Here are some pre-Thanksgiving treats to pass the time until the Dixon jury comes back with a verdict:
The New York Times magazine examines the fallout - legal and otherwise - of taking a paternity test. (HT: Baltimore Crime.) The Washington Post reports on the technological challenges of monitoring [...]As Caryn Tamber reported today, we can no longer tweet from within the courtroom at the Dixon trial. That doesn’t mean the tweets have been silenced, though; they’ve just moved down the hall. You can still watch for updates on www.twitter.com by “following” @mddailyrecord, or just search for [...]
The folks who bring you Super Lawyers came out this week with a ranking of the top law schools in the country. And it’s dopey.
There. I said it.
The list ranks schools by the number of graduates included on lists of Super Lawyers. Let’s put [...]
We don’t typically give birthday shout-outs in this space, but I think one is deserved for a man who has done more to expose Americans to the legal system than perhaps anyone else alive.
I am, of course, referring to Judge Joseph A. Wapner - aka Judge [...]
I received a lovely Edible Arrangements fruit basket at my desk this morning.
Since I can find a law angle to almost anything, I’ll tell you that there was a funny warning label attached to my fruit. It told me, first off, that the arrangement was [...]
Joan Biskupic has firmly established herself as the Doris Kearns Goodwin of judicial biography with her stirring and well-researched examination of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, arguably the nation’s most polarizing jurist.
In American Original, Biskupic explains how Scalia’s constitutional jurisprudence — [...]
Is your job making you miserable? Fabulous!
As Above the Law points out, a new study indicates that having a negative outlook “makes people less gullible, improves their ability to judge others and also boosts memory” — all helpful qualities for the successful lawyer. Cranky-pantses [...]
Follow the Dixon Trial on twitter with the #DixonTrial hashtag…or get the latest from the courtroom at our @mddailyrecord twitter account.
[...]
Sesame Street turns 40 today. I’ll let that sink in for a minute.
(Yes, I know, it was only yesterday you were a kid watching it, where did the time go, etc. etc.)
Big Bird and friends have taught generations of children how to count, share, [...]
Happy Monday!
The cigarette makers don’t have to keep paying tobacco growers in Maryland. John Bratt’s technique would save those who confuse Alito and Scalia on the bench. The Supreme Court’s opposition to cameras in the courtroom doesn’t carry a lot of weight when the justices [...]
Harvard will offer a course on The Wire next year. From The Harvard Crimson:
“‘The Wire’ has done more to enhance our understanding of the systemic urban inequality that constrains the lives of the poor than any published study” Sociology Professor William J. Wilson said.
African American [...]
I walked past what used to be the Court Towers Deli today in Towson and saw something I haven’t seen in 19 months: people eating.
The Perring Place Express Deli was doing a dry run during breakfast, its second dress rehearsal in a week. The deli, [...]
In my story Monday about Baltimore County Circuit Court, I mentioned that foreclosure filings have inundated clerks’ offices at courthouses around the state, and that Prince George’s County has led the state in foreclosures for at least two years.
Unfortunately, I was unable to obtain foreclosure [...]
Back in 2007, I wrote about the fascinating case of a Mississippi convicted killer and the Ober Kaler lawyers who were helping with his post-conviction appeals.
At first, Alan Michael Rubenstein claimed to have stumbled on the decomposing bodies of his stepson, stepson’s wife and [...]
Happy Monday!
The Sun’s doing a little exchange program, prompted by The Wire, where their crime reporter goes to London and The Independent’s crime reporter comes here. Check out the blog set up for the project. A moving billboard driving around D.C. on Friday accused DLA Piper of having “blood [...]
The Senate Judiciary Committee has unanimously approved the nomination of Virginia Supreme Court Justice Barbara Keenan for the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Keenan must still be approved by the full Senate — just like U.S. District Judge Andre M. Davis, who was [...]
Fifty-five years of marriage is darned impressive.
So if Ed and Harriet Neufeld of Aspen Hill have found a fun date activity that gets them out of the house together, more power to them.
That said, their hobby is a little… weird.
As the Gazette tells us, the [...]
If your kid’s teacher makes disparaging comments about religion, is it a First Amendment Establishment Clause violation?
The 9th Circuit will consider that question. The WSJ Law Blog writes:
The teacher, James Corbett of Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo (which graduated former Los [...]
On Saturday, I spent a rejuvenating morning serving as a judge for the semi-final round of a moot-court competition hosted by American University’s Washington College of Law.
