Prisons
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Crime, Hotties, Kumari Fulbright, Law Schools, Prisons, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: Kumari, Pass the Patchouli
This experience has been both profound and humbling. I have been able to reflect on my relationship with the universe and despite the physical incarceration of the past year, it has been incredibly emancipating for all other aspects of my being. Everything I have learned, seen, and lived I regard as invaluable in the journey […] -
Crime, Hotties, Kumari Fulbright, Law Schools, Prisons, Sentencing Law
The Sentencing of Miss Kumari Fulbright
When we last discussed Kumari Fulbright, the Arizona beauty queen and law student turned felon, we mentioned that she was going to be sentenced in early 2011 for her role in the kidnapping and torture of her ex-boyfriend. Well, it looks like Christmas came early for Kumari — her sentencing hearing took place yesterday. Fulbright […] - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Crime, Money, Murder, Prisons, Rape, Reader Polls
How Should Years of Wrongful Imprisonment Be Valued?
In Friday’s Non-Sequiturs, while linking to an interesting article about a man who served 27 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, I used an intentionally inflammatory blurb: Would Michael Green, exonerated of rape charges by DNA evidence, be worth $2.2 million today if he hadn’t gone to prison? Just asking. Judging […]
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Celebrities, Hotties, Lindsay Lohan, Litigatrix, Prisons, Sentencing Law
Should Lindsay Lohan Go To Law School?
When actress Lindsay Lohan was sentenced earlier this week to 90 days in jail for probation violations, she showed up in court with fabulous fingernails. If you’d like to learn about how to get the same look for your own nails, check out our sister site, Fashionista. The tie-dye effect on LiLo’s nails was très […] -
Books, Crime, Prisons, Pro Bono, Public Interest
Unbillable Hours: A True Story
Ian Graham is the author of Unbillable Hours: A True Story, which was published earlier this month. The book is a memoir of Graham’s time at Latham & Watkins, where he spent about five years as a litigation associate. Unbillable Hours is not, however, a Latham exposé (which I’d eagerly read, by the way). Rather, […] -
Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Crime, John Paul Stevens, Prisons, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Can Juveniles Be Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Non-Homicide Crimes?
That’s the question the Supreme Court answered in the negative today, in Graham v. Florida. The Court’s opinion was by Justice Kennedy, whose vote usually controls on Eighth Amendment issues, and it was joined by the four liberal justices. The case generated oodles and oodles of pages and a welter of separate opinions. Thankfully, the […] -
Lawyer of the Day, Prisons, Pro Se Litigants, Seth Waxman, Supreme Court
Jailhouse Lawyer of the Day: Shon Hopwood
“I used to be a bank robber.” That’s an attention-grabbing lede for a personal essay for a law school application. Or: “The Supreme Court granted my very first petition for cert. And then ruled in my favor unanimously.” Shon Hopwood, 34, could start his application with either one of those statements. Convicted of five robberies […] -
7th Circuit, Gambling / Gaming, Prisons, Sentencing Law, Violence
Seventh Circuit Rules Dungeons & Dragons A Threat to Prison Security
Predictably, I used to play Dungeons & Dragons in high school. Just as predictably, I didn’t lose my virginity until I stopped. It’s an established fact that Dungeons & Dragons is a bigger threat to human reproduction than all the gay marriages in the world. But I did not know until this day that D&D […] - Sponsored
Profit Powerhouse: Elevating Law Firm Financial Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar on April 10th, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm. -
Prisons, Wall Street, White-Collar Crime
Sir Allen Stanford: Picky About Prison?
Sir Allen Stanford, financier / accused fraudster, has some issues with the conditions of his pretrial confinement. Read more and comment over at our sister site, Dealbreaker. Sir Stanford Takes Issue With Conditions Behind Bars [Dealbreaker] -
Disasters / Emergencies, Police, Prisons
Hurricanes Make Strange Bedfellows
As was widely reported in yesterday’s coverage of Hurricane Gustav, quick thinking and brute manpower relieved the pressure on a private levee in Plaquemines Parish. The levee protected a subdivision of a couple of hundred homes. Nearly 400 people participated in saving the levee. Their ranks included residents, first responders, the Army Corps of Engineers… […] -
5th Circuit, Barack Obama, Enron, Food, Hillary Clinton, Morning Docket, Politics, Prisons, Supreme Court, Wall Street
Morning Docket: 01.22.08
* Fed cuts fed funds rate by 0.75%, but stocks are still lower. [AP; New York Times; Washington Post] * Clinton and Obama get snippy with each other in debate, raising questions about each other’s legal work. [Washington Post; New York Times; WSJ Law Blog] * SCOTUS denies review in gigantic Enron-related investors’ lawsuit. [SCOTUSblog […]
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Fashion, Guantanamo Bay, Prisons, War on Terror
The Guantanamo Undies: Guess We'll Never Know
Here’s a quick follow-up to our prior coverage of the mysterious Under Armour briefs that somehow made their way into the hands, and onto the loins, of Guantanamo Bay detainees. From Reuters: The U.S. military has ended an inquiry into who smuggled unauthorized underwear and a bathing suit to two prisoners at Guantanamo Bay without […] -
Fashion, Guantanamo Bay, Perks / Fringe Benefits, Prisons, War on Terror
Guantanamo Bay Perk Watch: Under Armor Briefs!
