No Suing Your Getaway Driver for Crashing, Court Rules
Sure, he was negligent, but you were all engaged in a felony.
Criminal
Adultery Still a Crime in New York
I saw a post on Boing Boing the other day about a list of "dumb laws," which the poster was not sure were real. They weren't, or at least there were no citations, which always makes me skeptical – there…
“Carlos the Jackal” Still Worried About His Image
Convicted terrorist and murderer Carlos Ilyich Ramirez Sanchez, also known as "Carlos the Jackal," is still upset about how he is portrayed in the new movie, "Carlos," which premiered at Cannes in May. Ramirez is fuming about the movie from…
No Waiting for Dubious Arguments at the Blagojevich Trial
The corruption trial of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich started this morning, but he fired the first salvo before even walking in the front door. It missed. His lawyers filed a motion prior to opening statements arguing that Blagojevich had…
“F— My Victims,” Says Bernie Madoff, Enjoying Prison
How dare they complain?
The Courthouse: Still Not a Good Place to Assault Someone
Tempers do flare from time to time when practicing law, and sometimes conflict is unavoidable. But there are still a few basic rules that you really must observe: In modern-day practice, engaging in fisticuffs is generally considered unprofessional. If you are…
Balloon Boy’s Parents Finally Reunited With Balloon
They’d have been happy to get their son back, too, except he was never lost.
Paying Restitution More Important Than Plastic Surgery, Says Judge
Last week, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick got his probation upgraded to jail time after a judge found he had been hiding assets to avoid paying restitution. Kilpatrick was supposed to be paying back $1 million of the $8.4 million…
UPDATE on “Group Licentiousness” Conviction
Last week I wrote about the conviction of Ma Yaohai, a Chinese computer-science professor who was recently sentenced to three and a half years in prison for organizing what the New York Times called "informal swingers clubs" and what the…
TIP: “Group Licentiousness” Still Illegal in China
On May 20, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported that 22 people had been convicted and sentenced to jail for taking part in "licentious activities," which it appears are criminal offenses in that happy land. At least if the whole…