My service to the Burton D. Wechsler First Amendment Moot Court Competition stirred me in three ways:
1. It made me feel 20 years [...]
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright wrapped up her 20-minute speech Thursday at the University of Maryland School of Law by joking she was about to do something she never could while a government official – directly answer questions.
Albright did just that for another 20 minutes, touching on a wide [...]
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright wrapped up her 20-minute speech Thursday at the University of Maryland School of Law by joking she was about to do something she never could while a government official – directly answer questions.
Albright did just that for another 20 minutes, touching on a wide range of foreign [...]
Good morning!
Stop the O’Malley Stall, says Barry Rascovar. The Sun had a moving story in Sunday’s paper on Amy Castillo, whose husband killed their three children. Sixty percent of people summoned for jury duty in Baltimore don’t show. HT: Baltimore Crime. “What’s scary is that defense lawyers let bad [...]
Slate has an interesting article today on research showing that about one-tenth of criminal defendants in Maryland may have been given the wrong sentences. The article is based on a University of Maryland economics student’s dissertation.
Writer Ray Fisman explains that before sentencing a defendant, a [...]
It turns out the attempt by lawyers for a capital murder defendant in Anne Arundel County to subpoena all 24 top prosecutors in Maryland was not a first.
Ocean City lawyer Skip Townsend tells me that back in the 1980s, he and his co-counsel in a capital case in Montgomery County [...]
Is anyone following this Baltimore Celebrity Smackdown tournament The Baltimore Sun is running? I have to say, as a sports fan, I’m a little disturbed at some of the results so far.
Most of the celebrities are media personalities, sports heroes or politicians. In round one, Oriole Hall [...]
For the first time in a while, I’ve been hearing ads for Laurel Park on the radio as I drive in to work this week. This particular round of spots is promoting the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash this Saturday and it really does makes me [...]
One said, “It’s not OK to [...]
Slate has an interesting article today on research showing that about one-tenth of criminal defendants in Maryland may have been given the wrong sentences. The article is based on a University of Maryland economics student’s dissertation.
Writer Ray Fisman explains that before sentencing a defendant, a judge gets [...]
I wrote a story for today’s paper on a Court of Appeals opinion concerning a medical malpractice case. The main issue was whether the expert witness spent too much of his professional life as, well, an expert witness. (The Court of Appeals said that yes, he did, [...]
Delmarva Power & Light Co. mucked up efforts to hold a public hearing last week on its plans to increase rates for distributing electricity, and now it has to pay to fix it.
The Public Service Commission requires companies to hold hearings to publicly air their intentions and allow customers to [...]
The National Retail Federation’s most recent survey has found that more than two-thirds of consumers say the economy will affect their spending this holiday season.
The survey, conducted by BIGresearch, also estimates individual spending this season will drop 3.2 percent to about $683. The trends this year will see more [...]
We are still awaiting an ruling on Baltimore County’s appeal of a $13,000 default judgment awarded to a White Marsh couple whose home was searched by police in connection to a drug investigation of their son. A spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives told me [...]
I wrote a story for today’s paper on a Court of Appeals opinion concerning a medical malpractice case. The main issue was whether the expert witness spent too much of his professional life as, well, an expert witness. (The Court of Appeals said that yes, [...]
It turns out the attempt by lawyers for a capital murder defendant in Anne Arundel County to subpoena all 24 top prosecutors in Maryland was not a first.
Ocean City lawyer Skip Townsend tells me that back in the 1980s, he and his co-counsel in a capital case in Montgomery County [...]
Law school — at least evidence class — hasn’t changed much since I last stepped into a classroom as a student during Bush’s presidency (the father’s, not the son’s).
Hearsay is still generally inadmissible at trial because it is “an out-of-court statement introduced for the truth of [...]
Law school — at least evidence class — hasn’t changed much since I last stepped into a classroom as a student during Bush’s presidency (the father’s, not the son’s).
Hearsay is still generally inadmissible at trial because it is “an out-of-court statement introduced for the truth [...]
On the cover: As the University System of Maryland tries to develop an unprecedented policy for the showing of pornographic films on campus, constitutional scholars caution that restrictions could lead to litigation. Also, why did Discovery choose to sue Jon & Kate’s Jon Gosselin in Maryland state court?
In the news: [...]
There’s nothing like a nice, crisp, grainy fall beer in April. Wait. There’s something wrong with that sentence.
But I guess if you live in North Baltimore’s Govanstowne the business association is hoping you’ll let that one slide. I got an e-mail notifying me that the Govanstowne Business Association [...]
