Guns

Idaho Law Student Wants Right to Carry Guns on Campus

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Do we really need to make it easier for people to have weapons on school campuses? Really? We’re not worried about school shootings anymore? Is the Second Amendment really so broad that it requires us to allow students to weaponize their law school dorm rooms? Is there no “safe zone” in America where I can go and be reasonably assured of not being hit with an unintended, stray, accidental bullet fired from a hand cannon a man was legally allowed to possess just because George Washington needed some well-armed farmers to defeat the British?

According Idaho Law 2L Aaron Tribble, his right to have a firearm in his dorm room trumps his classmates’ rights to not have to live on campus with potentially crazy gunmen in legal possession of weapons. Tribble has filed suit against the University of Idaho over its policy that bans guns on campus.

He claims that the rule violates his Second and Fourteenth Amendment rights to possess a gun in his on-campus home…

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Judge John Roll Died A Hero

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Investigators looking at surveillance footage from the Tucson attack on Representative Gabrielle Giffords say that Chief Judge John Roll died a hero. According to the New York Times, the video shows that Judge Roll apparently died while helping to save the life of Ronald Barber, a Giffords staffer. Barber, who was shot twice while standing near Congresswoman Giffords, survived the attack and has since left the hospital.

The descriptions of Judge Roll’s actions during the shooting are amazing…

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Quote of the Day: Race Is Just a State of Mind

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Don’t watch nothing say him white. Him blacker than me and you.

— Buju Banton, the celebrated reggae musician, speaking about his lawyer, David Oscar Markus — whom he called up to the stage and hugged at a recent concert.

(Markus, who is also a legal blogger as well as a prominent criminal defense lawyer, is representing the Grammy-nominated Banton in an upcoming retrial on federal drug and firearms charges. Markus doesn’t look very black.)

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Morning Docket: 01.14.11

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* Arizona has one of the least restrictive laws on involuntary commitment of nutters in the nation. Next time, Arizona. Next time. [Reuters]

* Talk of new gun laws is the perfect time to link to the most criminally underrated movie of all time…UHF. [New York Times]

* Two teen girls in Florida were arrested for creating a fake Facebook profile for another girl and posting fake nudes of her. The detective who cracked the case remarked, “The pictures looked shopped. I could tell from some of the pixels and from seeing quite a few shops in my time.” [Naples News via Gawker]

* A BYU Law grad who lied about his bar membership is charged with being an Indian Taker. [ABA Journal]

* Lawrence Taylor pleaded guilty yesterday to having a horrifying life and doing horrifying things that sadly diminish his Hall of Fame Tecmo Bowl career. [ESPN]

* “A naked housecleaner, who advertised services on a gay Website, used fear of police sodomy as a defense against murder charges — and it worked.” [New York Post]

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Non-Sequiturs: 01.11.11

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* Lady Kaga issues her first single: a ruling against a Chapter 13 debtor, in favor of his credit card issuer, affirming the Ninth Circuit by a vote of 8-1. The lone dissenter: Justice Scalia. Weird, huh? [WSJ Law Blog; ABA Journal]

* “How do you spark a bonobo orgy?” [Andrew Sullivan]

* How do you prosecute a deaf, mute, illiterate man? Please, please, please let the answer include pinball. [WSJ Law Blog]

* Should law school final exams use made-up hypotheticals or real-life cases? Professor Howard Wasserman assesses pros and cons. [PrawfsBlawg]

* Illinois State Senate takes a syringe stab at repealing the death penalty. [Reuters]

* Guns used to shoot off penises > Guns used to shoot at attackers. [Gawker]

* Congratulations to the 13 new partners at Bingham McCutchen. [Bingham]

* Lateral Link is teaming up with Frank Kimball, the former McDermott Will hiring partner who founded Kimball Professional Management, to focus on partner placements. (Disclosure: Lateral Link is an ATL advertiser.) [Am Law Daily; Lateral Link (press release)]

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Non-Sequiturs: 01.10.11

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Tom DeLay

* Tom DeLay gets sentenced to three years. [WSJ Law Blog]

* If we want to ban threatening speech against Congresspeople, what will we really be banning? [Volokh Conspiracy]

* Apparently my final solution on guns could lead to the well-regulated militia rising up. [First One @ One First]

* Maybe it isn’t impossible to teach transactional practice in law school. [Concurring Opinions]

* Jared Lee Loughner entered might enter an insanity plea, and it looks like his mug shot will be the first exhibit. [Slate]

And you thought the burger at DB Bistro was expensive....

