Kashmir Hill

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 09.23.18

* In case you missed it amidst all the craziness of last week, Monday was Constitution Day -- and as Judge Don Willett reminds us, it's up to us to keep our constitutional republic strong. [Wall Street Journal] * The Supreme Court clerk class of October Term 2008: where are they now? Derek Muller has tracked them down. [Excess of Democracy] * Senator Dianne Feinstein is under fire, and not just for her handling of the Kavanaugh nomination -- but she's still likely to emerge victorious in November, as Kashmir Hill reports. [Splinter] * The past 12 months haven't been easy for superlawyer David Boies -- but he's still very busy (and also a bit wiser), as he tells Jim Stewart. [New York Times] * It's only a matter of time before the Supreme Court has to address the rights of transgender students under Title IX, according to Justin Driver -- who's the author of a buzz-generating new book, The Schoolhouse Gate: Public Education, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for the American Mind (affiliate link). [Reason / Volokh Conspiracy] * If you're looking for advice about discipline, focus, happiness, and relationships -- and who isn't? -- here's a podcast you might want to check out. [University of Good / SoundCloud] * Law firm mergers are notoriously hit or miss -- so this new M&A intelligence tool from ALM could come in very handy. [Dewey B Strategic] * Congratulations to the six new participants in LexisNexis's third Silicon Valley Legal Tech Accelerator program! [Artificial Lawyer]

By David Lat
Akin Gump

Non-Sequiturs: 07.26.13

* The cop who became a global internet meme for pepper spraying protesters at Berkeley is now appealing for worker’s comp, arguing that he suffered psychiatric injury. Pray for him. [Lawyers, Guns & Money] * Ariel Castro has pleaded guilty. Professor Douglas Berman suggests that the death penalty may have made this possible. An alternative theory is that Castro doesn’t think being locked up in a tiny space for years on end is all that bad. [Sentencing Law and Policy] * Navigating the archetypes of expert witnesses based on The Office. [The Expert Institute] * Lawyer arrested for bringing meth into a courthouse. I’d say “better call Saul,” but this sounds more like something Saul would do. [Press Democrat] * An Akin Gump partner, James Meggesto, is in hot water for Tweeting his disdain for a congressman and a Native American chief. For the record, when a tweet opens with “Resisting urge to tweet…”, you’ve failed. [Politico] * This story actually reminds me of the plot to the new BSG series — a networked house can easily be hacked by cylons. Or in this case, Kashmir Hill. [Forbes] * New York’s energy regulations are increasing demand for energy-efficient solutions. The most efficient thing about my apartment is finally getting a break in the heat. [Breaking Energy]

By Joe Patrice
Constitutional Law

Non-Sequiturs: 01.23.13

* If you’ve been waiting for the definitive, Kashmir Hill, what in the hell is Catfishing article, here you go. [Not-So Private Parts / Forbes] * Let me just say that societies that fully utilize the talents of women have an inherent advantage over the ones that don’t. With one rules change, we now have twice as many potential combat soldiers. Glory. [Daily Beast] * A “Good Samaritan” gun owner defended a little boy from pit bulls by shooting at the dogs who were mauling the little boy. Look, as a dad, can I just say that if you see some pit bulls attacking my son, please help… by running at the pit bulls and saying, “Git, git away from that boy,” not by shooting a freaking hand cannon towards my child! [Cato @ Liberty / Cato Institute] * Okay, who has standing to sue for a violation of the 27th Amendment? Who? I want this to happen. Come on, constitutional scholars. Make it happen. Let’s see who really cares about “all” the amendments, not just the ones that allow people to shoot each other. [The Note / ABC News] * I mean we’re suing over sandwiches, aren’t we? [Legal Blog Watch] * Slow your roll, NAACP. I’m pretty sure that the 14th Amendment doesn’t protect the rights of black people to become diabetic with oversized sugary drinks. [Gawker]

By Elie Mystal
Death Penalty

Non-Sequiturs: 05.23.12

* Colin Powell continues his tradition of saying the right things only when he has no power to do anything about it. [CNN] * A new poll shows Americans think it’s more “morally acceptable” to kill criminals than to love somebody of the same sex. After I saw that poll, I turned to Jesus and said, “Now your failure is complete.” [Atlantic] * This strikes me as a pretty frank way of looking at bias in the LSAT. [LSAT Blog: Ace the LSAT] * Kashmir Hill was on the Kojo show talking about the Dharun Ravi sentence. Sure, like she’s never been taped having a gay hook-up. [The Kojo Show] * Black people who wear hoodies get shot to death, and white people who wear hoodies don’t live up to their IPO expectations. What a lovely post-racial world some people seem to be living in. [Dealbreaker] * Here come the men in black. Won’t let you remember. Here come the… what are you doing? Decapitate him? Come on, he’s not an alien, you get that we just saw a movie, AAAAHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOO. [New York Daily News]

By Elie Mystal
Email Scandals

Non-Sequiturs: 11.02.11

* Remember Judge William Adams, the Texas state court judge who was reportedly videotaped in the act of beating his daughter, Hillary Adams? He has now commented on the situation (and so has his ex-wife, Hallie Adams). [KZTV.com] * And here is Kashmir Hill’s take on the whole sad situation. [Not-So Private Parts / Forbes] […]

By David Lat