The mulligan is one of the great unwritten rules in golf. Smack a duck hook in the water? No problemo, tee up a new ball. Completely whiff with a massive John Daly-esque swing, but the wind pushes the ball one…
Month: January 2018
Attention Courthouse Fans: Go Voir a Jury Voir Dire in Federal Court Tomorrow
Law students, members of the public, and interested attorneys: if you can make it to downtown Providence tomorrow morning (January 23, 2018) at 9:30 a.m., and you want to see something that is the rough equivalent of a blue unicorn,…
SCOTUS follows SCOTUS, the Circuit follows the Circuit, but D.J.s don’t follow D.J.s. What gives?
One interesting facet of the federal court system is its hierarchical structure. The thirteen Circuit Courts of Appeals that sit directly below the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) must follow the Supreme Court’s binding precedent. The District Courts…
Feds say POTato, State says PotATO, Let’s Call The Whole Pleading Thing Off
Federal and state courts each have their own separate rules of civil procedure, but it’s a long-standing tenet of Rhode Island law that state and federal rules with similar language are generally interpreted the same. Heal v. Heal, 762 A.2d…
Reading the Tea Leaves on the Latest Superior Court Judicial Assignments
It’s a new year, and just as the seasons change, so do the calendar assignments for the Justices of the Rhode Island Superior Court. The latest Administrative Order, effective December 31, 2017, is a mix of stare decisis and some…