Catholic Church

  • Morning Docket: 10.19.20
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 10.19.20

    * This election cycle, we are reminded again that taking ballot selfies is illegal in many jurisdictions. Too bad, with the right insta filter, that ballot would look really good… [New York Times]

    * A New York federal judge has denied a preliminary injunction to the Catholic Brooklyn Diocese seeking to reopen churches closed due to COVID-19 rules. [CNN]

    * A lawsuit has already been filed over the forthcoming Borat sequel. [Wrap]

    * A group in Louisiana has been charged for allegedly staging car accidents in order to generate legal payouts. [Times-Picayune]

    * A lawsuit in Oregon alleges that a Portland gas station attendant purportedly refused to sell gas to black customers out of fear the gas might be used in rioting. [Fox News]

    * The owner of a law firm named Legal Genius PLLC has pleaded guilty to defrauding the IRS and other charges. Hate to go for the low-hanging joke here, but the firm might want to change its name to something more accurate… [ABC News]

  • Morning Docket: 11.14.19
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 11.14.19

    * Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg missed oral arguments on Wednesday because of a stomach bug. Wishing Justice Ginsburg a speedy recovery! [CNN] * Closing arguments have started in the Roger Stone trial. From what prosecutors are saying, it seems like Roger Stone has a target as well as a tattoo of Richard Nixon on his […]

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  • John Roberts, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Music, Non-Sequiturs, Religion, SCOTUS, Supreme Court

    Non-Sequiturs: 07.02.13

    * Another interpretation of the Shelby County decision posits that the Roberts Court is a lot like the Walking Dead, just less entertaining. [Huffington Post] * Dean David Schizer is leaving. [The Faculty Lounge] * Missouri tried to “save Christmas” from heathens, but had its efforts stymied when the governor realized it could literally set the state on fire. [Volokh Conspiracy] * Cardinal Dolan, America’s most prominent Catholic bishop, apparently shifted Church assets to keep them from falling into the hands of abuse victims. Perhaps he could have exerted the same effort keeping abuse victims out of the hands of abusers? [NY Times] * It looks like a Paul Weiss associate, Molissa Farber, is still alive in the $1,000 No-Limit event at the World Series of Poker. Maybe she’ll be able to pay off her loans sooner rather than later. [Poker News] * Did you enjoy Milli Vanilli? Perhaps you’d like watching air guitar? The national semifinals are in New York tonight. [Bowery Ballroom]
  • Law Schools, Music, Non-Sequiturs, Religion, Tax Law

    Non-Sequiturs: 05.31.13

    * The new meme sweeping the Intertubes is “Old Economy Steve.” While not strictly law-related, it is a fitting meme for trolling recent law school grads entering the market. [The Atlantic] * After talking about the Atlanta battle of the (legal) bands, we learned that San Francisco is also getting into the act. [Law Rocks] * Speculating on George Washington’s approach to drone strikes. [Washington Times] * A look at how regulatory and tax policy changes affect the value of energy companies. [Breaking Energy] * E. Gordon Gee, Columbia Law ’71 and President of THE Ohio State University got in a little trouble for saying, “You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we’re doing.” So another guy gets in trouble for being honest. Gee also said that you can’t trust Catholic priests, which segues nicely into the next item. [Yahoo! Sports] * The Catholic Church’s top exorcist claims to have performed 160,000 exorcisms. After the jump, Professor Mark Kightlinger from the University of Kentucky College of Law eviscerates this claim with “math.” “Assuming he was ordained at the age of 21, he would have had to perform 2388 exorcisms per year for the past 67 years. That is more than 6.5 exorcisms per day every day (not taking into account the occasional leap year with an extra day). Perhaps he is just a really fast exorcist. Or perhaps he does mass exorcisms. I don’t have a view about how many demons might be out there but I am skeptical about whether one guy could cast out so many. Perhaps he needs to go back to the books and read about pride.” – Mark Kightlinger
  • Education / Schools, Google / Search Engines, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Religion, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Technology, U.S. News, United Kingdom / Great Britain

    Non-Sequiturs: 03.13.13

    * We have a new pope. Pope Francis I has no involvement with the sexual abuse scandals surrounding the Church, but has had other legal troubles in his past. [Los Angeles Times] * UNLV Law Dean Nancy Rapoport schools other deans on drafting press releases about the U.S. News rankings. [Nancy Rapoport's Blogspot] * Lend your support to this new project to create Oyez-style audio/video archives of state Supreme Court proceedings. This will be really helpful, but I’m holding out for audio/video of Wade McCree’s courtroom. [Knight News Challenge] * If you’re mad that your name comes up when people Google “erectile dysfunction,” filing a public lawsuit over that fact isn’t the answer. [IT-Lex] * Charter schools are lame because the crazy people running them teach whatever they want, like this one that teaches students that hippies were dirty. Well, okay, that’s not actually untrue, but the system’s textbooks have other faults, like explaining how the KKK was just misunderstood, y’all. [Lawyers, Guns & Money] * Man loses his memory after car crash-induced head trauma, decides to become a lawyer. I’ve always said would-be lawyers should have their heads examined. [BBC News via Legal Cheek]
  • Law Professors, Law Schools, Prisons, Religion, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, UVA Law, Women's Issues

    Non-Sequiturs: 03.08.13

    * Nepal had actual regulations regarding Yeti killing. When will America join the international community and enact strict protections for Sasquatch? [Lowering the Bar] * A state bar association is actively discouraging students from going to law school. Which is odd, since the state in question has a top five law school… according to National Jurist. [Associate's Mind] * A clever Civ Pro class used the system against Howard Wasserman to get an extension on their assignment. I respect Wasserman for crediting the students’ ingenuity, but it would have been a better life lesson if he’d impleaded the Dean for forcing him to have grades in early. Or at least ding the students with a Rule 11 claim. [PrawfsBlawg] * Inmate forgotten for 22 months in solitary confinement wins $15.5 million reward. Hopefully he’ll be ready in time to protect us from that bioweapon attack from Alcatraz. [CNN] * In honor of International Women’s Day, enjoy an interview of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. [The New Yorker] * To follow up on an old story, law grad/convicted sex criminal Chris Dumler is reporting to jail today. [WVIR] * The Conclave is now set for Tuesday. Place your bets on the new pontiff now! [CNN]
  • Art, Deaths, Morning Docket, Movies, Real Estate, Sex Scandals, Student Loans, Suicide

    Morning Docket: 02.27.12

    * It’s hard to get a mortgage if you have a lot of student debt, even if you make a lot of money. Who needs a house anyway? Your advanced degree will keep you warm. [BusinessWeek]

    * A civil trial over BP’s Gulf Oil spill was supposed to start today, but it was postponed at the last minute. Is it just me or does it smell like settlement in here? [New York Times]

    * As if anyone needed another reason to never take a Carnival Cruise… [CNN]

    * The Catholic Church just couldn’t handle sharing its ignominious spotlight with Penn State any longer. Attorneys allege that the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, former Archbishop of Philadelphia, destroyed a list of 35 active priests accused of child sexual abuse. [Washington Post]

    * Some movie with no sound, color, explosions, or giant robots won a bunch of Academy Awards last night. I can’t say I care too much. Here’s a rundown of some classic cine con lawyers instead. [ABA Journal]

    * Advice for art collectors: CHECK YOU PROVENANCE. [New York Times]

    * Michael Rothenberg, executive director of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, RIP. [New York Law Journal]