tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51671492011-04-21T19:25:13.504-05:00Law MonkeyScreaming LegalThe Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.comBlogger331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1124039115884909012005-08-14T12:04:00.000-05:002005-08-14T12:05:15.890-05:00Methinks people miss the pointDocumenting the McDiet.The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1123535564011501482005-08-08T15:55:00.000-05:002005-08-08T16:12:44.016-05:00Mascot changesThe NCAA has announced that it is going to ban the use of Native American mascots, insignia, etc. at its post-season tournaments, effective February 1 (I'm assuming 2006). It is, to be blunt, a half-assed gesture, considering its determination that it can't entirely prohibit schools from having Native American mascots.Ignoring the issues whether a ban is a good idea (yes) and The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1123190132195273502005-08-04T16:10:00.000-05:002005-08-04T16:15:32.200-05:00Something nerdy to play withWork has been keeping me very, very busy. Here's a toy:You are "Inclusio unius est exclusioalterius"! You presume that thelegislature chooses words very carefully whenit drafts statutes. Because they could haveused a different word, but didn't, the word notchosen was deliberately excluded. You assume alot based, not just on what's in front of you,but on what isn't.The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1122520595142645762005-07-27T22:11:00.000-05:002005-07-27T22:16:35.146-05:00Part-time JusticeSo, I was chatting with a friend of mine about Roberts stating that he would recuse himself if he were in a position where upholding a statute or whatever (I can't remember the exact question, even though it is posted right below -- I'm a lazy monkey) would conflict with the Church's teachings. She, who had not heard this, did a double take and asked, "what -- can you be a The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1122318540597543072005-07-25T13:22:00.000-05:002005-07-25T14:09:00.603-05:00Durbin and Religious Litmus TestsSo, here's the dilemma: can you question a Catholic judicial nominee about how their belief might affect their opinions? I'm of two minds on this one. On the one hand, even when done in the most neutral manner, there is something vaguely discomfiting about it. There should never be a "religious litmus test" for any candidate. The insinuation that a Catholic (The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1122315447976475832005-07-25T13:04:00.000-05:002005-07-25T13:17:27.980-05:00SurrealI am honestly amazed at how hard some Republicans are working to excuse the naming of a covert operative. Now, there is a lot we do not know about the case, and it is very possible that no one did anything technically illegal. But if Rove, or whoever, named Plame and knew (or reasonably should have known) she was covert, it is ethically and morally questionable. I mean, unless these peopleThe Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1122309056843192592005-07-25T11:25:00.000-05:002005-07-25T11:30:56.850-05:00Supreme sillinessIf this is all that the media can "dredge up" on Roberts, it should be an easy confirmation. I mean, come on, people! Yeah, it's interesting that he doesn't remember whether he was a member of the Federalist Society, but it's not some sort of "ah-ha!" thing that seriously challenges his nomination. Although I am in no way, shape, or form a member of the Federalists (though, inThe Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1121957517707135542005-07-21T09:17:00.000-05:002005-07-21T09:51:57.713-05:00Why do I always do this to myself?I can't help myself. Every day, I find myself reading the National Review. It's a sickness -- some kind of masochistic need to get myself all het up. Today, I made it even worse by reading something by Sen. Rick Santorum. A commentary (an excerpt from his book) in which he attempts to explain what the First Amendment REALLY means. Upshot: First Amendment The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1121786383883297002005-07-19T09:43:00.000-05:002005-07-19T10:19:43.890-05:00If you can't say something nice....Then don't. Truth is, I have nothing nice to say about Christopher Hitchins. In fact, I've never read anything from the man that makes me think he has any redeeming qualities. Regardless of whether his views on a particular subject align with mine, I am always struck by how little empathy or understanding he has for the individual or event he is writing aboutThe Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1121483157077855792005-07-15T21:41:00.000-05:002005-07-15T22:05:57.083-05:00Priorities, people, priorities!You know, I'm not a big fan of the PTC. Honestly, I think they are overly-sensitive nutjobs with waaaaaaay too much time on their hands. Call me crazy, but I think it is the parents' job to police what their kids are watching. Not the government, and not the private sector. And, frankly, I am