“Do-it-yourself defendants: Self-representation may help some gain favorable verdicts.” The Baltimore Sun today contains an article that begins, “Socrates and Joan of Arc did it. So did serial murderer Ted Bundy, Black Panther Bobby Seale, Long Island Rail Road murderer Colin Ferguson and, briefly, Zacarias Moussaoui, who was sentenced to life in prison last week for conspiring in the Sept. 11 attacks. They all defended themselves in court, a right that – with certain constitutional safeguards – is guaranteed in this country.”
“Scared of Scoops”: Law Professor Geoffrey R. Stone has this op-ed today in The New York Times.
“Reporters’ Subpoenas Amount To ‘War Against the Press'”: Today in The New York Sun, Josh Gerstein has an article that begins, “The Bush administration has opened a new front in its war on leaks with an aggressive and unusual move to force two San Francisco Chronicle reporters to identify their sources for stories about secret grand jury testimony from a federal investigation of steroid use in professional baseball.”
In the May 15, 2006 issue of The New Yorker: Hendrik Hertzberg has a Talk of the Town comment entitled “Sentenced” about the Zacarias Moussaoui case.
And Mitchell Zuckoff has an Annals of Crime essay entitled “The Perfect Mark: How a Massachusetts psychotherapist fell for a Nigerian e-mail scam.”
In commentary available online today from FindLaw: Law Professor Douglas W. Kmiec has an essay entitled “The Moussaoui Trial, and Its Verdict: Life Imprisonment Was the Right Call by the Jury, But the Process Shows the President Is Right About Military Commissions.”
And Elaine Cassel has an essay entitled “Defending The Zacarias Moussaoui Sentence: Why the Phase One and Phase Two Verdicts Were Consistent, And Why the Sentence Was the Right One.”
“Republicans Stoke an Old Fire: Judicial Nominations.” This article appears today in The New York Times.
And Financial Times reports today that “Bush faces a potential showdown over judges.”
Philadelphia Phillies 9, San Francisco Giants 5: Thanks to a late arrival scheduled tomorrow for my son’s elementary school, he was able to accompany me to tonight’s Phillies game, where we saw both a victory for our home team and the 713th home run for Barry Bonds, putting him one shy of Babe Ruth’s record. There was no doubt about the home run; it glanced off an advertisement at the base of the upper deck in right field in Citizens Bank Park. Bonds had one more at bat to try for number 714, but he struck out.
Although Major League Baseball may not be planning to officially commemorate the tying or passing of Babe Ruth’s home run total, it was apparent that specially marked baseballs were used for Bonds’s final at bat of the evening. The ball boy gave a supply of specially marked baseballs to the home plate umpire at the start of Bonds’s final at bat, and then the ball boy took away the remaining specially marked baseballs, and replaced them with regular baseballs, following the strikeout.
Wraps of Sunday night’s game can be accessed here and here, while the box score is available at this link. Special coverage of home run 713 can be found here, here, here, here, here, and here.
“Governor’s counsel will clerk for U.S. Justice Alito”: This article appeared Friday in The Salt Lake Tribune.
Bob Egelko is reporting: Today in The San Francisco Chronicle, he has an article headlined “The Balco Case: More pressure on reporters to name sources” and a news analysis headlined “How Bush sidesteps intent of Congress: Instead of vetoing bills, he officially disregards portions with which he doesn’t agree.”
“Complaint Against Judge Has Broader Ramifications; Judicial panel says it lacks power to sanction L.A. jurist; Bill would create inspector general”: Today in The Los Angeles Times, Henry Weinstein has an article that begins, “A long-running controversy involving a misconduct complaint against veteran Los Angeles federal Judge Manuel L. Real has reached the nation’s capital, where it could influence legislation proposed by conservatives seeking to exert greater oversight of the federal judiciary. Real seized control from another judge of a bankruptcy involving a woman whose probation he was overseeing, permitting Deborah M. Canter to live rent-free for three years in a Highland Avenue house and costing her creditors $35,000 in rent and thousands more in legal costs, according to court documents. A sharply divided national federal judicial discipline committee ruled 3 to 2 in late April that it had no power to sanction Real, 81, because the chief judge of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals failed to properly investigate the complaint.”
