Category: Law
Legal Community Sharply Divided Over… Citations in Footnotes?
The placement of legal citations is one of the most controversial legal writing topics. On one side of the debate, traditionalists maintain that case citations should remain in the text. On the other side, a growing number of lawyers and judges think citations should be relegated to the footnotes. Both camps feel very strongly about […]
April 17, 2017
Project Celebrates What the Constitution Means to Americans
The U.S. Constitution has taken center stage in several recent political battles and high-profile lawsuits, highlighting that it has become a symbol as well as the document upon which our Democratic Republic is based. For many Americans, the Constitution has deep personal meaning as well. A new project by the National Constitution Center and iCivics […]
April 3, 2017
Do We Need Nine Supreme Court Justices?
Even after the November election Sen. Ted Cruz vowed to continue to block the appointment of a replacement Supreme Court justice. The Republican senator maintains that the country’s highest court does not need nine members to operate and may even be better off with fewer justices. Conservatives Call for Smaller Supreme Court Several conservative legal […]
January 16, 2017
From the Framers to Trump: Understanding the Electoral College
Donald Trump has the Electoral College to thank for his presidency. As we learned again this year, the candidate who receives the most popular votes does not necessarily become president. To become president, a candidate must receive 270 or more Electoral College votes. Under the current political system, electoral votes are allocated based on the […]
November 28, 2016
The Legacy of SDS Organizer Tom Hayden
Tom Hayden, best known for his ardent social activism, recently passed away at the age of 76. Hayden, who helped found Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), spent his life advocating against war and injustice. The Nation magazine named Hayden one of the 50 greatest progressives of the 20th century. Writing about Hayden’s role in […]
October 31, 2016
Books for First Year Law Students
Those who are about to begin their first year of law school have no idea what to expect. They have heard from those who have been through it before that it is a lot of work and that it can be terrifying. While there is little that can really prepare you for the first year […]
August 17, 2016
New Jersey to Accept Out of State Lawyers by Motion
The New Jersey Supreme Court recently adopted admission to the Bar by motion. The state now joins 40 other states and Washington, D.C., in permitting out of state lawyers to practice without passing the New Jersey state bar exam. Although admission by motion is accepted practice in most states, the change is controversial in New […]
August 9, 2016
Is Kayne West’s Tweet Grounds for Breach of Contract Suit?
Kanye West is no stranger to hyperbole, but his latest antics could lead to significant legal liability. In February, West tweeted: “My album will never never never be on Apple. And it will never be for sale… You can only get it on Tidal.”Is Kayne West’s Tweet Grounds for Breach of Contract Suit? Kanye West […]
May 23, 2016
How the Bill of Rights Became Law
“The Bill of Rights: The Fight to Secure America’s Liberties” by Carol Berkin, Simon & Schuster, 2015 If you read only one book about the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, read Carol Berkin’s The Bill of Rights: The Fight to Secure America’s Liberties. In just 271 pages, […]
February 22, 2016
The Primacy of Liberty in the U.S. Constitution
Book Review: “The Conscience of the Constitution: The Declaration of Independence and the Right to Liberty” by Timothy Sandefur; Cato Institute (2014) Every now and then a person comes across a book, an idea or an event that so fundamentally affects them that they are not the same after the encounter. Such it was with […]
February 16, 2016