really getting tired of how everything (in terms of tv) needs to be The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1121306790120248892005-07-13T21:03:00.000-05:002005-07-13T21:06:30.126-05:00CirclingI'm not exactly why THIS article has finally pushed me to call all the court-watchers vultures, but there you go.The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1120770411537074362005-07-07T13:31:00.000-05:002005-07-08T12:57:48.586-05:00Jumping the proverbial gunOver the past week, I have received approximately four gazillion e-mails from various liberal issue groups, committees, campaigns, etc., all asking me to do something to fight against the nomination/confirmation of an "extremist" to the Sup Ct. Now, I have to admit I share some of their general concerns. I like my Justices to be smart, able to put aside their own The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1120674595014664662005-07-06T13:17:00.000-05:002005-07-06T13:29:55.020-05:00In Howie Kurtz's column today he cites a NY Times piece on how Senate Republicans are leaning on the vocal far-right conservative opponents of a potential Gonzales nomination to tone down their rhetoric. While the Times' piece emphasizes the polling that might be behind this action, to me it bolsters the argument that a number of people (including moi) have made: why on earth would the The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1120670898385775862005-07-06T12:24:00.000-05:002005-07-06T12:28:18.390-05:00Understatement of the DayDavid Bernstein argues that Alex Kozinski (9th Cir.) should be the Sup Ct nominee. He acknowledges, however, that a downside may be Kozinski's "colorful personality." As someone who thoroughly enjoys reading Kozinski's opinions, I will just say that Berstein's description is a very polite way of putting it.The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1120236649598526222005-07-01T11:20:00.000-05:002005-07-01T11:50:49.603-05:00O'Connor RetiresWhat better time to restart the blog? Kevin Russell of the Supreme Court Nomination blog (sister blog of Scotusblog) has an excellent post demonstrating why it is foolish to label judges as liberal or conservative. That said....Everyone seems to suspect that we're in store for a bloodbath, but I'm not so sure. The stakes are much higher for the Democrats now, so they might be The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1116172310894003442005-05-15T10:42:00.000-05:002005-05-15T10:51:50.896-05:00RebirthOk, I'm really starting anew this time. After all, if celebrities are blogging, why shan't I? Plus, there are all sorts of things getting this monkey all het up these days. Actually, I'm not sure I understand the commotion over the entrance of celebs into the 'sphere (see, I know the lingo! I'm a real blogger!). Aren't blogs supposed to be some kind of equalizer?Anyway, I will blog The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1111644644137000452005-03-24T01:10:00.000-05:002005-03-24T01:10:44.136-05:00Testing. Testing. 1.2.3.The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1057859271979952782003-07-10T12:47:00.000-05:002003-07-10T12:54:54.806-05:00Although this woman hates Dell for different reasons than I, the feelings are oh, so similar.
I have had this computer for less than 3 weeks. Why am I dealing with tech support? Why am I having "licensing issues" with the software Dell packaged onto my laptop?
All I want to do is download music and burn it on a couple of CDs. Nothing fancy.
I hate Dell. But not as much as its employees do.
The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1057256395091479502003-07-03T13:19:00.000-05:002003-07-03T13:19:55.056-05:00Huh?The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1057253669364545092003-07-03T12:34:00.000-05:002003-07-03T12:34:29.360-05:00Oh, to be in California again.
Let me just get this out of the way: Despite my liberal democrat leanings, I do NOT like Gray Davis. Actually, very few people do. Sadly, from the stories I have heard, this holds true both professionally and personally.
But, the potential recall of Gray Davis is an amazing abuse of the power California voters have to remove elected officials. The purpose of theThe Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-1057202749987047882003-07-02T22:25:00.000-05:002003-07-02T22:25:49.960-05:00I am really angry.
Rarely do I get truly angry. I am a fairly easy-going primate. But I was watching some show on the Fox News Channel (why, oh, why do I do this to myself?), the topic of which was gay marriage. The three people on the show were discussing how permitting gays and lesbians to marry and adopt will destroy the traditional institution of marriage. This coming from a network that The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-951652222003-06-01T16:57:00.000-05:002003-06-01T17:01:45.000-05:00It is June, and it is 60 degrees outside. That is so sad.
In two weeks this little monkey will be graduating from law school. Does that mean I'm all grown up?
