State Courts

You actually can't mandate people be nice to one another.

Words matter.

* The lawsuit filed by Harris Faulkner over the Hasbro toy named Harris Faulkner has been settled. [Jezebel]

* A look at LGBT claims in state courts. [Lambda Legal]

* The NCAA and UCLA are being sued over concussions in college football. [Los Angeles Times]

* This is a complete waste of judicial resources. [Slate]

* A look at the VP debate live tweets. [Law and More]

* Mike Pence’s terrible legacy on reproductive freedom. [Salon]

* Interesting piece by Donald Trump SCOTUS shortlister on how state high courts deal with the “Scalia problem,” that is, potential stalemates or ties. [Wall Street Journal]

* The Hulk Hogan verdict is looming over the latest addition to the New York rental market: for $15,000 a month, you can rent Nick Denton’s Soho apartment. [New York Post]

* A look at the Supreme Court dissents that attack the majority opinion. Spoiler alert: they mainly come from Justice Thomas. [Empirical SCOTUS]

* The FBI launched an intense investigation into foreclosure fraud in Florida after the financial collapse of 2008. Why did it only result in one conviction? [Vice]

* 7 tips for developing business out of being a social media influencer. [Law and More]

What's the best way to help bend the arc of the moral universe a little further toward justice?

In the past week or two, our bathroom coverage has exploded. We've written about a law firm and a law school experiencing toilet shortages, a law school that has a sense of humor when selling naming rights to its bathrooms, and a law firm that wants its employees to follow proper restroom etiquette. If you're tired of the toilet humor, stop here. But if you want to see a funny sign from a courthouse bathroom, keep reading....

You take my … money you better get a federal law agency like the F.B.I. on the case. You will hear about me and read about me. I promise that. — Roy Lee Conger Jr., complaining about a lien placed on one of his bank accounts after his divorce train wreck. Conger had been involved […]

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 […]

We live in the age of ulcer-inducing, never-ending budget cuts. It’s surprising, though, when the chopping block can help the government achieve some progress, instead of just slicing its legs off. And what do you know? We happen to have recent news of that sort from the New York Unified Court System. Last week, Chief […]

There’s a simple rule in Wisconsin regarding judicial elections. You can’t make a campaign ad that knowingly misrepresents your opponent. While you’d imagine that reasonable people might disagree about what constitutes misrepresentation, one expects that judges wouldn’t really get anywhere close to the line. But not so in the election between Justice Michael Gableman and […]