A Few Tax Arguments Not to Make
Hey, your taxes are due this week—or ARE they? Yes, they are, that was a figure of speech. You have to pay them.
Legal History
Judge Criticizes “Behemoth Pleadings”
Here are some words & phrases that you really don't want a judge to apply to anything you file: sprawling behemoth surplusage larded with brims with masquerading as voluminous breathtaking madness chokes the docket intended to overwhelm labyrinthian prolixity of…
“The Cause of Action is Denied as Unintelligible”
"An amusing order," said Matt, who sent me this. Matt, you had me at "Living Soul Chief Asan Manuel Mustafah Fearce W. Yahzoo." This comes to us from the Northern District of West Virginia, where yesterday a judge dismissed a…
Please Read This Before Bombing New Mexico
First: Do not blow up any part of New Mexico without express permission. Second: By "this" I don't mean this post, although if you have started your research here that is fine, if somewhat disturbing. By "this," of course, I…
President Adopts Potential Werewolf
In a lovely ceremony last week, the president of Argentina, Christina Fernández de Kirchner, became the godmother of Yair Tawil (second from left). Contrary to some reports, this had nothing to do with him turning into a werewolf. Not directly, anyway….
Fight Over Alcohol Ban Ends When Town Learns It Doesn’t Have One
It's too late to vote this year in Hanover, Manitoba, because Election Day was October 22. On the other hand, if your main interest was the referendum on whether to repeal the town's long-standing ban on alcohol sales, don't feel…
Congress: Please Don’t Ask Us to Declare War; We Might Say No
[King George III has, among other things,] kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. —Declaration of Independence…
The Guano Islands Act and So Forth
For Day 2 of my Volokh Conspiracy guest-bloggery, I wrote about the Guano Islands Act and some other old laws that are still on the books in various jurisdictions, often for no good reason. If you are still 1,100 words short of…
Sasquatch Goes to Harvard
Well, it's disturbing enough that Harvard's law library actually houses a copy of this book (and that someone has it checked out when they should be studying), but now here it is on Joseph Story's lap. "Listen, I wrote Martin v. Hunter's…
Guy Mad About Lack of Due Process Says President Should Be Executed Without Trial
He didn't use exactly those words, and the words weren't originally his. But he did retweet and explicitly agree with the following: This is getting a lot more attention than it otherwise might because the tweeter, Joshua Black, is currently…