Law Students

Progressive Tax, Progressive Problems

Posted on February 03, 2009
We are in the heart of budget season, and a particularly contentious one at that. This of course leads to the inevitable discussion about taxes. When times are rough, we should be focused on removing the portion of income that government takes from individuals...

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Posted on November 26, 2008
It's probably clichéd to make a blog of all the things you're thankful for on Thanksgiving, so I won't do that. I think most of that stuff speaks for itself. I do want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving, and give best of luck to all of my law school comrades who have only a couple weeks left until finals...

Thoughts on Election Day 2008

Posted on November 04, 2008
Well, I just got back from voting. No, I didn't vote because of the hundred and twelve pieces of junk left on my door by certain campaigns. I voted because I always have, and always will. I pride myself on doing the research on everything on the ballot...

Election 2008: Texes Turns... Yellow?

Posted on September 22, 2008
As some will know, I am a pretty big supporter of third-party rights in this country, believing that both of the two major parties are in need of some serious revision. So I was delighted to hear about a suit filed in Texas by Libertarian Party candidate Bob Barr, contesting the presence of John McCain and Barack Obama on the ballots in November...

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

Public Understanding of Bankruptcy Law

Posted on September 22, 2008
I'm deep into this semester, and my schedule is quite heavy. In addition to coursework in Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure, Secured Transactions, Federal Criminal Law, and Evidence, I am in the depths of Moot Court (and that is all I'm allowed to say about Moot Court, apparently) as well as representing the student body as a member of the Indiana University Student Association...

Come on, Allen County!

Posted on July 19, 2008
What is going on in Allen County's courts?This week we got news that a state panel cited Judge Kenneth R. Scheibenberger for official misconduct. Apparently, back in November, he put on his robe and walked into another judge's courtroom (misstep number one)...

More on: The Real Reason for Number Two

Posted on July 11, 2008
Kyle Michael at KMitB was kind enough to post a response to my previous post praising the Heller decision. Always in the mood for a good discussion, I want to respond to his response.Michael writes:You may have noticed that you don?t see many good militias these days; I suspect they?re hard to get together...

The Real Reason for Number Two

Posted on June 27, 2008
The past few days have given the blogosphere much to talk about in regards to the Supreme Court, and in due time I plan to get to the ones I care about. The one that I care the most about, Heller, is the main focus of this post.For the past 28 hours or so, I have seen plenty of status updates from friends who are upset by the ruling, wishing that it could have been decided after some of Obama's appointments were on the Court...

Freedom to Spank your Brats

Posted on June 12, 2008
On Tuesday, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in Willis v. State that parents have the legal right to discipline their children physically, even if it leaves marks or bruises. In the case, the defendant was a mother of a son who had a history of lying and stealing...

In re Marriage Cases

Posted on May 18, 2008
A friend asked me today what I thought about the result in the recent California Supreme Court decision overturning the same-sex marriage ban in that state.I must admit that I'm somewhat torn. On one hand, I don't like courts stepping in to overturn the will of the electorate...

A Quick Catch-Up

Posted on May 18, 2008
I recently realized that it has been a month since I last posted, and that makes me seem at the very least forgetful, and possibly even negligent in my duties as a blogger. However, I had to make it through a final LRW assignment, several difficult finals, a job search, planning next semester's courses, and a basic maintenance of sanity...

IU Law Tuition... this better be worth it

Posted on March 29, 2008
Well, it was bound to happen. We got an e-mail from the dean alerting us that tuition would be going up a bit this year, despite the $25 million gift that we recieved from Lilly. More money for professors, in turn leaving us with more money for scholarships...

Oral Argument: Great Fun, or the Greatest Fun?

Posted on March 29, 2008
It's that time of the year in 1L land, where we get to do enjoyable things in LRW. Not that I didn't enjoy bluebooking and learning research methodology (insert sarcastic eye-roll), but I much prefer doing, you know, lawyerly things. Unlike some of my comrades, I quite enjoyed my experience with oral arguments...

Two Tidbits from the News

Posted on March 13, 2008
I know it's been a while since I posted, mostly because of Spring Break and a variety of other scheduling conflicts. But two tidbits from the news really caught my eye and I think that they are worth mentioning here.Today's Indianapolis Star reports that Governor Daniels has used his first veto of this session, something he has done only seven times in office...

The Petri Dish

Posted on February 27, 2008
The Law School has become a petri dish. Dozens of students have been out sick (including this one). Classes have shrunk to half their size. Some professors have been calling in sick. I had forgotten how volatile biological systems can be when you pack 700 of us into one building during flu season...

"Oeniphile Rejoice" Part III

Posted on February 22, 2008
Some of my luckier colleagues at IU Law today did not have their usual Constitutional Law class. That is because their professor, Mr. Patrick Baude, had oral aruments in Chicago before the Seventh Circuit regarding the Indiana wine shipping case, Baude v...

