How Appealing



Friday, August 3, 2012

“Powerful Shaper of U.S. Rules Quits, With Critics in Wake”: Saturday’s edition of The New York Times will contain an article that begins, “Cass R. Sunstein, who wielded enormous power as the White House overseer of federal regulation, came to Washington to test his theories of human behavior and economic efficiency in the laboratory of the federal government. Now he is departing with a record that left many business interests disappointed and environmental, health and consumer advocates even more unhappy.”

Posted at 10:54 PM by Howard Bashman



“Complex, Fractured Michigan Supreme Court Decision Includes Fight Over Font Size and Substantial Compliance”: Rick Hasen has this post at his “Election Law Blog” about a ruling that the Supreme Court of Michigan issued today.

The fight involved not just any font size, but rather the meaning of 14-point font, a size well known to lawyers who file appellate briefs in the U.S. Courts of Appeals.

Posted at 7:52 PM by Howard Bashman



“Senate GOP, Again, Blocks D.C. Circuit Nominee”: Todd Ruger has this post at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.”

Posted at 4:35 PM by Howard Bashman



“Shots Fired: D.C. Circuit Sharply Divides in Machine Gun Dispute.” At “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times,” Mike Scarcella has this post about an en banc ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued today.

Among the interesting aspects of today’s decision, Circuit Judge Janice Rogers Brown wrote the majority opinion, while Circuit Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh wrote a lengthy dissent. In addition, two other judges wrote separate opinions questioning why the case had been accepted for en banc review.

Posted at 2:54 PM by Howard Bashman



“Obama’s Judicial Confirmations at the Election Year Summer Recess, and Prospects for the Fall”: Russell Wheeler of the Brookings Institution has posted this paper online today.

Posted at 1:44 PM by Howard Bashman



“U.S. Justice Department opposes undocumented immigrant’s right to get California law license”: Howard Mintz has this article today in The San Jose Mercury News.

Today in The San Francisco Chronicle, Bob Egelko has an article that begins, “Illegal immigrants are ineligible to practice law in California, President Obama’s Justice Department told the state’s high court in a rebuff to a man who was brought to the United States as a toddler and worked his way through college and law school.”

And Reuters has a report headlined “Justice Department: California should not let illegal immigrant practice law.”

Posted at 9:05 AM by Howard Bashman



“Wash. Supreme Court rules backpack search illegal”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “The Washington Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that a student backpack search in 2009 at a Bellevue high school was illegal because the officer who conducted the search and found a weapon was acting as a police officer at the time.”

Yesterday’s ruling of the Supreme Court of Washington State consists of a majority opinion and a dissenting opinion.

Update: At the “School Law” blog of Education Week, Mark Walsh has a post titled “Court Invalidates Backpack Search by School Resource Officer.”

Posted at 9:02 AM by Howard Bashman