If anyone can point to me where last month’s ruling of the “sharply divided national federal judicial discipline committee” is available online so that I can link to it, or if anyone can send an electronic copy of that ruling to me so that I can post it online, I will be most appreciative.
The ruling of the Judicial Council of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in this matter from September 2005 is available online at this link. And my earlier coverage of that ruling appears here, here, and here.
“Sniper Trial: A Glimpse of the Jury That Will Decide Case in Montgomery.” This article appears today in The Washington Post.
In today’s edition of The New York Times: In the Week in Review section, Adam Liptak has an article headlined “Sedition: It Still Rolls Off the Tongue.”
And the cover story of The New York Times Magazine is headlined “Contra-Contraception: A growing number of conservatives see birth control as part of an ailing culture that overemphasizes sex and devalues human life; Is this the beginning of the next culture war?”
“Where Are They: Thomas Penfield Jackson; Outspoken Judge in Microsoft Case Has Retired From the Bench but He Is Still Speaking His Mind.” This article (free access) appears today at The Wall Street Journal Online.
This afternoon’s blogging break on the fourth anniversary of this blog’s existence was courtesy of the Philadelphia Soul arena football team: My son got to sit on the bench with the players during the game in his capacity as Philadelphia Soul’s Ball Boy of the day. The Soul today defeated the Dallas Desperados 51-48 (details here). This was my family’s first arena football experience, made extra special as the result of free tickets and all access passes.
Tomorrow night my son and I will be back in south Philly to cheer on the Philadelphia Phillies against Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants. The Phillies have held Bonds homerless through the first two games of the series, so he would have to hit three tomorrow night in order to pass Babe Ruth in the record books while in Philly.
“Nuss panel begins inquiry; Judicial committee examining judge”: The Topeka Capital-Journal today contains an article that begins, “A state commission met privately Friday to consider a formal ethics investigation of Kansas Supreme Court Justice Lawton Nuss for talking with lawmakers about a pending lawsuit.”
Meanwhile, on Friday, The Lawrence Journal-World reported that “Sebelius denies inside information from court.”
And Friday in The Kansas City Star, Barbara Shelly had an op-ed entitled “Meal in Topeka gave court, Capitol indigestion.”
“Ryan judge calls 2 jurors, rejects mistrial; Guilty verdict was not tainted by legal research, she says”: The Chicago Tribune contains this article today.
And The Chicago Sun-Times today contains an article headlined “Ryan judge: Verdict stands.”
“Hosts not liable for partygoer driving drunk; Top court rules in case brought by woman who was left paraplegic after accident”: This article appears today in The Toronto Globe and Mail.
And The Toronto Star reports today that “Host not liable for drunk guests.”
My earlier coverage is at this link.
“U.S. Court Passes on Marriage Lawsuit; Federal judges say the two Orange County men should wait for state courts to sort out issues”: The Los Angeles Times contains this article today.
And today in The San Francisco Chronicle, Bob Egelko reports that “Gay couple can’t challenge marriage act; Groups supporting same-sex unions back federal ruling.”
My earlier coverage is here.
“Sniper testimony begins; State starts case against Muhammad with vivid details of the first two killings”: This article appears today in The Baltimore Sun.
And The Washington Post reports today that “Muhammad Questions Shootings’ Witnesses; Sniper Suspect’s Calm Side Emerges As Testimony Starts.”
Jurisprudence essays available online at Slate: Dahlia Lithwick has an essay entitled “Barely Lethal: How both sides have staked out the worst position in the lethal-injection fight.”
And Hanny Hindi has an essay entitled “Take My Life, Please: Merciful (but messy) alternatives to lethal injection.”
“School worker axed for Net use”: The New York Daily News today contains a news brief that begins, “City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein canned an Internet-surfing employee yesterday, despite a judge’s ruling that city workers can check out the Web at work.”
In today’s edition of The New York Times: Adam Liptak reports that “Nonlawyer Father Wins His Suit Over Education, and the Bar Is Upset.”
