photo credit: freakgirl

It’s Jumpstart time! There have been a bunch of stories over the past week I’ve wanted to write about, but haven’t had the time, so here they are, plus the usual suspects:

• NPR did a three part series on Angola and the convictions of Woodfox and Wallace. Must read/listen.
• The Judicial Branch website has updated its page of “common legal words” with links to forms and instructions.
• Making law is interpreting law.
• From Deliberations, who is qualified for death?
• Will prostitution become legal in SanFran?
• Do cops always side with businesses over customers?
• CDW’s weekly edition is here.

And my feed reader has died, so this is all you’ll get. Remember to vote tomorrow and vote NO on question 1 in CT.

Good morning folks. Hope everyone is able to enjoy this long weekend. I’m taking advantage of the day off by posting a Jumpstart, after a several week hiatus. Here are the weekend’s most interesting posts and stories:

• Two law schools will now disregard the LSAT. Why didn’t this happen when I was applying to law school?
• A little judicial humor goes a long way.
• Blonde Justice shows us how jury selection is different everywhere you go.
• This piece at Co-Op talks about the viability of alternate remedies for prosecutorial misconduct impropriety, eschewing the traditional all or nothing.
• Bennett reviews the e-book “The Truth About Hiring A Criminal Defense Lawyer” and gives it three whirls of the chainsaw.
• Anne at Deliberations got her hands on the O.J. questionnaires and gently encourages us to role-play with them.
• The Dallas Morning News has this fantastic series on questionable police tactics (ID and otherwise) that put innocent men behind bars.
• The same News then follows up with this piece on the problems with “show-ups”.
• The Courant has this long and touching piece on the struggle of Beth Kerrigan – named plaintiff in the gay-marriage case.
• Michigan attempts jury reform. Juries has the details.
• Here’s a preview of the upcoming week at SCOTUS.
• The US Sentencing Commission is looking at alternatives to incarceration.
• Scott doesn’t like jailhouse lawyers asking him to lie.
• Judge Pirro isn’t very popular.

That’s all for today! Enjoy the day off.

So who watched the Emmys? I’m pretty bummed that Jon Hamm didn’t win, but also quite happy for Malcolm’s father.

Anyway, here are the most interesting legal posts of the past week(end):

• TalkLeft gives us a primer on the harsh South Dakota abortion law that is being proposed to challenge Roe v. Wade.
• Bennett urges us to join the NACDL – and at the very least to read new President John Wesley Hall‘s inaugural column [pdf] in Champion.
• Lawyers make the news – and not in a good way.
• 35% of lawyers would choose their Blackberries over their spouse…I’ve seen you posting to the listserve from your Blackberry…you know who you are.
• The Palin e-mail hacker may be caught after all.
• Anne Reed brings us another jury questionnaire, this time from the trial of a serial killer.
• Dissenting judge tells plaintiff in civil rights suit to take police cruiser video to youtube – and he does.
• Scott vocalizes a feeling we’ve all felt: wishing we could help them all.
• Volokh asks whether non-unanimous jury verdicts in criminal cases are Constitutionally permissible.
• Injustice Anywhere is back and blogging again. I missed her posts.
• CapDefenseWeekly’s email edition for this week is here.
• The Underblawg reminds us that there’s always more to our clients in a powerful sentencing argument.
• The NYT tackles the one election issue that has meaning to us lawyers: what will the Court look like for the next generation?
• Jon Katz gives us an update on defending the first federal trial for online copyright infringement that primarily involves music.

That’s all! Enjoy your day! Stay tuned for more posts later and, of course, liveblogging tonight’s episode of Raising The Bar.

Surprise!

What’s this, you ask? A regular feature that had been relegated to dusty shelves makes a re-appearance? Why yes, I say. It is the Jumpstart. Don’t get too excited, though. It may or may recur.

So, onto this weekend’s top stories and posts:

• WI Court finds that man has expectation of privacy in nursing home sex with comatose wife (TChris of Talkleft represented defendant).
• Troy Davis’ clemency petition has been rejected.
• Reputed NYC defense lawyer indicted in plot to “eliminate” witnesses.
• Bennett has thankfully weathered Hurricane Ike. You can read his daily updates with pictures on his blog.
• 11th Circuit holds that it is not unreasonable to taze a motorist three times for refusing to sign a speeding ticket.
• Study finds that juvenile programs should be a place of last resort.
• Should judges receive the benefit of loan repayment?
• SanFran will vote soon on decriminalizing prostitution.
• VA’s anti-spam law struck down as unconstitutionally overbroad (No, not spam in a can)
• From our neighbors up North, a fascinating new standard for admission of juveniles’ statements.
• The Underdog Jon Katz has this very insightful (and helpful) tip on how to get a judge to revisit a bonehead ruling.