Happy Monday! Enjoy the following law links:
“Who were the fence sitter doctors who decided to move to Texas because of tort reform?” Ron Miller asks. When should you just give up the house? Maryland bankruptcy lawyer Brett Weiss advises. Prosecutors in New York are indicting DNA samples. Some say Obama’s [...]
OK, before I start, I need a disclaimer. Well, two, really. 1) I am a University of Maryland alum and 2) I fear change.
That said, Maryland’s rolling out what officials call a “secondary slogan” to its widely known, Fear the Turtle motto. According to the Diamondback, “Unstoppable [...]
Finally, Maryland gets its shot at a Trial of the Century!
I am referring, of course, to news today that Silver Spring-based cable channel TLC has sued Jon Gosselin, the star of its popular reality show “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” for breach of [...]
I love it when tourism companies fund a “vacation study.” Wait!!! You mean, Expedia.com has found we need MORE vacations? Shocking!!!
My next-favorite part is when travel companies take the “vacation study” and magnanimously offer their services. This e-mail came today from Hawaii Tours: “HawaiiTours.com suggests that [...]
Seems Nationals fans in Washington can’t even bear to watch their team on television. According to the Washington Business Journal, D.C. is the only television market where the home team played second fiddle to an out-of-town team this year…and guess which team that was, O’s fans?
That’s right [...]
Due to the postal holiday on Monday, Maryland Lawyer appears in today’s edition. Here’s what you’ll find inside:
ON THE COVER: What happens when a solo or small firm lawyer gets seriously ill? Caryn Tamber talks to several lawyers about their experience and gets tips for creating a backup plan.
The [...]
Tuesday’s report that patients at the nation’s best-rated hospitals have a 52 percent lower chance of dying than those who go to average hospitals bodes well for Maryland residents.
The Twelfth Annual Study of Hospital Quality from HealthGrades, the leading independent health care ratings organization, finds Maryland’s hospital are [...]
Happy Columbus/Indigenous Persons Day!
Some blawg bits for those of you who also work on federal holidays (psst…National Boss Day is on Friday):
I once did an interrogatory on strange laws here in Maryland. How does this one, from North Dakota, rank?
The Washington Post has a pair of articles today [...]
I hadn’t heard much recently about Market House on Annapolis’ City Dock since my colleague, Liz Farmer, wrote in July about tenants moving in until the end of the year, when major renovations will begin.
Turns out eight community leaders and residents have been working behind the scenes since March, trying to ensure a [...]
…cup of coffee. That’s the plug for 7-Eleven’s advertising campaign to promote its new line of coffee. Brazilian coffee. The promotion is a virtual dating game at www.the711club.com that whisks players away to Rio Janiero’s exotic 711 Club, where they select a hot “date” from a group [...]
The Baltimore-based event marketing and branding company P.W. Feats (or should I say the company formerly known as P.W. Feats?) has changed its name and is “overhauled its branding to more accurately reflect its full range of expertise.”
Are you sitting down? Here it is: Feats, [...]
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. doesn’t usually make a habit of going down on the farm, but that’s exactly what happened when it shut down Colorado-based New Frontier Bank last spring.
New Frontier had more than $800 million tied up in agricultural loans when it failed, and some [...]
Hey, Mr. Attorney General, you’ve just argued your first U.S. Supreme Court case. What are you going to do now?
Douglas F. Gansler, having pressed the state’s position in Maryland v. Shatzer on Monday, jetted off Tuesday to Taiwan. Gansler, with eight fellow states’ attorneys general, will spend a week discussing common [...]
Oh Lord.
Thanks to blogger M.M. McDermott, these fabulous videos just came across my radar. Apparently there is a bail bonds business in Baltimore called Jesus Christ Bail Bonds. “Who’s the first person you call when you get in trouble?” One of the company’s Internet video ads goes. “Jesusssss…Christ Bail [...]
There’s definitely been a vibe to TBC’s ads for Hair Cuttery since the Baltimore-based firm won the account last year.
The salon isn’t just about inexpensive hair cuts, it’s about being young, attractive and trendy — or at least that’s the theme I’m getting, especially [...]
The folks from Above the Law recently reviewed two online games from Our Courts, an online project championed by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor aimed at encouraging middle school students’ civic participation.
The review was also part of a piece in Sunday’s Washington Post, where the authors call the Supreme [...]
Shhhhh! It’s a surprise.
