Appellate Advocacy

An Indiana Court of Appeals judge takes an attorney to task for her failure to adhere to... any of the appellate rules.

As with anything else in law, practice and preparation usually lead to positive results.

Justice Alito shows his sense of humor.

The benchslaps are fun, but the debate is real and important.

A lesson in what NOT to do when filing a reply brief.

Is this collection of top talent worth more than $2 million in signing bonuses?

* Thanks to Wonkette for pointing out that we were on this whole Ruth Baby Ginsburg thing last year. [Wonkette] * Speaking of our legally themed Halloween costume contest, please send us your nominations. [Above the Law] * Salacious allegations about a high-flying investment banker invite comparisons to The Wolf of Wall Street. [Dealbreaker] * The Second Circuit puts a stop to a legal challenge to the stop-and-frisk settlement. [How Appealing] * You’d expect a former lawmaker to have a better understanding of… the law. [Lexington Herald-Leader] * The Wall Street Journal reviews Paul Barrett’s new book (affiliate link) about the never-ending Chevron/Ecuador litigation. [Wall Street Journal] * Speaking of the Chevron/Ecuador matter, here’s more about the Canadian Bar Association’s controversial involvement, which Canada columnist Steve Dykstra covered earlier. [rabble.ca] * Some thoughts from Jonathan Mermin on something lawyers see every day: bad arguments. [Green Bag] * Here’s a great new resource for our fellow aficionados of appellate arguments. [Free Law Project]

A judge tells a woman lawyer that he thinks she would look good in leather. Oy.

* Apparently, heckling Carmelo Anthony can cost you your job. [Dealbreaker] * There’s nothing the Supreme Court can do to stop cops who want to take a long time to release you from a stop, even if the Court wants to. [Simple Justice] * I think we should just ask John Roberts to tell every state precisely how they are allowed to discriminate against black voters and be done with it. Just tell us the rules so we can start the GOTV campaigns. [Election Law Blog] * Former Manhattan Assemblywoman Gabriela Rosa gets a year in jail for purchasing a sham marriage to gain citizenship. The “for citizenship” part is what got her, because lots of politicians are in sham marriages. [Journal News] * Judge Frank Easterbrook thinks that the new proposed length limit for appellate briefs is too short. Verbose litigators everywhere, rejoice. [How Appealing] * I thought “spoofing” was bad for the market, but Matt Levine says cracking down on spoofing “helps” high-frequency traders, who I also think are bad for the market. You know why I’m not an SEC lawyer? Prosecuting people based on them being “bad” becomes untenable when everybody involved is rich. [Bloomberg View]

What are the advantages for lawyers of the Sony tablet over the iPad?

Good appellate practices are good, but bad appellate practices aren't just bad -- they're dangerous....

Judge Posner channels Mr. Spock: "So [your client] is not logical, you're saying."

Don't condescend to the judges on your appellate panel, and try to show up wearing pants...

What does Judge Wesley of the Second Circuit view as the weakness of the iPad as a work tool?

Why does Judge Wesley of the Second Circuit love using his iPad at oral argument? Let him count the ways.

Conservative columnist Tamara Tabo makes her case against cameras in the courtroom at SCOTUS.

Isn't this oral argument painful to listen to?

How often can you get benchslapped before you get disbarred? One lawyer's trying to find out.

* Elizabeth Wurtzel: “I am a lawyer. The first rule of law: All the promises will be broken. Attorneys could not be in business if people did not fail to do what they agreed to do all the time — and lawyers are very busy.” [Nerve.com] * Laura Ingraham clerked for SCOTUS, so presumably she knows that Puerto Ricans are American citizens. [Media Matters] * Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, known for zero tolerance of prosecutorial misconduct, has written the foreword to a new book on the subject. [Facebook] * In addition to the one we mentioned yesterday, here’s another petition for the Obama Administration that’s aimed at addressing the student debt crisis. [WhiteHouse.gov] * Thomson Reuters Concourse keeps getting bigger and better. [Thomson Reuters] * Appellate law? In California? What’s not to like? Check out these job openings in the California SG’s office. [California Department of Justice; California Department of Justice] * Want to know the backstory behind the awesome Jamie Casino Super Bowl ad? Keep reading…. Georgia personal injury lawyer Jamie Casino spoke with Mike Sacks of HuffPost Live about the lawyer ad heard around the world. What kind of reactions has Casino been getting to the ad? Is the kid in the video really his son? And does Jamie Casino harbor any Hollywood ambitions? Watch the video to find out.

Commentators are chastising Justice Scalia for screwing with a lawyer before him, but Scalia was only trying to help.