TOS Reporting Live - IU Pres. McRobbie

Posted on February 15, 2008
In an exciting first for the Oratorical Snob, I am reporting live from the IU Law Moot Court Room, where IU president Michael McRobbie will be holding a press conference regarding the Hoosier Hoops Scandal. Why they chose the law school's moot court room (which can hold a mere 200 or so) rather than anywhere else on campus is unclear...

2008 General Assembly Series: SB65 and Needless Tragedy

Posted on February 15, 2008
Tragedy has befallen the nation yet again. Less than a year after the shootings at Virginia Tech, we have seen four school shootings in less than week. February 8, two students gunned down at Louisiana Tech. February 11, a high schooler shot another during gym class in Tennessee, and a junior high schooler in California is brain dead...

My Hero and His Fleet

Posted on February 01, 2008
In Constitutional Law, we happen to be discussing the separation of powers. Our discussions in class me reminded me of a story about my favorite President, and as a "TGIF"-type posting, I thought I'd share.Theodore Roosevelt has got to be my favorite U...

2008 General Assembly Series: SJR7 and the Waste of Tax Dollars

Posted on January 31, 2008
Anyone that has read my post from last February regarding SJR7, the so-called "Indiana Gay Marriage Ban", knows how I feel about the bill. I think it is a broad overreaching of the state government into the private lives of individuals and an attempt to codify bigotry in our most important document...

Ought the law feel?

Posted on January 28, 2008
In property, we began discussing property rights in the human body, and had a bit of a debate about whether a person should be able to sell their own body parts. I was one of the few on the side of the right to do so. I should note that I believe there are two restrictions on that right: 1) that no person under 18 should have parts sold (either by their own choice or by that of their parents); and 2) that no person should be able to sell an essential body part while still alive...

Is Amending the Constitution a Good Idea?

Posted on January 16, 2008
Last night I sat down to watch the State of the State address by Governor Daniels here in Indiana. I found myself pleased with the speech overall. He gave relatively few specific plans and instead acted as the cheerleader-in-chief (promoting Indiana's 8...

2008 General Assembly Series: SB47 and the Request for Death

Posted on January 15, 2008
It is my favorite time of the year. Not because I like snow or the cold, or because I enjoy the post-Christmas atmosphere. No, this is my favorite time of year because our fine legislators here in Indiana have the opportunity to meet for their short annual session...

Back at It

Posted on January 10, 2008
After a long delay for Christmas break, and a warm vacation in Arizona, I am back to post. I would have posted over break, but, to be honest, I was enjoying relaxation and working on getting out résumés for this summer. I spread my net wide, and hopefully my undergraduate record will help me get a few interviews...

Mid-Finals Update

Posted on December 07, 2007
Along with a little bit of snow, finals season has fallen on us here in Bloomington, and I am in the thick of it. My toughest exam, and the one I was most dreading, was Torts on Wednesday. My worry was, perhaps, not founded. Actually, I knew more than I thought I did, which I think is the general consensus about the law among 1Ls...

IU and Indiana Law Rankings

Posted on November 20, 2007
Yes, we all know you're not supposed to care about rankings. But they exist, and, if nothing else, they make for fun conversation.The TaxProf Blog posed an interesting question recently: how much is a law school helped or hurt by the university of it is a part? "Of the Top 100 (105 with ties) law schools in the most recent ranking, all but 13 are affiliated with national universities...

Hoosier Gun Owner?

Posted on November 20, 2007
As expected, the Supreme Court has granted cert in the D.C. gun ownership case. The court phrased the granting issue as: ?Whether the following provisions ? D.C. Code secs. 7-2502.02(a)(4), 22-4504(a), and 7-2507.02 ? violate the Second Amendment rights of individuals who are not affiliated with any state-regulated militia, but who wish to keep handguns and other firearms for private use in their homes??Not wanting to get into a debate about Second Amendment rights quite yet (my undergrad Constitutional Law course helps, but perhaps I'll debate after ConLaw next semester), I just want to point out an interesting quirk in that phrasing and how it impacts Indiana law...

"Oeniphiles Rejoice" Redux

Posted on November 20, 2007
On August 29, I posted a story about Professor Pat Baude's victory in an Indiana wine shipping case. The case was decided by Judge John Tinder, an Indiana Law alumni and District Court judge.The state of Indiana is appealing the decision to the Seventh Circuit (see briefs here)...

One Month Left

Posted on November 13, 2007
It occurred to me, as I checked my official Indiana Law day planner, that my finals are in less than a month. This must explain why I haven't been posting much. I have two papers to write (one would best be described as an undergrad touchy-feely paper that has little place in a law school curriculum, but I digress) in the next week, and eventually I'll have to solidify some sort of outline for my four finals...

Occam's Tax Code

Posted on October 29, 2007
Not so long ago in Torts, we discussed Occam's razor as it relates to strict liability. The razor is the 14th century principle of lex parsimoniae; that is, that, all other things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the right one. What followed was a delightfully intellectual discussion that does not need repeating here...

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