Blawg Review

It's not just a blog carnival; it's the law! ~ a fool in the forest

Blawg Review #120

Professor Bainbridge was scheduled to host this week, but he's got better things to do, so I've been asked once again to substitute for him. As if I've not got a full schedule myself!

I'm Professor Kingsfield. Some might remember me from #60 and #80, or from the time I substituted for Steve Bainbridge with Blawg Review #107. Older readers here, and most of the law bloggers who will be called upon to contribute to the discussion today, might remember me better from my award-winning performance in The Paper Chase.

This week, our focus will be upon those who have not yet hosted Blawg Review. Our presentation includes interesting commentary by some of the brightest legal minds. Unfortunately, several of these excellent legal bloggers appear reluctant to lead a discussion of the most interesting legal topics of the day by stepping up and volunteering to host their own issue of Blawg Review. Today, like it or not, they will be called upon to participate.

The Socratic Method is a particularly good technique for drawing out reticent law bloggers and getting them involved in the discussion. Let's begin and end Blawg Review #120 with embedded YouTube videos about the Socratic Method, linked here and here for those of you following along in your RSS feed readers.



Before we begin the heavy legal stuff, I should mention that we've got a birthday to celebrate here.

Mr. Olson, "Would you like to review the role of media as enablers of the allegations of prosecutor Mike Nifong in the Duke lacrosse case?"

Mr. Volokh, "Is the restraining order against the self-described 'pedophile blogger' constitutional?"

Mr. Gratz, "Don't you just hate inflated copyright warnings?"

Ms. Kluger, "Are lawyers rats?"

"Wait, what's that? I see a gunner's hand up. Yes." Mr. Ambrogi.

Mr. Hyndman, "Is social media changing the way we think about celebrity?"

Mr. Lederman, "Over at Balkinization, you and Jack Balkin have been blogging up a storm about the new FISA bill and its ramafications. Could you give us a good overview of what you've written and read on the topic?"

Mr. Desai, "Are online service contracts binding on customers who have not received notice of changes to the terms of the contracts?"

Mr. Newton, "Why do good things happen to bad people?"

Mr. Goldman, "Can you go to jail for stealing a website?"

Mr. McCann, "Does the Americans With Disabilities Act entitle professional athletes, who were banned for life from playing a sport because of failing drug tests, to have their employment reinstated?"

Mr. Posner, "Should the U.S. support Canada's claim to the Northwest Passage?"

Ms. Brown-Dean, "Fight the power! But on behalf of whom?"

Mr. Berman, "Who survives on death row?"

Mr. Welsh, "Why do essentially the same demographics different countries have very different crime and incarceration rates?"

Mr. Farry, "Are RFID tags in humans okay?"

Mr. Carter, "What's this nonsense about Generation 9/11?"

Ms. Althouse, "Are you wearing sunglasses in class?"

"Imagine that you’re on a game show like Let’s Make a Deal. The host, Monty Hall, presents you with three doors. Behind one is a new car; behind the other two are goats. You choose door # 1. Monty then opens door # 3, behind which is a goat. Monty then offers you the chance to switch your choice to door # 2. Should you switch, or should you stick with door # 1?" Mr. Ward.

Mr. Lattman, "Have you seen any good movies about law school? No, this is not a trick question."

Mr. Hoffman, "Should you buy divorce insurance?"

Ms. Dowd, "Can a person get life in prison for being homeless?"

Mr. LaBovick, "Last week it was Michael Vick in the news, with allegations of criminal dog-fighting, and now we hear that dogs might have been involved in the death of a caretaker at the property of actor Ving Rhames. What's that about?"

Mr. Dillon, "What are your thoughts on litigation in business?"

Mr. Green, "As a businessman, would you like to share with us your personal experience with the legal system?"

Mr. Day, "Would it be difficult to recover damages from public authorities for the Minnesota bridge collapse if it were, say, in Tennessee?"

Mr. Reynolds, "Are you reading a book instead of following along here?" And you, Ms. Dayton, would you like to share that comment with everyone here?"

Mr. Odom, "Do you see the pendulum swinging in patent law?"

Mr. Calloway, "Did you read the cover story of the August, 2007 ABA Journal, Scott Turow's article, 'The Billable Hour Must Die'? Oh, hello there Mr. Giacalone, I see you just awoke. Did that article cause you agita?" And, yes, Ms. Elefant, "You had something to say, too, on the problem with the billable hour...or the problem with lawyers? And what do you think, Mr. Solove, "is the billable hour broke? Is there a better alternative?"

Ms. Graves, "Did you want to tell us about the first edition of the new Carnival of Open Records: Best posts from the FOIA-sphere?

Mr. Squillante, "Would you like to go over again the recommended reading for next week?"

Mr. Spencer, "Why should lawyers read blogs?"

"One last thought, for those of you still considering law school. How important are law school rankings in deciding where to apply and where to attend?" Ms. Levine.



That's our Blawg Review for this week. Be sure to check out the sidebar of the home page of this weblog for links to upcoming hosts. And if you're one of those we called upon to contribute, and can muster enough courage to volunteer and host your own issue of Blawg Review, I'm sure the Editor here would be happy to find a convenient date for you -- and, yes, that includes you, Bainbridge.

Oh, and one more thing before we go; the Editor of Blawg Review has asked me to repeat this announcement that he's hosting the August 6th edition of the Carnival of Trust. Probably a worthwhile read for lawyers, law students, and law professors, too. By the way, Mr. Frisch, "Who (Or Is It Whom) Do You Trust?"