by The Associated Press. It will take 2,025 delegates to win the Democratic nomination. ?

Compare & Contrast

Posted on March 09, 2008
In the comments to a news article describing how a man was beaten badly by two other men after stopping them from raping a woman we find a fierce debate about that to do w/the "trash" (poor and homeless people) who live and hang out downtown and on the south side of town...

Apple iPhone SDK prematurely declared great - Machinist

Posted on March 09, 2008
The SDK is plainly important. But it’s probably not yet revolutionary. ?

?Dumped,? BBC America, waste management, environment

Posted on March 09, 2008
First lesson of the show: The “environment” isn’t something out there in the wilderness that you take a vacation to appreciate; you’re impacting it every day, right at home, every time you dump something in the trash. ?

AVCHD video: The hardware is willing, but the software is weak

Posted on March 09, 2008
Personally, I don’t consider a camcorder as mainstream if you have to search the Web and troll forums to find software to play or edit your video. ?

Colbert: AT&Treason

Posted on March 07, 2008
?

Getting a client out of jail! ?

Posted on March 04, 2008
Getting a client out of jail! That’s one thing that never gets old…

@le_poulet we need to move to ?

Posted on March 04, 2008
@le_poulet we need to move to europe. Much more pedestrian/human friendly…

The thing about Obama: He can ?

Posted on March 04, 2008
The thing about Obama: He can speak better w/o notes than any other politician could ever deliver the most well-written speech. Amazing.

Hillary wins big. Say it w/me ?

Posted on March 04, 2008
Hillary wins big. Say it w/me everyone: President McCain! *sobs*

"I?m used to lots of thin?

Posted on March 02, 2008
"I’m used to lots of things. I work at walmart." Carla Jean Moss from No Country for Old Men

Ipse Dixit: WTF?!

Posted on March 02, 2008
If any of you saw this and thought, “Aw! How precious!” please give me a call ASAP because I need to come over to your house and punch you in the face. ?

The Bardd Before The Bar: You can?t do that!

Posted on March 01, 2008
I know this reasoning makes no sense to any rational member of the population, but consider the source. Probation officers often develop skewed perspectives, just as we do, mostly based on the fact that everyone lies to us on a routine basis. ?

Schmapp! Chicago

Posted on March 01, 2008
Wishbone Restaurant Originally uploaded by ambimb Way back in 2005 I was in Chicago w/L and her family and her sister took us to the Wishbone cafe. Now my snap of the place has made it into the Scmapp! Chicago interactive map/travel guide. Cool...

Preaching to the Perverted: Wee

Posted on March 01, 2008
We went over to a friends house and played Guitar Hero. This is my kind of game! I could seriously enjoy rocking out… ?

"I judge the quality of m?

Posted on March 01, 2008
"I judge the quality of my life by how many nights I get to spend in a tent." http://tinyurl.com/ywgz7t

Happy freeday leapday. Why r p?

Posted on February 29, 2008
Happy freeday leapday. Why r people working today? Why is this not a holiday!? Why must court on this day drag on so interminably?

Name that tune: "Don?t u ?

Posted on February 28, 2008
Name that tune: "Don’t u know that u r a shooting star? Don’t u know?"

Boss in a mtg in response to s?

Posted on February 27, 2008
Boss in a mtg in response to suggestion we vote on something: "Let’s all vote: Who wants a perfect world?" !

I am buried in work but still ?

Posted on February 27, 2008
I am buried in work but still alive. Isn’t that a nightmare? If it would only decide to b spring…

"She was a damn good danc?

Posted on February 26, 2008
"She was a damn good dancer but she wasn’t all that great of a girlfriend." — The Hold Steady

"This is our decision to ?

Posted on February 25, 2008
"This is our decision to live fast & die young. We’ve got the vision now let’s have some fun." — MGMT

For some reason I can?t stop l?

Posted on February 23, 2008
For some reason I can’t stop listening to "Easy/Lucky/Free" and "Gold Mine Gutted" by Bright Eyes. For the last week they’re all I’ve played

"We were a stroke of luck?

