One of the first things I read in the morning is the op-eds in the New York Times. Most are interesting and informative, whether or not I agree with them. Others, not so much. Some are just stunningly shallow and, sadly, factually wrong, which is surprising given the vetting done before publication. Then again, editing is only as good as the editors, and some are better than others even if the Times has the wherewithal to hire the best staff available.

But I read them. What I do not do is listen to them, which has become the new Times’ gimmick to appeal to people who find reading too challenging. These are the same people who prefer to listen to a podcast rather than read a blog post, willing to dedicate the time needed to listen without the burden of actually having to think about the topic. I am not willing. More importantly, when I read the transcript of Times’ videos, I am appalled at their superficial content, their rambling, often incoherent words that could never survive thoughtful scrutiny. Continue reading →

George Santayana reminded us that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” And at stunning speed, it’s happening as Trump’s MAGA flailing has emboldened the left to return to the bad old days of rape hysteria. One day’s string of New York Times headlines tells the tale.

Hochul Names Letitia James as Special Prosecutor in Cornell Case

Cornell Students Call for Change at Fiery Public Meeting

Men Accused in Cornell Sex Assault Suit Give Varying Accounts of Night

How a Cornell Student Went From Shame to Action

N.Y. Lawmakers and Victims Push to Change Rape Law in Intoxication Cases

Parents Are Talking About Consent After Cornell Rape Allegations

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The Department of Justice filed a grievance against all two named and, bizarrely, the rest anonymous judges in the District of Minnesota with the Judicial Council for the Eighth Circuit, complaining of judges giving an interview to the New York Times on September 17, 2026, about the Department of Justice failing to comply with court orders. The complaint is that these judges violated the Canon of Judicial Conduct by engaging in political speech by condemning the DoJ’s disregard of court orders and discussing cases that had not as yet been concluded.

Ironically, Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer, Attorney General Todd Blanche, went on to admit that his department disregarded the orders of the court.

“I’m allowed to get really fired up when, for example, judges in Minnesota complain about us violating court orders but the reason why, that we are, quote, violating court orders is because these judges are violating Supreme Court law, OK, in allowing these cases to be filed,” he said, apparently referring to a case that clarifies which courts have jurisdiction to hear detention challenges.

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Trump signed an Executive Order “officially” renaming Artificial Intelligence. Notwithstanding the fact that AI is the ubiquitous worldwide term to describe the technology, including its definition under 15 USC § 9401(3), Trump felt compelled to change it. Perhaps this was an assertion of his power and authority to prove his dominance.

Perhaps this was his way of changing the narrative, to make the bad rap of its potential as an existential threat to humanity disappear, by making the name more positive than the implication of artificiality, as if the extermination of mankind would somehow go down easier if it was called “super.” Perhaps the word “artificial” had too many syllables for his liking, which would explain why, during his polling of his Truth Social followers, the term “superior” intelligence was rejected as too hard to say. Continue reading →

The backstory is convoluted. What happened at Chi Phi Fraternity at Cornell University on the night of October 19, 2024 is unclear. It could have been a gang rape. It could have been a woman who voluntarily engaged in drug- and alcohol-fueled sexual conduct with multiple male students, who subsequently regretted her actions and either wants to get money out of Cornell or exact revenge on the men.

What is known is that the woman, proceeding pseudonymously, has sued Cornell under Title IX for failing to pursue her claims, which prompted the Tompkins County prosecutor to reopen a case that had been dropped at the time. The woman went to the Cornell Police Department to make a complaint. Her statement failed to allege that she was forced to ingest drugs or engage in nonconsensual sex. In other words, it didn’t allege anything criminal. When it was forwarded to the district attorney, there was no basis to proceed. Continue reading →

Perhaps it was on college football? Maybe Saturday Night Live? Or it could have been Fox News Sunday, where the administration thought it worthwhile to use government funds, a euphemism for the monies you and I (well, at least I) pay as taxpayers, to put commercials on the television. But they’re not political ads, according to Trump. They’re public service ads.

What public service did this remind you of? But it gets worse. Continue reading →

By a 6-3 majority, the Supreme Court stayed the temporary restraining order prohibiting the implementation of the government’s modified SAVE system to determine eligible voters. In its per curiam opinion, it hardly seems like much of a big deal.

Lest there be any doubt, section 1373(c) requires DHS to respond to inquiries from state and local agencies “seeking to verify or ascertain the citizenship or immigration status of any individual.” Considered alongside section 1373’s “notwithstanding” clauses, section 1373(c) appears to contemplate an information-sharing regime like the modified SAVE program. In light of these provisions, this Court is likely to reverse the District Court’s holding that the federal defendants violated the Social Security Act, the Privacy Act, and the APA.

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Friends, this weekend feels different.

No, I’m not just talking about the cooler temperatures since it’s fall now (Thank you Jesus, I was sick of the “Satan’s Asshole” temperatures we’ve had all summer). I’m talking about this weekend’s big game in college football between the number 1 Texas Longhorns and my beloved Tennessee Vols.

It’s not just that this will be true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon’s first real SEC test. It’s not just that it’s the #1 and the #14 teams in the country facing off to see who’s better. It’s not even that the President will be in town in all of his own personal orange glory.

This is basically the movie “300” in real life, friends. Continue reading →

Ed. Note: Chris Halkides has been kind enough to try to make us lawyers smarter by dumbing down science enough that we have a small chance of understanding how it’s being used to wrongfully convict and, in some cases, execute defendants. Chris graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Ph.D. in biochemistry, and teaches biochemistry, organic chemistry, and forensic chemistry at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.

Ed. Note 2: A reader has kindly provided a postmortem picture of one of the victims. It is horrific and disturbing. I’ve added it in, but if you do not want to see it, do not scroll down.

The murder of three women in March of 1960 at Starved Rock State Park in Illinois had gone cold when Chester Weger confessed under dubious circumstances. Shortly thereafter, he recanted. The recent publication of the book Murder at Starved Rock: How the System Framed an Innocent Man by Jim Ridings and a petition for executive clemency are reasons to examine the events again. One of many reasons to have concerns over Weger’s confession is that it is not consonant with some of the forensic facts. Continue reading →

District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, granted a 14-day temporary restraining order against Trump’s ban of CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White House. The decision was based on the Fifth Amendment denial of due process, Trump having neither given the news outlets notice of why he was banning them nor an opportunity to be heard. Judge Kelly emphasized that the order is temporary.

It’s unclear that such notice could have been given, as there is nothing to show that Trump gave any thought to his ban before the words emitted from his mouth or Natalie Harp’s fingers as she typed up Trump’s Truth Social twit, wherein he explicitly based the ban on his displeasure at their negative reporting of him. Trump calls it fake news because it makes him feel bad, and news that isn’t what Trump wants to hear is fake. Continue reading →