The New York Times reports that a Sudanese woman has been fined the equivalent of $200 after a trial on Monday in which she was found guilty of wearing pants in public. She was, however, spared the 40 lashes she…
In what I personally find to be a very disturbing development, it is now illegal in Louisiana to taunt someone who is riding a bicycle. It is also illegal in at least two states to throw something at such a…
In a landmark First Amendment decision that will disappoint drivers everywhere, the Washington Court of Appeals has ruled that honking a car horn is not necessarily protected speech. As you might expect, the case arose from a dispute about chickens….
Reasonable people can disagree as to whether cameras should be allowed in the courtroom. I personally think they should not, because cameras tend to make people do stupid things like wear Star Trek uniforms to court. But I am willing…
On FindLaw.com today, law professor Michael Dorf weighs in on the oath-of-office controversy. I was pleased to see that he reached pretty much the same conclusions as I did: that because of the Twentieth Amendment, the oath wasn't necessary to…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently moved to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a group of Amish farmers who object to putting the "mark of the Beast" on their cattle. The specific "mark" they are worried about is a radio-frequency ID…
Last month, Jay Wexler spoke to noted language expert Steven Pinker and asked him where Justice Scalia might have come up with the term "gollywaddles," which Scalia used during oral argument this term in FCC v. Fox Television Stations. Wexler…
The long legal battle between the town of Marshall, North Carolina, and the woman it banned from its dance hall for overly provocative dancing, has finally ended. The town agreed to pay Rebecca Willis $275,000 to settle the case. This brings…
Though no one ever actually dropped it, the "F-Bomb" was the main topic of conversation during Supreme Court arguments Tuesday in FCC v. Fox Television Stations. The case is on appeal from a Second Circuit decision that the FCC acted…
Police reports posted today show that attempts to enforce a Florida ordinance against saggy pants have been less fruitful than sponsors may have hoped. In the nine weeks since enforcement of the Riviera Beach ordinance started, police have arrested and/or cited only…