Life for detainees at Guantanamo Bay, while difficult, isn’t 100 percent grim. From yesterday’s Washington Post: Undergarments from Under Armour, the sports apparel line, offer “all-day performance, delivered in a lightweight compression fit,” at least according to the company’ s promotional material. While “unprecedented” in its ability to deliver comfort, Under Armour underwear is not […]
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Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so…
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Profit Powerhouse: Elevating Law Firm Financial Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar on April 10th, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm.
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How Generative AI Will Improve Legal Service Delivery
Learn how emerging tools will likely change and enhance the work of lawyers for years to come in this new report.
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Food, Jews, Practice Pointers, Prisons, Pro Se Litigants
ATL Practice Pointers: Do Not File An Egg with Judge Muirhead
Is this litigation kosher? You bet. From Vos Iz Neias (Yiddish: “What’s News”): A New Hampshire prison inmate’s file drove a federal judge to rhyme to express himself. A prison inmate protesting his [non-Kosher] diet attached a hard-boiled egg to documents sent by mail to U.S. District Court Judge James Muirhead. “I do not like […] -
Benchslaps, Herman Thomas, Music, Perverts, Prisons, Sentencing Law, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Violence
A Song Dedication to Judge Herman Thomas: Spank Me
Remember Judge Herman Thomas, the Alabama state court judge who allegedly spanked a number of prisoners? Now there’s a theme song for the scandal, entitled “Spank Me.” Check it out here. The creator and artist, Jolene Roxbury, is a former paralegal who decided several years ago that comedy was her true calling. You can learn […] -
Benchslaps, Herman Thomas, Judge of the Day, Perverts, Prisons, Sentencing Law, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Violence
Judge of the Day: Herman Thomas
Mobile County Circuit Judge Herman Thomas is ATL’s Judge of the Day. He takes the prize for his innovative approach to sentencing. From the Mobile Press-Register: Authorities are investigating allegations that now-suspended Mobile County Circuit Judge Herman Thomas periodically removed prisoners from Mobile County Metro Jail and spanked them in a room at the courthouse, […] -
9th Circuit, Bad Ideas, Prisons, Pro Se Litigants, Romance and Dating
ATL Practice Pointers: Clerks, Don't Date the Prisoners
A relationship between a prisoner — falsely accused, natch — and a compassionate woman on the outside, crusading for his release. What could be more romantic? Well, if the woman happens to be a court clerk, with responsibility for handling prisoner filings, the situation goes from romantic to problematic. From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: A deputy […] -
Celebrities, Jonathan Lee Riches, Lunacy, Michael Vick, Prisons, Pro Se Litigants, Sports
Lawsuit of the Day: Jonathan Lee Riches Strikes Again (and Again and Again)
Federal prisoner Jonathan Lee Riches, whose “$63,000,000,000.00 Billion dollar” lawsuit against Michael Vick was discussed in these pages last month, has a new celebrity athlete in his sights. From a tipster: Got to think you’ve seen this by now: the guy suing Michael Vick for a bazillion dollars or whatever it is now realizes that […] -
Asians, Prisons, Sentencing Law, Weirdness
From the Far East, More Sentencing Innovation
Remember those dancing Filipino prisoners? Well, these days Asia is abounding with new and interesting approaches to crime and punishment. From the AP: Thai police officers who break rules will be forced to wear hot pink armbands featuring “Hello Kitty,” the Japanese icon of cute, as a mark of shame, a senior officer said Monday. […] -
Biglaw, Prisons
Fried Frank: Doing Hard Time
Here at Above the Law, we’re committed to exploring the (sometimes harsh) realities of Biglaw life. One of those realities, of course, is timekeeping. That’s when you sit down and realize that, despite spending twelve hours in the office, somehow you only got eight hours of work done (maybe ’cause you spent too much time […]