For all you fans of statutory construction:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/04/28/when-fish-are-informational-items-and-part-of-a-record/

Why it is so hard to be a criminal defense attorney:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/man-charged-with-murder-wants-murder-tattoo-removed-from-neck-before-trial-9278200.html

Don't quite know what to do with this, but

how could I pass by a lawsuit about a duck attack:

http://www.katu.com/news/local/250000-lawsuit-for-duck-attack-256273651.html

Commercial appropriation appears everywhere, doesn't it, class?

http://www.tmz.com/2014/04/18/mase-lawsuit-why-cant-we-model-photo/

He may be a Supreme Court Justice, but he is an idiot . . .

My class is dealing with defamation right now:

Scalia criticizes historic Supreme Court ruling on freedom of the press - 

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-scalia-ginsburg-supreme-court-libel-20140418,0,3941111.story#ixzz2zHPNpE5l

I have ranted against "shotgun" pleadings in class for years:

and now my former next door neighbor has written an opinion supporting me (remember the sign in my office - thank you, Sally Handmaker):

http://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/ops/201312696.pdf

For those of you who struggled with sections 50 and 51:

(I know I may be late to this party, thank Google and HeartBleed for that:)

http://pagesix.com/2014/04/09/heigl-slaps-duane-reade-with-6m-suit-for-using-photo-online/

and here's the complaint:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/217334096/Heigl-vs-Duane-Reade-Inc

But I could not pass this by - is there any cause of action in the complaint?

ah, Florida, again, times 3:

http://gawker.com/florida-man-runs-for-congress-embraces-his-cosplay-rap-1556185389

http://members.jacksonville.com/news/crime/2014-04-03/story/federal-jury-returns-puzzling-verdict-civil-rights-case-career-criminal

http://www.3dca.flcourts.org/Opinions/3D13-1294.pdf​

Bad legal writing is everywhere!

This opening paragraph would not pass my class; learn from its failure (hint: can you tell what the thesis/why is or even who won and why?):


JUSTICE ALITO delivered the opinion of the Court.

We must decide in this case whether the Airline Deregu­lation Act pre-empts a state-law claim for breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Following our interpretation of the Act in American Airlines, Inc. v. Wolens, 513 U. S. 219 (1995), we hold that such a claim is pre-empted if it seeks to enlarge the contractual obligations that the parties voluntarily adopt. And because the doctrine is invoked in the present case in an attempt to expand those obligations, we reverse the judgment of the Court of Appeals.

For you very "old" students who had covenant of good faith and fair dealing with poor Charlotte:

http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/12-462_p8k0.pdf

And, current classes, speaking of defamation: case or no case?

http://www.scribd.com/doc/215481385/Complaint-4837-8616-1945-v-1

For you "Office Space" fans, a little commercial appropriation discussion:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/215756725/Duffey-v-20th-Century-Fox

There is a difference between television fantasy law and reality law:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2014/mar/24/shelby-county-district-attorney-candidate-joe-brow/

As much as I (justifiably) pick on my old state of Florida:

In the modern world of no dialogue based on facts (just consider the press talking head frenzy on the missing Malaysian airliner), it's awfully nice to see a Court which understands how the actual facts really matter (read pages 18-40):

http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/decisions/2014/sc11-1148.pdf

Let's play the commercial appropriation game (esp. current students):

Assuming this is in New York (as it appears to be), case or no case (and how do you grade the letters):

http://www.naughtyjewishboys.com/Naughty_c_d_letter.pdf

http://www.naughtyjewishboys.com/njgresponseletter-1.pdf

From Forbes, law salaries to start (some interesting choices 11-25):

Here are the top 25 schools whose grads earn the highest median starting salaries:

1. Columbia Law School
Starting pay: $146,900
Mid-career pay: $176,200

2. Harvard Law School
Starting pay: $125,400
Mid-career pay: $201,400

3. Northwestern University School of Law
Starting pay: $110,800
Mid-career pay: $210,000

4. University of Chicago Law SchoolStarting pay: $105,100
Mid-caeer pay: $177,500

5. Stanford Law School
Starting pay: $104,000
Mid-career pay: $217,300

6. Yale Law School
Starting pay: $101,800
Mid-career pay: $165,000

7. University of Virginia School of LawStarting pay: $97,400
Mid-career pay: $153,900

8. University of Michigan Law School
Starting pay: $95,500
Mid-career pay: $198,700

9. Cornell University Law School
Starting pay: $93,500
Mid-career pay: $180,000

10. Duke University School of Law
Starting pay: $87,700
Mid-career pay: $206,900

11. University of California at Los Angeles School of Law
Starting pay: $84,200
Mid-career pay: $184,500

12. University of California Hastings College of the LawStarting pay: $83,900
Mid-career pay: $130,100

13. Georgetown University Law SchoolStarting pay: $83,700
Mid-career pay: $180,900

14. University of California at Berkeley School of LawStarting pay: $82,700
Mid-career pay: $160,400

15. University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of LawStarting pay: $82,000
Mid-career pay: $114,300

16. University of Southern California Gould School of LawStarting pay: $80,300
Mid-career pay: $192,800

17. University of Houston Law CenterStarting pay: $79,400
Mid-career pay: $136,100

18. University of San Francisco School of LawStarting pay: $79,300
Mid-career pay: $126,000

19. University of Colorado Law SchoolStarting pay: $77,400
Mid-career pay: $125,700

20. University of Texas at Austin School of LawStarting pay: $76,700
Mid-career pay: $158,000

21. New York University School of LawStarting pay: $76,300
Mid-career pay: $177,800

22. Fordham University School of LawStarting pay: $76,200
Mid-career pay: $155,300

23. Catholic University of America Columbus School of LawStarting pay: $75,600
Mid-career pay: $146,400

24. University of San Diego School of Law
Starting pay: $75,300
Mid-career pay: $114,700

25. Santa Clara University School of Law
Starting pay: $75,100
Mid-career pay: $192,200

Ah, the return of Glas

http://weblinks.westlaw.com/result/default.aspx?action=Search&cnt=DOC&db=MA%2DORSLIP&eq=search&fmqv=c&fn=%5Ftop&method=TNC&mt=Westlaw&n=4&origin=Search&query=TO%28ALLSCT+ALLSCTRS+ALLSCTOJ%29&rlt=CLID%5FQRYRLT657915157073&rltdb=CLID%5FDB232165057073&rlti=1&rp=%2Fsearch%2Fdefault%2Ewl&rs=MAOR1%2E0&service=Search&sp=MassOF%2D1001&srch=TRUE&ss=CNT&sskey=CLID%5FSSSA363405057073&sv=Split&vr=1%2E0

Why I am opposed to lawyer advertising #73

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KfACTAOPa0

Speaking of commercial appropriation (as my 340 classes are about to do):

http://it-lex.org/star-of-attractive-convict-meme-sues-website-over-commercial-use-of-her-mugshot/

And they say there are no new areas of law practice

I found this through Above the Law - what do you think?

http://www.vaselfdefenselaw.com/