How Appealing



Wednesday, June 6, 2007

“Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference Brings Federal Bench, Bar to Honolulu”: The Public Information Office of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued this news release today. One of the scheduled presentations is titled — I kid you not — “Killer Asteroids and What We Can Do About Them.”

Posted at 2:58 PM by Howard Bashman



May a federal district court impose a harsher, non-Guidelines sentence based on community-specific considerations, such as a belief that gun trafficking in New York City inflicts greater harm and requires stiffer penalties to achieve deterrence than the same offense committed in less densely populated parts of the country? A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit answers “no” today in a decision that you can access here.

Posted at 11:23 AM by Howard Bashman



“No fines for fleeting expletives: The FCC is ignoring its own precedent against harshly punishing broadcasters for an unexpected, rare curse word.” This editorial appears today in The Los Angeles Times.

Posted at 8:50 AM by Howard Bashman



“Judge throws out efforts to keep Chief”: The News-Gazette of Champaign, Illinois yesterday posted online a news update that begins, “A Champaign County judge this morning threw out two lawsuits filed as efforts to get the University of Illinois to retain Chief Illiniwek as its honored symbol.”

Posted at 8:45 AM by Howard Bashman



“Death to child rapists? The Louisiana Supreme Court thinks child rapists should be executed; Might the U.S. Supreme Court agree?” This editorial appeared yesterday in The Los Angeles Times.

Posted at 8:27 AM by Howard Bashman



“Libby Given 30 Months for Lying in C.I.A. Leak Case”: Neil A. Lewis has this article today in The New York Times. The newspaper also contains an editorial entitled “Jail Time for Scooter Libby.”

The Washington Post today contains articles headlined “Libby Given 21/2-Year Prison Term; Former White House Aide ‘Got Off Course,’ Judge Says“; “In the West Wing, Pardon Is A Topic Too Sensitive to Mention“; and “Letters Cast Light on Cheney’s Inner Circle; Dozens of Prominent Figures and Insiders Praise Libby as Fundamentally Decent.” And Dana Milbank’s “Washington Sketch” column is headlined “Standing by Their Man.”

The Los Angeles Times reports that “Libby gets prison, Bush may face dilemma; Ex-Cheney aide gets 2 1/2-year sentence in probe of a former CIA operative’s outing; Pressure for a pardon may hit president soon.”

USA Today contains a front page article headlined “Libby seeking to delay sentence; 30-month prison term may start during appeals.”

The Boston Globe reports that “Libby gets 2 1/2 years; some seek pardon; Conservatives call for Bush to take action.”

In The New York Sun, Josh Gerstein reports that “Establishment Who’s Who Fails To Rescue Libby.”

The Washington Times reports that “Libby gets 30 months, $250,000 fine.”

And The St. Petersburg Times contains an editorial entitled “A correct sentence for Libby.”

Posted at 8:24 AM by Howard Bashman



“Helping attorneys hone appeals; At Schnader Harrison law firm’s subsidiary institute, outside lawyers face mock court to tailor briefs, shape oral arguments”: The Philadelphia Inquirer today contains an article that begins, “It’s all about getting an edge. Two years ago, when partners at the Schnader Harrison law firm first began talking about setting up a consulting business aimed at lawyers who need help sharpening appeals-court arguments, a threshold question was whether it would make money. The jury is still out on that, but the consulting business is up and running.”

Posted at 8:10 AM by Howard Bashman



“Sex landed him in prison; will petition bail him out? Consensual act between youths got teen 10 years; Today, he asks a judge to throw out the conviction.” Today’s edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution contains an article that begins, “Genarlow Wilson says he regrets some of the things he did at a raunchy New Year’s Eve party in 2003 that put him in the national spotlight. But he argues that his 10-year prison sentence was too harsh for receiving consensual oral sex from a 15-year-old girl when he was 17.”

The newspaper also contains an op-ed by columnist Cynthia Tucker entitled “Genarlow Wilson should be free.”

Posted at 8:05 AM by Howard Bashman



“Errors mar law prof’s paper; Some students question how the legal writing director at FAMU’s law school got her job”: This article appears today in The St. Petersburg Times.

Posted at 7:58 AM by Howard Bashman



“Eminent Domain Fix At Risk; Billboard Clause Could Lead To Cuts In State’s Share Of Federal Highway Funds”: The Hartford Courant contains this article today.

Posted at 7:50 AM by Howard Bashman



“Ex-Prosecutor Says He Didn’t Think Charges Would Affect Election”: The Washington Post contains this article today.

The New York Times reports today that “Panel Asks Official About Politics in Hiring.”

The Los Angeles Times reports that “Indictments may have bent Justice’s rules; A Senate panel hears how four liberal activists were charged right before the midterm election despite federal guidelines.”

The Washington Times reports that “Democrats hit Justice official for timing of voter-fraud case.”

And USA Today reports that “Ex-prosecutor says firing cleared way for another; Replacement got indictments of 4 in liberal group.”

Posted at 7:42 AM by Howard Bashman



“In June, getting five justices to agree isn’t so easy; Dissenters always try to pick off one to get a majority”: Joan Biskupic has this article today in USA Today.

Posted at 6:34 AM by Howard Bashman



“A Mootness Dismissal Illustrates the Supreme Court’s Split Personality: Is it a Constitutional Court or a Court of Error?” Michael C. Dorf has this essay online today at FindLaw.

Posted at 6:30 AM by Howard Bashman