Well, not anymore. The Progressive Maryland Education Fund and its friends are holding a “surprise birthday party” for Mayo Shattuck III, Constellation Energy’s chief executive on Wednesday, his 55th birthday.
I’m doubting there will be cake and party hats. This birthday party will also serve as [...]
The two law school students picked the right hearing for their assignment in a civil procedures class.
Judge Ruth Ann Jakubowski ruled on 21 motions in one case Tuesday morning in Baltimore County Circuit Court, according to court records. I had to refer to court records even though I was in the courtroom because I lost count [...]
On the Cover: Welcome to the first Monday in October! This morning marks the Supreme Court debut of Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler and Assistant Public Defender Celia Anderson Davis, who will argue over a Hagerstown man’s child sex abuse conviction. The question is whether a request for [...]
It seems like a good problem to have but managing millions of dollars can come around to bite a pro football player in the tush.
That’s why the NFL Players’ Association has called upon Financial Finesse to help players out with planning ahead for their future without football.
“With [...]
Happy Monday! Here are a few law links to start your week off:
U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein probably isn’t going anywhere, MainJustice.com says. The prediction comes in an article about how a third of the country’s U.S. Attorney’s offices are still run by Bush-appointed prosecutors. Page Croyder applauds The [...]After all the questions in the media about whether Orioles manager Dave Trembley needs to go, this came down late Friday from the organization:
“The Orioles today announced that they have exercised their option for the 2010 season on the contract of Manager Dave Trembley.
“This season is Trembley’s 25th in [...]
When I told my friends about the story I was writing for today’s paper on Delaware’s sports betting they all asked me the same thing. So why the heck are the pro leagues against this?
It’s a good question and it’s one I have a hard time answering. [...]
Sorry, University of Maryland and University of Baltimore law school students – you don’t have a shot of clerking for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
An ABA Journal story about the composition of current and past clerks at the highest court in the land quotes Scalia telling an American [...]
Newsflash: apparently, it’s a teensy bit difficult to balance a demanding law job with a family!
Enter the stay-at-home spouse, with a twist. The American Lawyer has a piece today on high-powered female lawyers who have at-home husbands:
Barbara Becker, a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in New York, is [...]
From the famed snallygaster of Frederick County to the Goat Man of Prince George’s County, Maryland has always provided ample fodder for amateur cryptozoologists. In the latest development, according to reports coming out of Charles County, a mysterious monkey-like creature was seen a few weeks ago lurking around [...]
Wow. In this 24-hour news cycle, if you don’t get in front of something right away, the rumors will fly.
Nike issued a statement this morning saying it is NOT signing Vick. From the Washington Post:
“Nike does not have a contractual relationship with Michael Vick,” the spokesman, Kejuan Wilkins, said, [...]
UPDATE: Nike is now denying that it has entered into a new endorsement deal with Michael Vick. See Liz Farmer’s updated blog here.
His is the fourth-highest selling jersey in the NFL this year — I’d guess you’d have to be insane to pass up on the opportunity [...]
If you’re like most people in Maryland, chances are you haven’t switched your business or home over from your regular power supplier — BGE, Pepco, Delmarva, etc. — to a competitive supplier.
As of the end of August, the Public Service Commission reports that 28.8 percent of the state’s 239,031 commercial [...]
If my home were ever burglarized, I think the strangest thing a thief could pilfer would be an 18-inch-tall sailor statue that sits on a side table in my living room. (Old Salty is good at his job; I’ve never gotten seasick nor have I been attacked by pirates while sitting on my sofa.)
I thought [...]
The Supreme Court posed for a new portrait this morning, allowing the media to photograph them as a group. Listen, I know these folks handle the most important cases in the land and that sternness and gravity are pretty much job requirements. But would it kill them to [...]
I was driving on Charles Street by our office this morning when I saw a woman walking across the street with the help of a cane and what I thought was a full cast on her left leg. Upon closer inspection, I thought the woman was Phoebe Haddon, dean of the [...]
As of this morning’s commute I am officially a field tester of the Maryland Transit Administration’s new Charm Card.
The Charm Card is a rechargeable plastic fare card, just like the Washington Metro’s SmarTrip card. Instead of buying paper passes daily,weekly or monthly you can add money to the [...]
On the cover: With their progressive pilot potentially on the chopping block, the OPD’s Neighborhood Defenders in Park Heights are defending not only their clients but their problem-solving approach. Also, Caryn Tamber talks to University of Maryland law professor Danielle Citron about her research into online gender harassment [...]
