Karen Sosa

Posts by Karen Sosa

ATL Caption Contest Winner: American Pie

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Last week, we offered you this photo of Vice President Joe Biden at Syracuse University School of Law and asked you to give us your funniest caption suggestions. We then asked you to vote among ten finalists, noting that one of the finalists was not our pick. Guess which finalist won.
Thumbnail image for Joe Biden Joseph Biden blueberry pie.jpg

“Oh, no, I’m sorry … the government share of the pie is there in the pan … this slice is the part you keep.”

You guys just love rooting for the underdog, don’t you?
It was a close race, with the winner taking only 18.3% of the nearly 2500 votes cast. Our second place winner captured 17.8% of the votes:

“I hope you like it – the chef was one of our best students.”

A good dig at Syracuse is bested only by a good dig at Washington’s socialist agenda. Thanks for all your captions and for voting!

Morning Docket: 09.18.09

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Amtrak guns.jpg* Happy Rosh Hashanah. [ABC]
* Mayer Brown and Reed Smith could be trying to kill the billable hour too. [Legal Week]
* When it comes to executing prisoners, should we allow mulligans? [Cleveland Plain Dealer]
* A Maryland police officer who t-boned a car and killed the driver could not be charged with vehicular manslaughter thanks to the state’s tough mens rea requirement. So instead, a civil jury has entered a $4 million verdict against him. [Washington Post]
* However, two Florida school administrators who violated a consent decree by leading prayer in a public school could face jail time if convicted. [CNN]
* The Senate has passed a bill to make Amtrak a more appealing travel option: Guns on trains! Now you’ll have a toy to play with during the inevitable train break down. Thanks, Second Amendment! [New York Times]

ATL Caption Contest Finalists: American Pie

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Last Thursday, we posted a photo of VP Joe Biden enjoying some good ol’ blueberry pie at his alma mater, Syracuse University College of Law. It was up to you to come up with a caption for the picture, and now it’s time to choose the best one. Here’s the photo once again:
Joe Biden Joseph Biden blueberry pie.jpg
After the jump, check out the finalists.

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Judge of the Day: Stephen Belden

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Duct Tape.JPGLet’s be honest. Whether it was that gunner in your 1L section, some douche from UVA Law, or Elie in his True/Slant race rants, we have all wanted to bind and gag someone at some point. But most of us understand that this practice is best left to consenting adults. In the bedroom. With a safe word.
Judge Stephen Belden from the Municipal Court in Canton, OH is not like most of us. Growing tired of a disrespectful defendant during a preliminary hearing last week, Judge Belden ordered the bailiff to duct tape the defendant’s mouth shut.
The Repository reports:

At the start of the hearing, [Defendant Harry] Brown told Belden that he wasn’t happy with his public defender, who he claimed hadn’t done enough work on the case.
Belden said he wasn’t going to appoint a different attorney. If Brown didn’t want the public defender, he could represent himself, although he would be a fool to do so, the judge said.
Brown and Belden went back and forth for about four minutes, at times talking over each other, until Belden told his bailiff, Jeffrey Smith, to get the duct tape.
“I’m gonna get some duct tape. If you keep interrupting me, I’m gonna have Mr. Smith put it over your mouth, OK?”
Brown said he would go back to the holding area for prisoners.
“No, you can’t go back there and sit. You’re staying right here,” Belden said.
Brown kept talking.
“All right, duct tape. Duct tape the defendant,” Belden said.

There are just… so many questions. Only a few of them are answered after the jump.

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Morning Docket: 09.04.09

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Bernie Madoff Bernard Madoff.jpg* NALP is forming a commission to review law firm hiring practices, including the current timetable for 2L OCI recruiting. [Am Law Daily]
* Bankruptcy judges are chastising mortgage servicers for their sloppy business practices and their poor communications. [New York Times]
* Associates who went to lower-ranked law schools tend to be happier and harder working in their BigLaw job. Why? For the same reason that ugly people are better in bed – they have to be. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Unemployment hits 9.7%. That is not funny. [New York Times]
* The 2nd Circuit reaffirms that wiretap warrants should only be granted to the government after a detailed explanation of why the wiretap is necessary. Then the court reinstates evidence acquired pursuant to a wiretap warrant that probably shouldn’t have been granted. [Threat Level/Wired]
* This is just not a good time to be Proskauer Rose. The firm is now being sued in Nevada on a malpractice claim that was rejected in Texas for improper venue. [National Law Journal]
* Could the SEC be sued for negligence in failing to properly investigate Bernie Madoff? [Time]

Morning Docket: 08.28.09

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Muammar el-Qaddafi New Jersey.jpg* The U.N. is sovereign territory, so Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi can stay there if they want him to. But Englewood, New Jersey is squarely within the jurisdiction of the United States government. [New York Times]
* Chicago’s local government is apparently doing its part to keep the struggling Chicago legal market afloat. [Am Law Daily]
* Something you learned in Public International Law is actually being used in the real world. Foreign litigants are suing US corporations in US court under the Alien Torts Statute. [Wall Street Journal]
* President Obama has paid Perkins Coie over $1 million in fees to suppress “birther” litigation. Now, how about suppressing the birther movement altogether? [Legal Blog Watch]
* Last week, it was a Special Assistant AG eliminating witnesses. This week, a NY Supreme Court Justice is convicted of soliciting bribes from attorneys appearing before him. It’s a hell of a town. [Law.com]
* Former Gitmo detainee to sue US government for compensation. Surely there’s room here for some Class Action action. [The Times Online]

Morning Docket: 08.21.09

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Football Delaware Hank Williams.jpg* Terminally ill Lockerbie Bomber was released from a Scottish prison yesterday, on grounds of compassion. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton aren’t feeling it. [CNN]
* Attorneys at the Office of Special Investigations begin to prosecute a new generation of war criminals. [Washington Post]
* I suppose that I should know the answer to this question, but is your school accredited…? [Courthouse News]
* “Obviously, any witnesses you can eliminate is a good thing.” New York Special Assistant Attorney General prosecuted for (ahem) tampering with witnesses. [Bloomberg]
* Skank fight! [New York Post]
* Are you ready for some football? All my rowdy friends will be at an emergency injunction hearing in Delaware, Monday Night! [The Legal Intelligencer]

Non-Sequiturs: 08.13.09

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John Edwards Senator John Edwards ATL Above the Law blog.jpgEd. note: These non-sequiturs are brought to you by Karen, one of our awesome interns.
* The MPRE proves that you can, in fact, learn ethics from signing a paper and maybe filling in some bubbles. [Huffington Post]
* If U. Miami’s encouraged deferrals get pushed a bit further, deferring law school might not be a choice. [Plan B]
* Incoming associates deferred, current associates laid off, and law firm partners… sabbaticaled? [Concurring Opinions]
* Don’t let the imagery of bloody, clubbed baby seals stop you, dear tipsters. [Law and More]
* Yes, it’s The Enquirer; but they have earned some credibility on this issue, don’t you think? [The D.C. Write-Up]