Quahogs. Cabinets. General refusal to use car blinkers. Obey Andre the Giant stickers in the ’90s. There are many unique things about Rhode Island. Here’s one more: Rhode Island is the only State in the Union with life tenure for…
Tag: US Supreme Court
The Framers Intended What? Here’s an Originalism Idea: Let a Jury Decide.
The Rhode Island federal district court had a grand total of six trials in calendar year 2018, according to recently announced statistics. That includes both civil and criminal trials. With 855 new cases filed in the Rhode Island federal district…
There Is A Cancer Growing On The Federal Judiciary. It’s Up To The Supreme Court To Put It In Remission and Restore Good Will.
There is a concept in corporate and employment law called good will. It refers to the idea that a company’s reputation is important, and that a positive reputation and good relationships will lead to repeat business with existing customers and…
The Power of Art in Learning and Understanding the Law
Jim Murphy, the Chair Emeritus of the federal District of Rhode Island’s litigation academy (I just made that title up, but it seems appropriate), is renowned for his stirring lectures during academy programs. Like all faculty of the litigation academy,…
The Map Room of Janus: Thoughts on the Thinking of the U.S. Supreme Court and What Comes Next
The map room scene is one of the best moments in the original Raiders of the Lost Ark movie. Indiana Jones drops into the ancient map room of Tanis to locate the Lost Ark. Someone has already been there but…
Speech: the Final Frontier. Are Anonymous Campaign Contributions a Constitutional Right?
Money talks — it usually means that people use money to get their way, or they’re influential and powerful because they have money. But does money literally talk? Will the Supreme Court take us to new worlds and find that…
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…