Cook County Circuit Court

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 02.25.18

* Audacious: former Mercer Law student Stephen McDaniel, who took apart the body of Lauren Giddings after brutally murdering her, seeks habeas corpus. [WGXA] * "Did #MeToo really bring a reckoning to the legal industry?" A discussion featuring Katherine Ku, Dahlia Lithwick, Leah Litman, Ian Samuel, and me. [Vice] * Speaking of #MeToo and the legal profession, look for more disturbing stories like this one to emerge in the weeks ahead. [Medium] * Best friends: which amici in the Supreme Court have the strongest track records in major cases? [Empirical SCOTUS] * Speaking of SCOTUS, if you were a billionaire who dropped $32.5 million on beachfront property, you too would hire Paul Clement to seek certiorari in your takings case. [SFGate] * As someone with a mild case of prosopagnosia (aka face-blindness), I totally agree with Eugene Volokh's recommendations about nametags at conferences. [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason] * Divorce lawyer and former Playboy model Corri Fetman, no stranger to our pages, is running for Cook County Circuit Court judge -- and calling out her opponents for running body-shaming attack ads. [Chicago Reader] * Here's what the United States can -- and can't -- learn from the small, happy, and fairly homogenous nation of Denmark (by Megan McArdle via Glenn Reynolds). [Instapundit] * If you share my confusion about blockchain, here's a recommendation: check out the new Integra Wallet, just released by legal-blockchain pioneer Integra Ledger. [Artificial Lawyer] * Speaking of leveraging the power of blockchain, you simply must check out Casey Flaherty's new Magic Money Machine™. [3 Geeks and a Law Blog] * If you work a lot with expert witnesses, you might want to check out Courtroom Insight, for reasons explained by Jean O'Grady. [Dewey B Strategic] * Congratulations to Professor Jennifer Levi, recipient of the ABA Stonewall Award for her pioneering work on transgender rights! [Western New England University]

By David Lat
Animal Law

Morning Docket: 12.28.12

* “I’m sorry Ms. Jackson, I am for real. Never meant to make your planet cry, I apologize a trillion times,” is likely what Barack Obama told Lisa Jackson when he found out she was stepping down as EPA administrator. [New York Times] * Cook County, Illinois, is experiencing problems wherein the kookiest of judges get “electoral mulligans” every six years. Public humiliation and harsh ratings might be a great way to finally put an end to this practice. [Chicago Magazine] * Another way to get revenge against the schools that screwed grads with their allegedly misleading employment stats: disciplinary action for ethical violations committed by those licensed to practice law. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)] * What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, unless you’re accused of being a murderer birderer. Boalt Hall law students Justin Teixeira and Eric Cuellar have now been criminally charged for their alleged roles in the decapitation of an exotic bird. [Las Vegas Sun] * Harvard Law is offering a free online copyright class, and anyone can enroll — even 13-year-olds. This may be your only chance to take a course at an Ivy League school, so hurry up and apply. [National Law Journal] * George Zimmerman and his lawyer are being sued by a private detective for failure to pay $27K for security services, which included a detailed escape plan to get the murder defendant into a hidey-hole. [Boston Herald]

By Staci Zaretsky