The numbers speak for themselves, that the poor are disproportionately suffering infection and death. The poor are disproportionately black and Hispanic. But within the litany of reasons why this is happening is a not insignificant lie:

Leaving Detroit, I thought about the disproportionate number of black folks dying from the coronavirus because they had asthma, diabetes or hypertension. Because they had limited access to affordable, healthy food.

I’ve spent more time uptown than most, and there are stores and bodegas replete with glorious fresh vegetables. There is no problem with “limited access to affordable, healthy food,” but a problem with Whoppers. They’re cheap, effortless and taste delicious. Continue reading →

Jacksonville opened its beaches, and people immediately took advantage of it to go for a walk.

As soon as the clock ticked past 5 p.m. on Friday, signaling the reopening of beaches in Jacksonville, Fla., people flocked to the shoreline in droves, evidence of Floridians’ desire for fresh, salty air after more than two weeks under a stay-at-home order.

Like day follows night, outrage followed opening. Continue reading →

It would have been completely irresponsible for Trump to hype his “feelings” about the efficacy of the off-label use of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus had he been qualified to offer any opinion on drugs.

Of course, if you take your pharma advice based on Trump’s feelings, you get what you paid for. “What have you got to lose?” is not quite a sound basis to ingest things, but when the alternative is death, it’s a fair question. Using the concept of “compassionate care,” using unproven therapies for people who will die without it gives them a chance. Doing nothing does not. Continue reading →

Dr. SJ “got her,” as one commonly refers to the means by which a housekeeper is shared among friends and acquaintances, a couple years ago, so Gloria has been a fixture at Casa de SJ for a while. Over that time, the relationship has been friendly. Gloria laughs at my lame attempts at broken Spanish, and I do the same with her broken English, which is frankly a lot better than my Spanish.

Gloria isn’t a very good housekeeper. She does an adequate job of cleaning, but not deep and she misses a lot. She was better in the beginning and has since done less over time. Only when she’s specifically asked to do so will she vacuum under the beds rather than around them. But she’s honest and careful with our things. If something gets broken, she’ll tell me and apologize, and I’ll tell her not to worry and it’s not her fault, just to make her feel better about it. I like Gloria. Continue reading →

Dear SJ Readership:

The last thing I wanted to do this week was bring you a batch of unsolicited opinions on a random variety of dumb subjects no one should really give a damn about (unless you agree with me). We’re all living through a scary world each day. People are reacting harshly in the oddest ways, and the last thing I wanted to do was rock the boat with some dumb unqualified hot takes.

My mean-ass editor, after multiple discussions this week, has convinced me otherwise. (Ed. Note: We never discussed this. I barely know this Seaton guy.) Apparently my unqualified opinions on random subjects no one gives a damn about are needed more than ever. So, without further ado, let’s cue the Unsolicited Opinions! Continue reading →

Whether the word “hero” has been overused to the point of meaninglessness during the pandemic is worthy of debate, few would question that health care professionals have done themselves proud in their dedication to serving others, at grave risk to themselves and their families and under conditions that no doctor or nurse should endure.

And some of that magic rubs off on the building where this happened. Without ICU beds and, dare I say it, ventilators, how could the defense against COVID-19 have been as valiant as it has? So hospitals get our love too, to the tune of $100 billion in the stimulus package plus whatever additional monies they can glom off the $349 billion in rescue money. And as additional funding gets debated within the bathrooms of Congress, the Democrats are seeking another $100 billion dedicated to hospitals. After all, they’re heroes, right? Continue reading →

My mean-ass editor warned us all last week how visual “true crime” dramas could potentially undermine the justice system.

[Just] as [the power of visual drama] can be used to create the appearance of a documentary, of being able to watch as reality unfolds before your eyes, that appeals to your sensibilities, it can also be used to create the same false sense of reality that can be used to persuade you that an innocent person is [guilty.]

Tuesday’s broadcast of “Dark Side of the Ring,” the critically acclaimed Vice TV series produced by Jason Eisner and Evan Husney, proved him right. The latest installment, titled “Jimmy Snuka and the Death of Nancy Argentino” served as a vehicle to find James Reiher, better known by the moniker “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka*, guilty of murder in the court of public opinion. Continue reading →

A little over a month ago, the people in the know laughed at the fools who thought masks would save them.

“Seriously people — STOP BUYING MASKS!” the surgeon general, Jerome M. Adams, said in a tweet on Saturday morning. “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if health care providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!”

The second part, that health care providers’ need for the scarce resource of masks took priority over the general public was entirely understandable, but the Surgeon General understood that for the altruism that gushed from people’s fingertips, they weren’t going to die for the cause. And so the first part — the masks are “NOT effective” — had to be included, for without that, the cause was lost. Continue reading →

Lawyers don’t wear the uniform in court because it’s got magical powers, but because we represent clients, actual human beings who have placed their lives and fortunes in our hands, and we don’t detract from the duty to do our best on their behalf by being self-indulgent. If judges and juries expect and respect lawyers who dress the part, it’s a small price to pay for the honor of being entrusted with the lives of others.

Except in Florida, during a pandemic, on Zoom.

Sweatpants and T-shirts may be the uniform for the new work-at-home workforce.

But if you’re a lawyer in Broward County, a judge wants you to avoid dressing down for tele-court appearances.

Continue reading →

While Mario’s smarter son, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has grown a huge fan base within the Democratic party, enough so that there are mumbles about the DNC replacing Joe Biden with Cuomo as the presidential candidate. Yet, when it comes to exercising executive clemency, both before the pandemic and now in accommodation of the pandemic, he’s been woeful.

Criminal defense lawyers, activists and pundits have spent the past month calling for the release of a variety of categories of prisoners to avoid what was predicted to be a killing field in prison. It presented the perfect storm for disaster once coronavirus found its way into institutions, as had to happen. While some states and localities took action, albeit inadequate but something, most did pretty much nothing. Cuomo fell in the “pretty much nothing” nothing group, perhaps because he couldn’t find time between his television appearances.

Georgetown Law prof Shon Hopwood posed the question, and his answer, to why. Continue reading →