Sotomayor rocks.
– Kristine Sims (via ABA Journal).
New Orleans
- Benchslaps, Crime, Federal Judges, Law Schools, Quote of the Day, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Trials, Tulane Law School
Quote of the Day: Justice Ginsburg’s Subtle Benchslap of Tulane Law
By David Lat
On what basis can one be confident that law schools acquaint students with prosecutors’ unique obligation under Brady? Whittaker told the jury he did not recall covering Brady in his criminal procedure class in law school. Dubelier’s alma mater, like most other law faculties, does not make criminal procedure a required course. [FN21]
[FN21] See Tulane University Law School, Curriculum, http://www.law.tulane.edu (select “Academics”; select “Curriculum”) (as visited Mar. 21, 2011, and in Clerk of Court’s case file).
– Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, dissenting, in Connick v. Thompson (via Josh Blackman, who provides additional context and excerpts from the opinions; there’s also discussion of the case at Gawker).
This morning the United States Senate voted to convict Judge G. Thomas Porteous of Louisiana on all four articles of impeachment he faced. These convictions will remove him from his lifetime seat on the federal bench, making him only the eighth federal judge in U.S. history to suffer this fate, and strip him of the $174,000 pension he would have otherwise enjoyed.
Article I accused Judge Porteous, 63, of bringing the federal judiciary “into scandal and disrepute,” as a result of his “corrupt financial relationship” with attorneys appearing before him (who gave him “gifts”). The vote was unanimous: 96-0. Ouch.
Apparently the senators were not persuaded by Professor Jonathan Turley’s argument that Judge Porteous (E.D. La.) wasn’t guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors, but simply “something of a moocher.” Think Kato Kaelin, but in a black robe.
Judge Porteous fared a bit better on the other three articles of impeachment….
Continue reading “Senate Votes to Remove Judge Porteous from the Bench”
* A possible upside to jury duty: getting to watch porn in court? [The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times]
* Things just got hard in the Big Easy for six New Orleans police officers, who are now accused by the feds of shooting unarmed citizens and/or conspiring to cover it up. [New Orleans Times Picayune]
* O’Melveny & Myers, represented by Gibson Dunn, is suing MGA Entertainment for $10.2 million in unpaid legal fees. [Am Law Daily]
* The D.C. Circuit, reversing the district court, upholds the detention of a Yemeni man at Guantánamo Bay. [New York Times]
* Meanwhile, the Second Circuit says “no f**king way” to the FCC’s “fleeting expletives” policy (as noted in yesterday’s Quote of the Day). [Washington Post]
* Congratulations to Chief Justice Lorie Gildea and Associate Justice David Stras, just sworn in as members of the Minnesota Supreme Court — at an investiture attended by Justice Clarence Thomas (for whom Stras clerked). [How Appealing]
We reported yesterday that students at Tulane Law School allegedly absconded with Mr. Rogers’s shoe from the Louisiana Children’s Museum.
Well, an intrepid trolley has returned the treasured keepsake. Let’s get the details….
Continue reading “Update: It Is a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!”
I know a couple of Tulane Law School graduates, and those people can party. And gamble. And eat what they kill.
Now, the Louisiana Children’s Museum knows how Tulane rolls too. The Tulane law school student body just received this email:
Students, we need your help with a theft that occurred at Barrister’s Ball. As you know, the event was held in the Children’s Museum. There was a display devoted to “Mr. Rogers” (Fred Rogers of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood”) at the top of a staircase. The display contained shoes actually worn by Mr. Rogers, on loan from a private collection. These shoes are therefore unique and irreplaceable.
During the ball one of the shoes was stolen, most likely by a student. The theft was noticed Sunday morning by the museum staff but not reported to us until today. I’m afraid I cannot overemphasize the gravity of this incident. It appears that one of the students of this Law School committed theft, a serious crime. It is also a violation of the Tulane University Code of Student Conduct. Moreover, what was stolen was of very high value. The stolen item must be returned immediately. Otherwise, the Law School may be forced to pay for the item and future SBA events held in venues off campus will be in serious jeopardy.
Until close of business tomorrow (Wednesday) we are taking a “no questions asked” approach to this situation. Our primary goal is simply the return of the shoe. If you know anything about this incident, please report it to Dean Netherton or myself. You can also communicate with SBA President [redacted]. You can report anonymously if you wish. If the shoe is returned to Dean Netherton’s office by close of business tomorrow, the Museum will not turn over the matter to the NOPD. If it is not, the Museum will turn over the matter to the NOPD. I hope it is obvious that being under suspicion or arrested in connection with this incident would have the most serious negative implications for your future career as a lawyer.
Thank you for your help,
Stephen M. Griffin
Vice Dean of Academic Affairs
Reactions after the jump.
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