Breaking: Walker Opinion On Prop 8 Upheld
WSJ: SAN FRANCISCO—A federal judge has upheld a gay judge's ruling to strike down California's same-sex marriage ban. Chief U.S. District Judge James Ware said Tuesday that former Chief Judge Vaughn Walker did not have to divulge whether he wanted to marry his own gay partner before he declared last year that voter-approved marriage ban was unconstitutional. Lawyers for backers … Read More
Today in Prop 8 News
Just to recap. Prop 8 was a California ballot initiative that banned same sex marriages in California. Well-funded by out-of state bigots (like the Mormons), it narrowly passed in 2008. But then Prop 8 was challenged in state court for being unconstitutional. But the California courts upheld Prop 8. After the California Supreme Court upheld the voter initiative, another suit, Perry … Read More
The Changing Legal Face Of Music
Once upon a time, you heard a song on the radio, you liked it, and you went to the brick-and-mortar store and bought it. You bought it on vinyl, or cassette, or on CD. And you owned it. Those days are all but gone now, and the music industry is trying to adapt to the new technology. And as … Read More
Free Stem Cells For All!
Not really, but a federal appeals court has lifted last year's ban on stem cell research — a ban by some conservative D.C. judge with a stick up his butt. UPDATE: Opinion here (PDF) ADF keeps losing…..
Shortest Deposition Ever
[H/T: Above The Law]
A Worthy Benchslap
A trial was scheduled for June 14, 2011. Defendants requested a short continuance because “one of their counsel, Bryan Erman, along with his wife, is expecting their first child due on July 3.” Plaintiffs’ counsel objected — strenuously. This took Judge Eric Melgren (D. Kansas) by surprise. Judge Melgren granted the continuance — and took the opportunity to benchslap the … Read More
Apple Is Evil
So Amazon has opened up an app store — specifically, an app store for Android phones. It opened today. You can see it here. It's very convenient. And it you don't see it, it's because Apple is suing, claiming they own the phase "app store". Jerks.
Texting In The Mall Update
Several days ago, I posted a Youtube video showing a girl who was texting while in a mall, thus toppling into a fountain. She's now suing the mall: The video has received more than 1.5 million views since it went viral on YouTube last week. The woman in the video, Cathy Cruz Marrero, doesn't think the video is very funny. … Read More
Fifth Circuit Fines Cheerleader For Not Cheering For Her Sexual Harassers
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, one of the most right-wing courts in the country, sanctioned a former high school cheerleader because she brought a lawsuit claiming that she shouldn’t be required to cheer for her alleged rapist: The former cheerleader and her family are appealing the ruling by the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which … Read More
Quote Of The Day
"Many of us who understand the law are scratching our heads this morning, laughing so we don't cry… I would like to see Oklahoma politicians explain if this means that the courts can no longer consider the Ten Commandments. Isn't that a precept of another culture and another nation? The result of this is that judges aren't going to know … Read More
Frontline Exposes Willingham Execution
I've written in the past — here and here and here — about the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham in the state of Texas, a state which has a disturbing record of getting it wrong when it comes to death penalty cases. For those unfamiliar with the story, Cameron Todd Willingham was executed by the state of Texas on February 17, 2004 after having … Read More
Judge Jails Lawyer When Lawyer Refuses To Say The Pledge Of Allegiance
Danny Lampley was jailed by Chancery Court Judge Littlejohn in Tupelo for failing to recite the pledge of allegiance in open court earlier this week. Danny was one of the local lawyers who represented the plaintiff in the Pontotoc school prayer case years ago, working with the ACLU and People for the American Way. The order incarcerating him provides: BE … Read More
DOMA Declared Unconstitutional
A federal district court in Massachusetts has ruled that the portion of the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 — specifically, the part that defines "marriage" as between a man and a woman only — as unconstitutional. The ruling came in two opinions, Gill v. Office of Personnel Management, and Massachusetts v. HHS. The state had argued the law denied benefits such … Read More
Dumb Lawsuit of the Day
A woman sues Google because she used Google Maps to walk to her destination and got hit by a car. Apparently, Google Maps didn't warn her that cars might be, you know, on the roads. Rosenberg, a Los Angeles California native, is suing Google because Google Maps issued directions that told her to walk down a rural highway. She started … Read More