Prisons
-
Cocaine / Crack, Crime, Deaths, Drugs, Guns / Firearms, Jury Duty, Law Schools, Murder, Nancy Grace, Police, Prisons, Reader Polls, Violence
A Portrait of the Accused as a Young Man (Plus a reader poll: innocent?)
Revelations continue to spill forth regarding Stephen McDaniel, the recent Mercer Law School graduate accused of killing his former classmate and neighbor, Lauren Giddings. Was he framed? Is he innocent? Take our reader poll and find out more.... -
Crime, Death Penalty, Deaths, Guns / Firearms, Law Schools, Murder, Nancy Grace, Police, Prisons, Violence
Has Stephen McDaniel Been Framed in the Lauren Giddings Murder?
In our coverage of Stephen Mark McDaniel, the 25-year-old Mercer Law School graduate who has been charged with the murder of Lauren Giddings, his former classmate and neighbor, we have repeatedly stressed that McDaniel remains innocent until proven guilty. We have pointed to past examples of individuals who were viewed by the public as almost […] - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Crime, Deaths, Law Schools, Murder, Nancy Grace, Police, Prisons, Violence
The Plot Thickens: Say Hello to 'Hacksaw McDaniel'
We tried to come up with a Nancy Grace-style nickname for the accused in the Lauren Giddings case. One reader suggested "Chain Mail Man" (based on Stephen McDaniel's penchant for wearing chain mail to his law school classes). In light of new evidence that has come to light, however, a better nickname has emerged: "Hacksaw McDaniel." Read on to find out why....
-
Crime, Deaths, Federalist Society, Law Schools, Murder, Nancy Grace, Police, Prisons, Violence
A Closer Look at Stephen McDaniel, Lauren Giddings, and Mercer Law School
After writing about the news that Stephen M. McDaniel, 25, had been charged with the horrific murder of Lauren Giddings, 27, a bright and beautiful recent graduate of Mercer Law, Above the Law's managing editor, David Lat, takes a closer look at this deeply disturbing case.... -
Crime, Deaths, Law Schools, Murder, Police, Prisons, Violence
Breaking: Stephen McDaniel Charged With Murder of Lauren Giddings
A recent graduate of Mercer Law School in Macon, Georgia, Stephen Mark McDaniel, has been charged with the murder of neighbor and classmate of Lauren Giddings, the slain Mercer Law graduate whose torso was found on June 30, inside a trash bin just outside her apartment building. Let's take a look at McDaniel's inmate information sheet.... -
Abortion, Crime, Death Penalty, Howrey LLP, In-House Counsel, Non-Sequiturs, Prisons, White-Collar Crime
Non-Sequiturs: 08.01.11
* A federal judge in Kansas has given Planned Parenthood’s Abortionplex a new lease on life. [WSJ Law Blog] * What? A former Supreme Court clerk who got passed over for a job at a law school? Nicholas Spaeth, who’s also the former state attorney general for North Dakota, is suing the Michigan State University […] -
Drugs, English Grammar and Usage, New Jersey, Non-Sequiturs, Prisons
Non-Sequiturs: 07.28.11
* I’m standing in the middle of a desert, waiting for my ship to come in. But now no joker, no J.D. degree, can take your losing hand, and make it win; you should be leaving Las Vegas. [WSJ Law Blog] * If Miami Law could somehow figure out a way to actually do this, […] -
Crime, Prisons, State Judges, Technology, Trials, Videos
Video Arraignments Save Money and Make Judges Feel Safer
Maybe I’m just naive, but I find the concept of conducting any courtroom business via video enthralling but also a bit unnerving. It seems so inconsistent with the mythical and timeless ideals of the hallowed halls of justice, yadda yadda yadda. Whether we like it or not, however, video conferencing is creeping into courthouses across […] - Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm. -
Non-Sequiturs, Politics, Prisons, Rachel Brand, Twittering
Non-Sequiturs: 05.31.11
* High-powered litigatrices on the move: Rachel Brand and Kate Comerford Todd, two fabulous members of The Elect, are joining the National Chamber Litigation Center — where they will contribute to the Chamber’s impressive track record of litigating against excessive regulation. [The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times] * Was it Anthony Weiner’s wiener that […] -
California, John Edwards, John Paul Stevens, Libraries / Librarians, Morning Docket, New Jersey, Prisons
Morning Docket: 05.31.11
* Opponents of “three strikes” hope that the SCOTUS decision requiring California to reduce its prison population by 33,000 inmates will help them to repeal three strikes. Four balls, standing eight count, and wicked googly are among sports terms vying to take its place. [San Diego Union Tribune] * A law firm librarian in New […]
-
Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Benchslaps, California, Prisons, Samuel Alito, SCOTUS, Stephen Reinhardt, Supreme Court
Supreme Court Upholds Order Requiring Release of Thousands of Prisoners
It’s late May, so we’re entering the home stretch of the Supreme Court Term. Over the next few weeks, the Court will be handing down opinions in the most contentious, closely divided cases. One such opinion came down today: Brown v. Plata (formerly Schwarzenegger v. Plata). In this high-profile case, a three-judge district court issued […] -
Crime, Law Professors, New York Times, Prisons, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: A Call for Reform
[T]he never-ending stream of futile petitions suggests that habeas corpus is a wasteful nuisance. By almost any measure, the use, and abuse, of habeas by convicted state prisoners is a failure, one that could corrode one of the most revered pillars of our legal system. — Professors Joseph Hoffmann and Nancy King, in an interesting […] -
Barry Bonds, Baseball, Celebrities, Immigration, Lindsay Lohan, Morning Docket, Prisons, Sports, Tobacco / Smoking
Morning Docket: 02.11.11
* If the Muslim Brotherhood gains power in Egypt, they will impose sharia law. Just like Oklahoma! [ABC Online] * Lindsay Lohan took to Twitter to announce that she “was not raised to lie, cheat, or steal.” Well, nature it is. [msnbc.com] * Arizona is suing the federal government over the porous border. Mr. Obama, […]
Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
-
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 […] -
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 […] -
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 […]