Before two federal environmental lawyers talked about recent government victories during Friday’s ABA section meeting, Bruce Gelber discussed a recent government loss in the Supreme Court involving Superfund sites.
In May, the high court ruled Shell Oil Co. was not liable as a party that arranged to [...]
Today, the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore launched its new site that’s intended to help commuters figure out how they can get to Harbor East without a car, or at least show them alternatives. The site, entitled “A Smarter Way to Get There,” has some cool-looking features, though I’m not having [...]
Both of Maryland’s law schools are located on campuses that are among the most dangerous in the country, according to a new ranking.
Both the University of Baltimore and the University of Maryland-Baltimore made The Daily Beast’s list of the 25 most dangerous colleges. In fact, UMB is [...]
With tight budgets this holiday season, here’s one way to make yourself feel better about the upcoming spending spree — make everyone else’s spending work in your favor by investing in toys.
According to a Stifel Nicolaus report this week, Mattel’s entertainment pipeline is building. For one, the toy [...]
If you’re like most Americans, you’ll choose comfort over conservation in most cases.
Environmentalists have been working overtime to try to change that phenomenon, campaigning for people to turn the thermostat up a few degrees in the summer and down a couple in the winter, but now the outreach effort has [...]
Just read an article in the most recent Business Week edition about home loans backed by the US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA Home Loans: Subprime Redux?). Gist of the article is that the loan program offers $0 down and 100% financing, conditions awfully similar to those subprime loans that [...]
Who says there’s nothing to do in small towns? On the contrary, when there’s nothing to do but watch the grass grow and everybody knows everyone else, you have to get creative for entertainment.
Hence, a news release I came across this week advertising the grand opening of Wilbur’s [...]
As if Caryn Tamber’s article weren’t compelling enough, our sister paper in Richmond points out another reason to study Gomis v. Holder.
“If the 4th Circuit’s current configuration leaves it in equipoise and publishing even fewer opinions than usual, it is at least going on the record with [...]
Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher’s football season ended in the first quarter of the first game of the year after he dislocated his wrist. Despite early rumors the injury was career-ending, various hand specialists say Urlacher should be able to play again next season.
His memorabilia company, however, is [...]
How much do you walk every day? Are you perhaps one of those women who carry their heels in a bag and walk to work in more comfortable shoes? (I, for one, am guilty of that during the warmer months and wear my flip flops [...]
How many times have you, or your wife, taken photos of your kids playing in their bath? How often have you snapped a quick photo of your wife, or your husband, toweling off your children, or maybe showing the babies giggling while lying naked on the bathroom floor?
Well, if you’ve [...]
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, no corned beef for anybody.
Last week, I wrote a new restaurant replacing the Court Towers Deli across from Circuit Court in Towson had pushed back its opening one week, to Sept. 21.
Alas, it was not meant to be, as the [...]
Happy Monday!
— Jim Gross writes about how going through a divorce is like haggling for a grandfather clock.
— This must be one of Jean Marbella’s “Ah, Baltimore” moments. (HT: Baltimore Crime.)
— “Some rumors should rest untested,” writes an appellate judge in Minnesota.
— Does a British [...]
ON THE COVER: Ethics and the Internet – The World Wide Web can be a great marketing tool, directing potential clients to an attorney at the click of a mouse. But a nationwide complaint alleges many lawyers using the technology might be violating ethical rules.
It will be legal-acronym heaven [...]
All right, before you start freaking out over that subject line, I’m sure Camden Yards is perfectly safe. But it did get you to click on this post, didn’t it?
But as for the question at hand, we may have a specific answer in a few months after a [...]
Calling all ACC fans — have you ever heard of Buster Sports? Maybe you will after Baltimore firm Warschawski PR gets a crack at it.
Raleigh, N. C.-based Buster Sports, an online tailgating and networking community for college football and basketball fans, selected Warschawski this week to build [...]
The American Prospect had a Web story about Maryland DLLR Secretary Tom Perez and why he’s still waiting, six months later, to be confirmed as head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The Prospect writes that his record on civil rights issues should be a [...]
Barbara Grzincic, Danny Jacobs, Caryn Tamber, Steve Lash, Richard Simon, Caryn Tamber, Legal Writer, Danny Jacobs, Legal Writer, Liz Farmer, Business Writer, Robbie Whelan, Business Writer, Ed Waldman, Managing Editor/Business, Barbara Grzincic, Managing Editor/Law, Steve Lash, Legal Writer
