Bruce Budner quoted in The Press Democrat, January 16, 2015
While restrictions remain on deceptive advertising, there is nothing on the books prohibiting lawyers from engaging in “bad taste, if that’s what you want to call it,” Budner said.
Why scrapping quotas in China’s criminal justice system won’t be easy
Stanley Lubman writes for The Wall Street Journal, January 30, 2015
It remains to be seen whether the work of judicial reform can increase the relative independence of the courts by reducing the influence of local government and party organizations over them without being regarded as a threat to party dominance.
Prop. 47 is achieving its main goal, but with unintended consequences
Barry Krisberg quoted in Los Angeles Times, January 30, 2015
“There’s no evidence that anybody was being helped by the experience of arrest,” he said. “There’s no research that for chronic addicts, an arrest gets you into treatment. What gets people into treatment is pressure from family members and peers.”
Real-life effects of court rulings should matter as well as the law
Melissa Murray writes for The New York Times, January 27, 2015
In many cases, constitutional and statutory text is imprecise or opaque, admitting multiple interpretations. In such cases, judges consider many variables, including the real-world consequences of their decisions.
Sacramento police chief seeks cameras, more training, diverse recruiting
Justin McCrary quoted in The Sacramento Bee, January 27, 2015
“Law enforcement agencies have to appeal to people’s sense of duty and civic participation by getting out into the community and insisting that the goals of the Police Department are to represent the city and serve the city – and that includes every aspect of the city,” McCrary said. “Every neighborhood, every block, every citizen.”
In DuPont fight, activist investor picks a strong target
Steven Davidoff Solomon writes for The New York Times, January 27, 2015
DuPont is a 200-year-old company with a $65 billion market value and more than 58,000 employees. Trian is only its fifth-largest shareholder, according to Standard & Poor’s CapitalIQ. But just because a company is big does not necessarily mean that an activist will not strike.
A commitment to justice means more than just closing Gitmo
Laurel Fletcher and Eric Stover write for San Francisco Chronicle, January 27, 2015
Justice requires more than shutting down Guantanamo. It means accepting responsibility for the torture and illegal acts that we, as a nation, committed against detainees held there and in secret CIA “black sites” around the world.
Experts question probate judge association’s same-sex marriage claims
Jesse Choper quoted in Montgomery Advertiser, January 26, 2015
Jesse Choper, a professor at UC Berkeley School of Law, agreed, saying that if Granade’s decision stood, and if a probate judge refused to grant a marriage license to a couple, “it seems to me they’re in violation of their oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution.”
Supreme Court to review Oklahoma lethal injection procedure
Megan McCracken quoted by CNN, January 24, 2015
“What’s at issue here is the use of midazolam and whether it is at all appropriate for execution,” said McCracken. “There have only been three executions where the prisoner was not paralyzed after the administration of mid and all three went horribly awry, raising serious concerns about the drug and whether it allows humane execution.”
BART may drop protest charges
Jonathan Simon quoted in San Francisco Gate, January 24, 2015
“A society that places a value on public demonstrations, of which civil disobedience will be a part, should be cautious about going down that road” of requiring protesters to pay financial costs, Simon said. “Every demonstration will have very disruptive effects on business,” generally covered by insurance.