Federal judge denies DOJ attempt to intervene in Trump defamation lawsuit
A federal judge concluded Tuesday that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) could not intervene in a defamation lawsuit filed against President Donald Trump by a woman who accused the president of rape, and whom the president called a liar. The issue arose when E. Jean Carroll, an author, journalist and advice columnist, accused Trump [...]
On December 9, 2020 argument is scheduled for Collins v. Mnuchin at the Supreme Court. The case originated in the Fifth Circuit and the Court of Appeals issued an en banc opinion on September 6, 2019. The primary questions before the Court are whether the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s structure violates the separation of powers and [...]
Pakistan lawmaker introduces bill to penalize criticism of military
Amjad Ali Khan, a member of Pakistan’s ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, introduced legislation on Tuesday to make it a crime for a person to intentionally ridicule, bring into disrepute or defame the Armed Forces or a member of the Armed Forces. The punishment is imprisonment of up to two years or a fine that may [...]
Justice Department attempts to take over defense in Trump defamation case
The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a notice of removal on Tuesday, removing a defamation case against President Donald Trump from New York State Court to the District Court of the Southern District of New York, and sought to swap the US government for Trump as the defendant in the case. The move is the latest [...]
You Can Pass An Online Bar Exam (Though You Really Shouldn’t Have To)
Over the course of this summer and fall, nearly half of states will administer online bar exams, and that number could grow considerably between now and October. There are very serious equity and privacy concerns surrounding remote bar exams. Diploma privilege is the only just and equitable option. However, since this summer has demonstrated how [...]
Yesterday, the CEOs of Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Apple testified before the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee in a hearing on “Online Platforms and Market Power.” As Congress takes up the question of market power in the tech sector, the time is ripe to consider the issue in our broader economy. For decades, corporations in a [...]
What If Trump's Electoral Defeat Coincides with a Nuclear Crisis?
“The masses have followed the magicians again and again…Socrates and Plato were the first to take up the struggle against them in clear awareness of what was at stake.” – Karl Jaspers, Reason and Anti-Reason in our Time (1952) On absolutely all matters of existential survival, individual or collective, candor is indispensable. In connection with [...]
Reforming Digital Lending Libraries and the End of the Internet Archive
Four US publishers, including three from the big five, have sued the Internet Archive (IA) for mass copyright infringement under its emergency library program (ELP). IA is known for championing Controlled Digital Lending (CDL) through its open library, wherein it lends out e-copies of books it holds physically, maintaining a loaned-to-owned ratio. In response to [...]
Mt. Rushmore Is Too Small: A Walking Tour of Montgomery for My Students
This essay describes a walk not taken with my students. Here is a pdf version for anyone that might like to have a copy of this material for personal or educational use. The purpose of the walk was to show one thing: a big monument cannot fix a small person or a bad idea. This [...]
America's Presidential Election is Gravely Necessary, But Insufficient
“The enemy is the unphilosophical spirit which knows nothing and wants to know nothing of truth.” – Karl Jaspers, Reason and Anti-Reason in our Time (1952) Even in this grievously faltering United States, presidential elections are praised as essential evidence of a law-based democracy. This ritualized practice continues although “We the People” are suffering at [...]
