Crime & Federalism
"Daily commentary on criminal law, civil rights, and what's new and outrageous in the law."
Author: "Mike," an anonymous Pepperdine Law School grad, has worked on criminal defense and civil rights cases, and "Norm" (aka Norman A. Pattis, a Bethany, Conn. lawyer) focuses on criminal defense, civil rights, appellate matters and representing attorneys in professional disputes.
Blawg Related Categories: Appellate Practice • Civil Rights • Criminal Justice • Anonymous • Solo / Small Firm • Private Defense
Recent Posts from Crime & Federalism
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Prosecutors Should Feel the Chill
Sometimes someone says something so crisp that one can only feel awe and jealousy. Justice Sotomayor put me and everyone else to shame during oral arguments in Pottawattamie County v. McGhee. §§§ During the oral…
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A Human-Sized Duffel Bag
I laughed out loud at this: [The defendant] challenges a number of the district court’s factual findings and argues the findings do not establish that officers lawfully conducted a protective sweep of the garage during…
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Federal Judges Demand DOJ Reform Discovery Practices
Federal judges are standing up to the United States Department of Justice: Judge Paul Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia says he's "radicalized" when it comes to prosecution disclosure obligations.…
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Catholicism Succumbs to the Culture of Narcissism
Section 1983 Blog has a post about Catholic League v. City and County of San Francisco, a frivolous case in our frivolous times. In Catholic League, the Catholic Church sued because the City of San…
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Thinking Like a Scientist
Science is supposed to be more about the memorization of trivial. Instead, science is supposed to be about method, about process – most of all, about thinking. Most scientists, sadly, are weak problem solvers. Scientists…
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Bill Maher and the Yes-Man Effect
I never understood why Bill Maher was considered funny. Still, it seems he's imploding. It's because he's surrounded himself with yes-men: When Elvis came out of the dressing room for the first time in that…
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You Are Your Environment
Why do you do what you do? Why are your friends your friends? Why do you listen to the music you listen to, watch the TV shows you watch, and read the books you read?…
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Money and Cognitive Bias
Bankrate.com has fantastic article entitled, "12 Hair-Raising Money Tales." Some of the tales involve banker corruption, deceit ans so-called gotcha capitalism. Many money mistakes involve decisions. And thus there are problems with cognitive bias. Take…
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What Does a "Hit" Look Like?
"For a second I thought I was dead. But, when I heard all the noise, I knew they were cops. Only cops talk that way. If they'd been wiseguys, I wouldn't have heard a thing.…
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On Getting the Democracy We Deserve
After giving Wall Street $2 trillion, there haven't been any reforms. Even the derivatives "reform" bill is an industry-sponsored joke. It's clear what is going on. It's not the politicians' fault. Instead, its our fault.…