We’ve said a lot about the atrocious ABC television show, The Deep End. One particularly annoying aspect of the show is that of the four — purportedly “best in the country” — first-year associates, one of them graduated from the Case Western Reserve School of Law.
With all due respect to the good people at Case Western, Biglaw types have a hard time suspending their disbelief that even a fictional top law firm would grab an associate from the #55 ranked law school in the country.
But maybe, just maybe, the prestige-obsessed are wrong. Obviously, Clarence Thomas is happy to hire clerks without regard to their schools’ positions on the U.S. News list. And it appears that the kids at Case Western play just as rough and dirty as anybody in the H-Y-S crowd. Check out this email to all Case Western Law faculty and students:

I am very sorry to report that someone has cut some class-related sections out of several copies of a library book. I am sure that the overwhelming majority of you don’t need to be told that this behavior is unprofessional and unacceptable. It is also a serious violation of the law school code of conduct. This is a very unusual occurrence at our school, for which we should all be grateful. Nevertheless, even one such incident is too many.

Somebody at Case Western has read One L a few too many times.
But hey, if the school is being criticized on prestige grounds, maybe it’s time for its students to take academic competition to the next level. Let’s hear from some Case law students about this.

Just to be clear, nobody ever ripped pages out of library casebooks while I was at HLS. I think. I mean, I guess I wouldn’t really know. They didn’t serve “casebooks” at Three Aces. But Lat also reports that nobody ever ripped any pages out of anything while he was at Yale.
In fact, I thought this whole “ripping pages out of casebooks” thing was an urban legend, like black people who actually watch NASCAR.
But I’m not the only one who lost a little bit of innocence when I read this Case Western email. A tipster reports:

During my 1L year, my writing professor used to tell us stories about how this happening at the University of Michigan Law School “when he was a 1L.” I always figured this kind of thing was something that happened at other law schools and was something kids just made up to brag about how competitive their school was, but never actually really happened. But it did. I mean really… this kid is a jackass. Who does this?

Another tipster who sent along the story said:

I didn’t know I could be any more embarrassed by this school, but here you go.

I mean, can anybody actually tell me of any other confirmed instance of textbook ripping that isn’t immediately followed by standing on your desk and shouting “Oh Captain, my Captain”?
I think this can be attributed to extreme prestige whore-dom. I think there are a lot of people who are thrilled to be at Case Western, but this one kid has U.S. News envy. He wanted to act tough, act like he was ready for the Paper Chase, and thought this would send a message that Case Western can produce gunners of the highest caliber.
So, to this anonymous kid, I say: point taken. You’ve proven your gunner bona fides. Please take this commemorative hat. Yes, the one over there emblazoned with the word “Douche.” You’ve earned it.
UPDATE: Please note that this post was written by Elie, not Lat — who holds Case Western in the highest esteem and will be speaking there later this month, for the first annual Midwest APALSA Conference. Check out the conference schedule here, and register here.
Midwest APALSA Conference [Case Western APALSA]
Earlier: Liveblogging ABC’s The Deep End
Open Thread: 2010 U.S. News Law School Rankings (50 – 75)
New ABC Show About Biglaw
Clarence Thomas Clarifies: His Clerks Aren’t ‘TTT’