29 is a very interesting age to be. In a way, I am perfectly ok with turning 30 next year. I am far more comfortable with myself than I was when I was turning 20. I am not one of those poor, misguided souls who think anything past your The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-939060572003-05-06T22:51:00.000-05:002003-05-06T22:51:17.423-05:00We have had a real treat at U of C law over the past two days. That's right, folks. Nino was in town.
Justice Scalia judged our school's moot court yesterday and did a fine job. Who knew that the most conservative member of the Court is such a funny guy? He was cracking jokes left and right. The best story of the day, however, belongs to one of my friends (let's say her name is Carmen). Carmen The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-930751682003-04-22T18:01:00.000-05:002003-04-22T18:02:34.000-05:00Do you love the Iraqi Information Minister? These people do.The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-930238442003-04-21T22:42:00.000-05:002003-04-21T22:42:54.966-05:00Aaaahhh...It's nice to be back. I've been a very busy monkey, but now that my papers are pretty much done, I can relax. I can also comment on a few things that have caught my attention over the past few weeks:
1) Why did that guy jump the umpire at Comis....I mean, U.S. Cellular Field? He works for the Bush Administration and had credible evidence that the ump had weapons of mass destruction in The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-925828852003-04-14T09:10:00.000-05:002003-04-14T09:10:27.076-05:00The Law Monkey is on a little hiatus due to an evil paper that is due today.
I have not slept in 48 hours. Time for a three hour nap! Then, final edit. Turn in paper in time for class at 4pm, come back home, sleep until I just can't sleep no more. Or until Legal Professions at 8:30am. I haven't been to class (of any kind) in over a week.
Silly monkey!The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-916247162003-03-29T19:10:00.000-05:002003-03-29T19:10:41.593-05:00I knew it! Monkeys are capable of logical thought.The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-915632852003-03-28T14:56:00.000-05:002003-03-28T14:56:13.810-05:00Procrastination. I am so very good at it.
Stupid law/interpretation of the law of the day: Ok, so we should all know that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. If you did not know that, well, I don't know what to tell you. But their ability to vote, something the Court has acknowledged is fundamental (see Reynolds v Sims), is limited. Puerto Ricans can vote for president if they are residents of a The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-914034852003-03-26T05:31:00.000-05:002003-03-26T05:31:36.623-05:00So, I watched a little of the Miss USA pageant last night. They're getting smarter, and it pisses me off. Three reasons why:
1) It isn't fair.
2) When they were dumb as dirt, we could make fun of them. "My name is Natasha and I am Miss (insert state you enjoy making fun of here; my choice for today is New Jersey). I would like to be a brain surgeon or a beautician because, either way, you getThe Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-914019952003-03-26T04:33:00.000-05:002003-03-26T04:33:33.966-05:00So I've had some flu-like thing for the past few days. I slept most of the time, and have gotten on a strange schedule. Now I am a nocturnal monkey!
My NCAA bracket is pretty shot. I had Florida in the Final Four. Damn Spartans!
In war news.... Geneva Convention violations for everyone! We accuse them, they accuse us. The TV thing is an interesting question. Yes, they showed our soldiers on The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-910834032003-03-20T16:56:00.000-05:002003-03-20T16:56:58.170-05:00Done with the Slavery paper! I'm sure you're happy for me.
Ok, so we are at war. Amazingly, I have very little to say about that. It is hard to get worked up and concerned over something you can watch on TV. I mean, how bad can it be if it's on opposite American Idol? Right? I was thinking how funny it would be if, next week, The War is listed in the TV Guide. CNN, 9pm: Special Ops search The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-909736782003-03-19T00:39:00.000-05:002003-03-19T12:26:44.000-05:00So, I was just reading one of my favorite blogs (www.isthatlegal.blogspot.com). Admittedly, I've only been doing this for a week, so it may be a little early for me to have favorites. But I do.
Anyway, this blog drew my attention to the Homeland Security Department's announcement that they would now begin "temporarily" detaining asylum seekers from about 30 or so countries (almost entirely with The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167149.post-909571942003-03-18T19:37:00.000-05:002003-03-18T19:37:39.013-05:00I should be writing my paper right now.
It's on consensual sexual relationships between slaveowners and the enslaved, examined through the framework of modern sexual harassment. And I am so sick of writing it. To make things worse, I have three other papers I have to write in the coming two months. How on earth do I get myself in these jams?
On AOL's little web thingie that you have to look at The Law Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260919848342240464noreply@blogger.com0