Legal Theory

Retired Prof Indicted for Handing Out Jury Nullification Pamphlets Near Federal Courthouse

Since 2009, Julian Heicklen has been handing out material urging prospective jurors to vote their conscience at various courthouses. He says he often holds a “Jury Info” sign to help connect him to the right people, but has never sought to influence any specific case. Now the retired chemistry professor…

Feb 25, 2011 11:00 PM CST

To Better Understand U.S. Laws, CU-Boulder Law Students Head to India

University of Colorado third-year law students enrolled in a new class will travel to Bangalore, India, during spring break to gain a better understanding of U.S. laws. The CU course, which is a clinical study focusing on juvenile and family law, is taking 15 students to India to compare four…

Feb 22, 2011 8:24 PM CST

Book Argues Ideas Hatched in Law Schools Are ‘Catastrophically Bad for America’

Elite law schools are “churning out ideas that are catastrophically bad for America,” according to a new book by blogger and Cato Institute senior fellow Walter Olson. That description is from the book jacket, and it’s posted on Olson’s Overlawyered blog. “Rights to sue anyone over anything in class actions?…

Jan 19, 2011 3:27 PM CST

For Those Teetering on the Edge, Street Outreach Court Offers a Push in the Right Direction

For those already teetering on the edge of financial disaster, even a relatively minor court case can push them over the edge into homelessness or the loss of a job. But a Michigan court billed as unique in the Midwest is trying to push defendants working to better themselves onto…

Dec 28, 2010 11:00 AM CST

Superhero Legal Questions Debated on New Blog

What happens to a murder conviction after the victim comes back to life? Who is liable when a superhero battle results in mass destruction of property? Is evidence admissible if it is obtained through mind reading? Are plasma blasts protected by the Second Amendment? Can Batman be sued by criminals…

Dec 20, 2010 4:53 PM CST

Lady Justice’s Look Changed as Judicial Systems Took Shape

Lady Justice didn’t always wear a blindfold. She has been depicted as a goddess of harmony and order in ancient Egypt, and as a sister, wife and counselor to Zeus, the New York Times reports. The blindfold did not become an accessory until well into the 17th Century, according to…

Dec 16, 2010 1:10 PM CST

Visited By FBI in Big Insider-Trading Probe, Researcher Explains ‘Why I Chose Not to Wear a Wire’

As federal authorities step up the pace in a three-year-old insider-trading investigation of the financial industry that reportedly could be record-breaking in scope, a Portland, Ore., independent research analyst has been making headlines by going public with his refusal to wear a wire when approached by FBI agents. John Kinnucan…

Nov 29, 2010 9:42 PM CST

Human Rights Group to Sue in UK in Effort to Prevent Export of Drug for Use in US Inmate’s Execution

In an effort to prevent, or at least postpone, the execution of a U.S. prison inmate on death row, a London-based human rights group says it has filed or will file suit in the United Kingdom to try to force a ban on the export from Britain of a scarce…

Nov 2, 2010 6:40 PM CDT

Citizens in One Mass. District to Vote on Equal Nudity Rights

An artist in Massachusetts has gathered the necessary signatures to put on the ballot in her district one of the most unusual issue voters anywhere the state are being asked to decide this election season. It is: Whether women should have equal nudity rights with men, reports the Boston Globe.…

Oct 15, 2010 1:41 PM CDT

Adjunct Law Prof Hits Schools’ Preoccupation with ‘Impractical Scholarship’

Top law schools hire professors with fewer years of real-world experience than lower-tier schools, according to an adjunct who questions schools’ “preoccupation with impractical scholarship” in a law review article. Georgetown University adjunct law professor Brent Evan Newton told the National Law Journal that he was inspired to write his…

Sep 1, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Their Day in Court

Animal protection attorneys are pushing the law to treat animals more like humans

Sep 1, 2010 9:20 AM CDT

City’s Graffiti Suit Seeks to Force Parent to Pay for Damage Done by Son

In a lawsuit that may be the first of its kind in Texas, a town is suing to try to force the parent of a teenager to pay for damage done by his son’s graffiti. The suit by the city of Corpus Christi seeks to obtain $7,000, plus attorney’s fees…

Aug 19, 2010 11:09 PM CDT

Sotomayor Inks Book Deal Just 1 Year Into New Job on Top US Court

A year into her new job as a U.S. Supreme Court justice, Sonia Sotomayor has inked a book deal. Alfred A. Knopf is to publish a memoir focusing on her ascent from childhood the South Bronx as the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants to the Ivy League, reports Reliable Source…

Jul 13, 2010 12:02 AM CDT

Psychiatrist Had Duty to Warn Patient’s Spouse of Herpes Risk from Doctor-Patient Affair

A psychiatrist allegedly infected with the herpes simplex virus had a duty to warn his patient’s spouse before allegedly having unprotected sex with the patient, a New York judge has ruled. Upholding the husband’s right to bring a negligence suit for the alleged breach of duty by the psychiatrist, Westchester…

Jun 7, 2010 7:59 PM CDT

Canadian Law Prof Blasts Schools as ‘Feminist Seminaries and Psychotic Kindergartens’

A retired Canadian law professor is blasting law schools for pursuing a social justice agenda, deriding law students as illiterate and taking aim at high tuition fees. Robert Martin, a law professor emeritus at the University of Western Ontario, holds forth on his views in an October 2009 article (PDF)…

May 18, 2010 2:19 PM CDT