Posted on February 23, 2008
"We were a stroke of luck We were a gold mine, they gutted us … Let’s have a nice clean cut Like a bag we buy and divy up" ?Bright Eyes

62 Tabs!?

Posted on February 23, 2008
I see lots of links and cool things online I'd like to read, link to, or otherwise enjoy, so I open them in tabs in Firefox. And then I see more cool things and open them, too. And then I end up w/62 open tabs and my poor little G4 iBook says, "What do I look like, a brand new Mac Pro?"

@le_poulet: Mean people suck. ?

Posted on February 22, 2008
@le_poulet: Mean people suck. People who molest other people’s bicycles r the meanest & suck the most.

Can you really trust someone w?

Posted on February 21, 2008
Can you really trust someone w/an "aol.com" email address?

"Honey, don?t you weep (d?

Posted on February 21, 2008
"Honey, don’t you weep (don’t you weep for them) Don’t you weep (don’t you weep) There is nothing as lucky, as easy, or free." -Bright Eyes

Damn I wish today was saturday?

Posted on February 21, 2008
Damn I wish today was saturday. I’m slammed but w/o the energy/desire to deal. Up high yesterday, back to earth today…

Not Guilty! (Finally!)

Posted on February 21, 2008
As twitter followers and rss readers already know, I finally won a jury trial yesterday! Whoohoo!

Free Advice: Don?t Deposit Bags Of Meth In The ATM

Posted on February 21, 2008
?

Deliberation: 4 hrs. Questions?

Posted on February 20, 2008
Deliberation: 4 hrs. Questions: 7. Verdict: *Not Guilty!* (My very first win!)

Jury out 3 hrs & 7 questio?

Posted on February 20, 2008
Jury out 3 hrs & 7 questions already and still debilitatering. I hope this is a good sign. Cross fingers & toes please for me.

At coffee shop "barrista&?

Posted on February 17, 2008
At coffee shop "barrista" lists the type of bagels available and pronounces "jalapeno" as jah-lah-pin-oh. No trace of smile or joke in him.

Best DWI Attorney Vs A Public Defender

Posted on February 17, 2008
A criminal defense attorney usually charges a lot more in comparison to a public defender, but it is always worth spending that much. ? Ha! Whaaa?

Desired jury instruction: All ?

Posted on February 15, 2008
Desired jury instruction: All cops lie. Count on it.

Scoplaw: New Highs and Lows

Posted on February 15, 2008
The court needs to ask a question to resolve an ambiguity: what are “booty shorts?” ?

Liars!

Posted on February 15, 2008
The Bush Administration is trying to convince Congress and the rest of us that it needs permanent permission to spy on on us, and that the telecom industry should have retroactive protection from liability for their actions in helping the gov't spy on us...

Next book: John Hodgeman?s &qu?

Posted on February 14, 2008
Next book: John Hodgeman’s "7 Habits of Highly Explosive People." Very popular among the al-kay-duh!

Redacting DUI video in advance?

Posted on February 14, 2008
Redacting DUI video in advance of trial. I hate VHS tapes & machines!

What To Do When Your Cellphone Rings In Court

Posted on February 14, 2008
“He’s about to make another error. I am trying to stop him so as to avoid another trip up to see you, but it does not appear as though he is listening.” ?

Black Tuesday

Posted on February 14, 2008
Happy Vday everyone.

When u feel like crying @ 8:15?

Posted on February 13, 2008
When u feel like crying @ 8:15 a.m., odds r good this is not going to be a good day. :-(

Hibernation

Posted on February 12, 2008
It's been wintry freezing cold here and I have not been able to rise and shine in the mornings at all. Three bangs on the snooze bar, minimum, every morning, even when I went to bed early the night before.... Call Stephen Colbert!Randomness: Life is always busy, so why can't I ever post anything here?

The Awakening

Posted on February 09, 2008
it is a representation of nephilim. genisis chapter 6. ?

"No one in the world ever?

Posted on February 08, 2008
"No one in the world ever gets what they want & that is beautiful! Everybody dies frustrated inside & that is beautiful!" — TMBG

Listeningto "Challenger&q?

Posted on February 05, 2008
Listeningto "Challenger" by The New Pornographers turned up very LOUD. Thank u chikin!

CNN projection: Romney wins Ut?