Unfortunately, that is all for today. Enjoy the weather!

aaargh! It lives!!!

Yes folks, believe it or not, the Jumpstart is alive! After spending three weeks in the infirmary, the Jumpstart has made it through. There were times when it seemed like there was no hope and the plug needed to be pulled, but every time that happened, poor old Jumpstart’s heart would beat a little faster, like an episode of House.

So, it’s here and raring to go. Leaner, meaner, greener and fighting machine-ier.

Start off your morning with these interesting posts and stories:

• The Texas Tornado has a fantastic post on the naivete of some prosecutorial veiwpoints.
• Could anti-drunk driving TV campaigns be a way to tamper with potential jurors?
• Scott tells us that the U.S. may have screwed up its response to the Lori Drew motion to dismiss.
• Missouri has an “old-timers” unit in prison. Others will probably have to follow suit as populations age and prison sentences remain astronomically high.
• In Virginia, they’re testing DNA on old convictions, but aren’t sharing the results.
• Loan forgiveness finally signed by the Prez. H/T Skelly
• The Underdog asks my favorite question du jour: How can a proper Terry patdown find crack cocaine?
• In the day’s “duh” category: prosecuting juveniles as adults increases chances of recidivism.
• Heller goes to school: Texas will now permit teachers to carry guns to school. Yay.
• It seems Gerry Spence reads my blog. He writes about the “secret of winning” (again) and focuses on preparation. But he also disses public defenders. So that’s not good.
• EvidenceProf brings us an interesting 7th Cir. decision on the testimony of a psychologist to prove lack of impulse to negate “attempt”.
• Probably the worst place you can get into a fight: a prison transfer van.
• Of course, Hartford’s curfew is still making news (although zero new violence in the city since last week!)
• Someone sees the light and dismisses a “mandatory reporter” prosecution.
• Not that there was any real doubt, but: DNA helps confirm that the recent Bigfoot capture is a fake.

That’s it. Come back tonight for more. Have a good day!

It’s been an unusually “verbose” weekend for me here on the blog, so for those of you logging in for the first time since Monday, here’s a list of the posts this weekend (in reverse chronological order):

• Police brutality?
• I took the plunge
• Right of allocution subject to cross-examination
• Sunday Stupidity: Love your cop edition
• I’m not judging
• Hold your breath: prison de-segregation to begin

Jumpstart to follow

photo credit: gte333f

As promised, this Fourth of July’s most interesting posts and stories:

• Prior to the Fourth of July, a fireworks manufacturer in CT lost a suit seeking return of over 500K worth of illegal fireworks seized by police.
• The Fourth of July edition of Blawg Review is up here.
• Speaking of digests, Capital Defense Weekly’s weekly roundup is here.
• So Justice Scalia used incorrect information in his controversial Boumediene dissent. I don’t hear calls for him to correct it, a la Kennedy.
• Blondie refines her answer to the question.
• Norm has given up blogging…for now?
• Mark Bennett gives us a Chappelle-esque edition of “Teaching him a lesson gone wrong”.
• Anne Reed wants you to stop thinking like a lawyer when dealing with juries.
• EyeID writes about new technology for composite sketches and how this might be a good thing.
• f/k/a reminds you to Drive 55.
• How good is anyone at spotting lies, asks the Gritmaster, and how does it affect eyewitness ids?
• A recap of the non-capital cruel and unusual argument before the GA Supreme Court.
• SL&P covers prosecutorial discretion in charging death.
• First Heller went to the airport, now Heller goes to Disneyland.
• Should a victimless DUI be a crime?
• The New Haven Advocate tears the editorial board of the New Haven Register a new one over immigrant IDs.
• These are our clients.
• One man’s take on what it means to be a pd.
• UFO stupidity alert.
• DUI arrest even though BAC is 0.0 (yes, 0.0)

Enjoy the night (and tomorrow)!