* If you’re a mere law firm partner — as opposed to a Wall Street managing director or, better yet, a hedge fund mogul — you probably can’t afford the $5,000 hamburger at this Las Vegas resort hotel. [Dealbreaker]

* Bush 43′s dog lent a helping paw in the judicial nomination process. Laugh all you want, but Barney is better than a Ouija board. [Tex Parte Blog]

* Electronic health records can be great — but they present some legal risks, notes Ben Kerschberg. [Huffington Post]

* Killing and death figure prominently in Blawg Review #293. [The Defense Rests via Blawg Review]

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Sarah Palin Doesn’t Kill People. Guns, On the Other Hand…

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Something that kills people.

I’m on record as thinking that it’s inappropriate to blame Sarah Palin or any other source of fiery political rhetoric for the horrific shooting that took place in Tucson on Saturday. I said it in real time as facts were coming to light; I said it on Twitter.

There are any number of reasons why psychos like Jared Lee Loughner try to kill people. I don’t think political rhetoric is a useful reason to focus on. The long view of history shows that crazy people will twist any number of words into an excuse for violence.

You can’t talk to crazy. You can’t reason with crazy. You can’t know what crazy will do to your words. I mean, people have used the words of Jesus Christ (a hippie pacifist who hung out with prostitutes and lepers) as a call to violence, bigotry, and hate. If Jesus can’t craft an ironclad message that defies misinterpretation, how can we say that Sarah Palin somehow created a culture of violence? Sorry, but I refuse to live in a world where the rhetorical skills of Sarah Palin explain anything.

Instead, I’d like to blame a much more obvious culprit…

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Federal Judge John Roll Among Victims in Arizona Congresswoman Shooting

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Judge John Roll

We’re not going to weigh in on all the rampant speculation about what gave rise to the shooting today in Arizona involving Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-Arizona). But we did want to inform you that news outlets are now reporting that federal judge John Roll was one of the victims in the shooting in Tucson.

UPDATE: President Obama is also confirming that Chief Judge John M. Roll (D. Ariz.) was fatally shot in Tucson. Here’s a statement from Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano:

“I am deeply saddened by reports that Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Chief Judge John Roll and others were attacked this afternoon in Tucson, Arizona. There is no place in our society or discourse for such senseless and unconscionable acts of violence. Gabby is a steadfast representative for southern Arizona and both she and John are dedicated public servants.

“The Department of Homeland Security has offered all possible assistance to the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, who are leading the investigation. My thoughts and prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her family and staff, and all those who were injured in this difficult time.”

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

Some more details on Judge Roll, plus several UPDATES, after the jump…

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Non-Sequiturs: 12.30.10

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Guns of the Cuyahoga?


* Given LeBron, the Browns, and everything else, the one thing I think the city of Cleveland needs more of is guns. [WSJ Law Blog]

* Am I in favor of a 68-year-old man punching a 15-year-old boy for not turning off his cell phone in preparation for landing? Hey man, it takes a village. [Business Insider]

* Having a spare kidney is like having a “get out of jail free” card. [Gawker]

* Mmm… recess appointments. [Washington Post via Instapundit]

* If you support the cause of making law schools report accurate employment statistics, maybe you can support the Law School Transparency people. [Law School Transparency]

* Last chance to vote in the ABA Blawg 100 awards. Thanks for all of your support in 2010; we look forward to keeping you informed and entertained in 2011. [ABA Journal]

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Quote of the Day: Actually, Doesn’t HLS Have a Shooting Club?

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Sarah’s view of America is primitive. You’re either a pointy-headed graduate of Harvard Law School or you’re eviscerating animals for fun, which she presents as somehow more authentic.

— Maureen Dowd of the New York Times, discussing Sarah Palin.

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