Posted on February 05, 2008
CNN projection: Romney wins Utah! (No way!)

Funny: when I lived ina city I?

Posted on February 04, 2008
Funny: when I lived ina city I missed the view of the mountains. Now I live in view of (distant) mtns & I miss the views of the city. Grr…

Sadness! Audacity?s Gone!

Posted on February 03, 2008
Alas, I just discovered the blogger formerly known as Audacity (formerly, long ago, here) has quit blogging and deleted her blog!

Damn. I guess he saw his shado?

Posted on February 02, 2008
Damn. I guess he saw his shadow…. :-(

Totally wasting my time trying?

Posted on February 02, 2008
Totally wasting my time trying to make myself work when I just don’t *want* to work. It’s Saturday! "Tick tick boom!" - the Hives

Punxsutawney Phil: See shadow ?

Posted on February 01, 2008
Punxsutawney Phil: See shadow = G more wks winter. Doesn’t see shadow = spring! Tomorrow…

Watching a ridiculous trial on?

Posted on February 01, 2008
Watching a ridiculous trial on an "obstucting a peace officer" by giving a fake name to an officer who already knew the client’s real name.

Of hats and cleavage in courtrooms

Posted on January 31, 2008
Rowan County District Court Judge Kevin Eddinger found a lawyer in contempt for having read Maxim in his courtroom. http://markskatz.com/justiceblog/archives/969-Of-hats-and-cleavage-in-courtrooms..html

Apple First Quarter 2008 Results

Posted on January 31, 2008
What this line of thinking misses is that it?s wrong to think of the iPod simply as a digital Walkman. Better to think of the iPod as, say, ?the best pocket-sized anti-boredom device Apple can make?. ?

ABA: What you do for me?

Posted on January 31, 2008
Overslept this morning after being up half the night coughing. This is the strangest cold; I've experienced tremendous congestion in the morning for about the last ten days, but once I get up and get going, I just have a very slight runny nose the rest of the day...

McCain?s win in FL is encourag?

Posted on January 30, 2008
McCain’s win in FL is encouraging closeted Republicans to come out. Is it better to know your friends are Republicans or be ignorant of it?

Crap. It?s going to end up McC?

Posted on January 29, 2008
Crap. It’s going to end up McCain v. Clinton & we r going to lose. Say hello to 4 more yrs of the GOP: war, class, fear.

Arrived @ work today to find a?

Posted on January 29, 2008
Arrived @ work today to find a juicy little legal battle to sink my teeth into. Reminds me why I love my job. Not as cool if we lose, but…

"You never trust a heart ?

Posted on January 28, 2008
"You never trust a heart that’s so bent it can’t break." — Bright Eyes

The Saucy Vixen on Life

Posted on January 27, 2008
Hi. I’m Saucy Vixen. I also represent the people of the State. I just happen to have one sitting next to me. via Right on!

?End of an Error?

Posted on January 27, 2008
January 20, 2009 ? Ha!

A World of Reasons to Ditch Bottled Water

Posted on January 27, 2008
Approximately 1.5 million barrels of oil?enough to run 100,000 cars for a whole year?are used to make plastic water bottles, while transporting these bottles burns even more oil. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/07/reasons_to_ditch_bottled_water.php

Presidential Candidates: Goodbye Skeletor

Posted on January 23, 2008
According to a few very narrow questions, I should apparently vote as follows:99% Mike Gravel98% Dennis Kucinich82% John Edwards78% Barack Obama77% Chris Dodd76% Joe Biden75% Hillary Clinton71% Bill Richardson32% Rudy Giuliani28% Ron Paul20% John McCain16% Mitt Romney15% Mike Huckabee14% Tom Tancredo5% Fred Thompson2008 Presidential Candidate Matching QuizNo real surprises there.

Study: False statements preceded war

Posted on January 23, 2008
The study concluded that the statements “were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses.” ? No kidding?

Whining: back still hurts, bit?

Posted on January 22, 2008
Whining: back still hurts, bitter cold & blowing snow, feeling like a broken old man, don’t want to work but can’t take day off. Argh!!!

Gamble gamble gamble

Posted on January 22, 2008
I'm glad I don't have money in the stock market as it falls and falls.