And in news from the New York region, “Another Prologue Begins in Epic 9/11 Court Case” and “After a Trial, the Tables Are Turned on a Defense Lawyer.”
“Bar Association Rates Nominee to Federal Court ‘Not Qualified'”: The New York Times contains this article today.
And The Hartford Courant reports today that “Panel Deals Judge A Setback; Bar Committee Opposes Nomination.”
“Illinois high court denies rehearing in tobacco suit”: This article appears today in The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
And The Wall Street Journal reports today that “Philip Morris Gets Court Victory” (free access).
“Student’s liaison leads to lawsuit; Off-campus fling earned suspension”: The Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer today contains an article that begins, “A 16-year-old student and his mother have sued the Wake County Board of Education after he was suspended for having sex during school hours at his girlfriend’s house. The suit, filed last week in Wake Superior Court by Ryan Biggar and his mother, Patricia, says school officials have no authority over students’ off-campus behavior.”
“Edwards: Withdraw Boyle’s nomination.” The Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer today contains a news brief that begins, “Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards called on President Bush on Friday to withdraw the nomination of U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle to a federal appeals court.”
On May 6, 2002 — four years ago today — the blog “How Appealing” came into existence: That’s right, today is this blog’s fourth birthday. You can access this blog’s complete archives, consisting of every post that has appeared during the history of “How Appealing,” via this link.
To celebrate this blog’s fourth anniversary, and after much clamoring from my readers, I have decided to resume one of this blog’s most popular monthly features, “20 questions for the appellate judge.” The first 20 months of that interview feature can be accessed via the link provided in the preceding sentence.
Of course, the “20 questions for the appellate judge” feature can only exist if appellate judges are willing to volunteer to be interviewed. On Monday, May 8, 2006 at 9 a.m. eastern time, I will post online here details of how appellate judges can volunteer to take part in this popular monthly online interview feature and when, if all goes as planned, the feature will resume.
Thanks to each and every reader who has made “How Appealing” so much fun to operate during the first four years of its existence!
“Bush pushes Sooner for appeals court”: The Tulsa World today contains an article that begins, “President Bush on Thursday nominated Oklahoma City attorney Jerome Holmes for a vacancy on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.”
And last month, the newspaper published an article headlined “OKC attorney likely to fill 10th Circuit slot; Tulsa judge emerging for federal bench.”
Available online from law.com: An article reports that “11th Circuit Tosses Drastically Reduced Sentence for HealthSouth Executive.” You can access today’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit at this link.
And the brand new installment of my “On Appeal” column is headlined “Is the Stock Ownership Recusal Requirement Too Unforgiving?”
U.S. government advises the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that ethnic Uighur Chinese nationals formerly detained at Guantanamo Bay have today been released to Albania for resettlement there as refugees: You can access the federal government’s filing, made late today, at this link. The case had been scheduled for oral argument Monday in the D.C. Circuit, and the federal government has now filed an emergency motion to dismiss the case as moot.
In early press coverage, The Associated Press reports that “Albania Takes 5 Ethnic Chinese From Gitmo.”
“Judge in Ryan Trial Finds No Jury Bias”: The Associated Press provides this report from Chicago.
“Improving scotusblog”: You can join Linda Greenhouse in offering suggestions at this link. Meanwhile, readers of “How Appealing” are constantly offering me suggestions on how to improve my blog, which is why you don’t see me asking for even more suggestions of that nature.
“Gay couple can’t contest marriage definition”: Bob Egelko of The San Francisco Chronicle provides a news update that begins, “A federal appeals court today dismissed a challenge by two Orange County men to a law denying federal marriage benefits to same-sex couples, saying a couple that isn’t legally married under state law has no right to contest the federal definition of marriage.” My earlier coverage appears here.
“Now in foreground: jurors’ backgrounds; Attorneys split on need for checks.” This article (free access) will appear in next week’s issue of The National Law Journal.
“Marcos’ victims to split $35 million from U.S. account; Philippine government loses in appeals court”: Today in The San Francisco Chronicle, Bob Egelko has this article reporting on a ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued yesterday.
And in other coverage, David Kravets of The Associated Press reports that “Court OKs $35M for Marcos Victims.”
