Monthly Archives: June 2009

Redesigning the US Supreme Court’s Web Site

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

The Sunlight Foundation proposes Redesigning the U.S. Supreme Court's web site.

Looks good to me.

Posted in Law: The Supremes | Comments Off on Redesigning the US Supreme Court’s Web Site

Redesigning the US Supreme Court’s Web Site

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

The Sunlight Foundation proposes Redesigning the U.S. Supreme Court's web site.

Looks good to me.

Posted in Law: The Supremes | Comments Off on Redesigning the US Supreme Court’s Web Site

We Have Interesting Alumni (CIA ed.)

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

CIA unmasks officer killed in 2003: The CIA revealed the identity of a clandestine officer killed six years ago and dedicated the 90th star on its memorial wall.

CIA Director Leon Panetta on Monday identified the officer killed in Ethiopia in 2003 as Gregg Wenzel, 33.

According to public accounts, Wenzel was a foreign service officer at the State Department. He was killed by a drunk driver in Addis Ababa who was convicted but as of 2008, had not been caught.

Wenzel was a member of the first clandestine service training class to graduate after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, was a former public defender in Florida and an Ironman triathlete.

Wenzel grew up in Monroe, N.Y., and earned a law degree from the University of Miami law school.

There used to be a very large CIA presence on campus, but it was, we thought, aimed at Latin America. Then the funding stopped, and (AFAIK) they mostly went away.

Posted in U.Miami | 2 Comments

This Is Funny

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

This is funny.

Warning: Some viewers may find this oleaginous.

Posted in Completely Different, Law: Trademark Law | Comments Off on This Is Funny

Good Question(s) About GM

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

Gerard Magliocca asks a good question,

Now we own 60% of GM. Does that make GM a state actor until those shares are sold?

Under our deeply twisted and narrow state action jurisprudence, I think the answer will be no, so long as the government is not actually controlling a majority of the Board.

Similarly, no sovereign immunity abroad, in nations that use rules like our Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FISA). And, of course, none here, since its not federally chartered.

[I am just waiting for someone to make the — losing — argument that nationalizations violate the Government Corporation Control Act, 31 U.S.C. § 9102 which states,

An agency may establish or acquire a corporation to act as an agency only by or under a law of the United States specifically authorizing the action.

GM isn't being (partly) acquired “to act as an agency,” so the GCCA won't apply.]

Posted in Law: Federal Govt Corps | 4 Comments

Negative Results Advance Science Too

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

2849348027_b80224aae2_m.jpgI have just completed a multi-day experiment whose results I wish to report here for the first time, since I understand that negative results are not normally considered publishable in peer-reviewed journals.

A large pile of exams, closely observed over a period of days, will not grade themselves. These results are reproducible. Furthermore, altering the test protocol to pay no attention to the exams does not appear to alter the outcome in a measurable way.

This result is discouraging, but I thought I should report it anyway. Now I'm going into seclusion to grade them manually.

(Pix Copyright by Arbitrary.Marks, licensed via Creative Commons)

Posted in Law School | 3 Comments