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Dealing with judicial death threats
by David Ziemer on July 6, 2009 09:33 CDT
Last month, a New Jersey man was arrested and charged with making death threats against three judges on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.Click for more | Comments
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Citation of unpublished opinions starts July 1
by David Ziemer on June 24, 2009 11:36 CDT
July 1 will be a landmark day in Wisconsin legal history.Click for more | Comments (1)
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Don’t interfere with jury deliberations
by David Ziemer on June 19, 2009 09:24 CDT
Whether to change Wisconsin’s rules governing joint and several liability is an issue that will certainly rise again, even if it is not included in the state’s budget bill.Click for more | Comments
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Judicial elections – I give up
by David Ziemer on June 8, 2009 13:31 CDT
I have long opposed changes to how Wisconsin elects its judges. From proposals for appointment, to so-called “merit-selection,” to limits on the amount of campaign contributions, I have opposed them all.Click for more | Comments (5)
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When contracts are outlawed, only outlaws will enter contracts
by David Ziemer on May 28, 2009 13:27 CDT
Today, May 28, Rep. Gordon Hintz is proposing a new law to outlaw payday loans.Click for more | Comments (3)
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Appropriate Attire
by David Ziemer on May 21, 2009 14:53 CDT
Apparently, some of the federal judges at the Seventh Circuit Bar Association convention this week believe that some attorneys’ clothing choices are inappropriate.Click for more | Comments
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Federal judge attacks right to counsel and seek redress
by David Ziemer on April 24, 2009 15:29 CDT
A dissent in a recent Fifth Circuit case exhibits a shocking disregard for the right of citizens to counsel and to seek redress from the government.Click for more | Comments (1)
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Sidestepping taxes
by David Ziemer on April 20, 2009 09:21 CDT
Taxes can make hypocrites of us all. Men who exaggerate their income when they meet women will plead penury to the IRS. Families who think their home is priceless will call it a dump to the tax assessor. The “buy local” crowd will buy cigarettes off the back of a truck that just arrived from Kentucky rather than the corner gas station because the cigarette tax is lower. But this is really too much. Click for more | Comments (2)
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Right On!
by David Ziemer on April 6, 2009 09:21 CDT
This blog post by Amber Taylor is the most sensible thing you can find out there on law schools and their curricula.Click for more | Comments
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This is cool
by David Ziemer on March 10, 2009 13:49 CDT
A free 120-page primer from the Federal Judicial Center on the jurisdiction of the United States Court of Appeals.Click for more | Comments
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Unpublished Opinions
by David Ziemer on March 13, 2009 10:43 CDT
After the Wisconsin Supreme Court approved amending Rule 809.23 to permit citation to some unpublished opinions, they formed a committee to see how the new rule will work. It doesn’t take effect until July 1, and only opinions issued after that date can be cited.Click for more | Comments
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Keep the Uniformity Clause
by David Ziemer on February 24, 2009 09:18 CST
Years ago, one of the candidates for mayor of Milwaukee (not Mayor Tom Barrett) proposed that Milwaukee should charge long-term residents of their homes less in property taxes than newcomers. She thought it was terrible that retirees should have their property taxes go up when gentrification of the neighborhood occurs.Click for more | Comments (2)
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Too high, too low, or just right?
by David Ziemer on February 23, 2009 14:02 CST
State Representative Gary Sherman wants to amend the constitution, to do away with spring elections.Click for more | Comments (8)
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I am taking the toy away from the child
by David Ziemer on February 13, 2009 16:09 CST
We have all been hoping for clean judicial elections this spring. But alas, the first filth has been flung, and much to my horror, it is my own work.Click for more | Comments (1)
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Unintended Consequences
by David Ziemer on February 12, 2009 11:49 CST
I recently accepted an appointment to represent a defendant charged with misdemeanor battery in a domestic violence context. It was my first such case in many years.Click for more | Comments
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I am shocked
on February 9, 2009 09:44 CST
Recently, a poll question running here at the Law Journal asked whether readers thought judges should be required to disclose their reasons when they recuse themselves from a case. The result was a 50/50 split on the issue.Click for more | Comments (2)
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Am I missing something?
by David Ziemer on January 30, 2009 11:53 CST
Congress has now passed, and President Obama has signed, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, effectively overturning the 2007 Supreme Court opinion in Ledbetter’s case, holding that employees could not sue under Title VII for discrimination that occurred more than 180 days earlier, on a theory that each new paycheck reflects the earlier discrimination. Link Click for more | Comments (2)
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Racial stereotype or ageism?
by David Ziemer on January 22, 2009 08:58 CST
A divided panel of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals recently vacated a sentence based on comments by the white sentencing judge that the court found could be construed as exhibiting racial bias against the black defendant.Click for more | Comments (2)
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The State Bar did what?
by David Ziemer on January 19, 2009 10:23 CST
Wisconsin now has the most permissive rules in the country when it comes to admitting out-of-state attorneys based on practice in other states.Click for more | Comments
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Access to Justice
by David Ziemer on December 30, 2008 15:56 CST
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is now considering creation of a non-profit corporation to address the issue of access to justice.Click for more | Comments (2)
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Justice Delayed
by David Ziemer on December 9, 2008 13:54 CST
O.J. Simpson has finally been sentenced to prison. Not for multiple homicide in Los Angeles back in the ’90s, but for other more recent charges in Nevada. That is too little, too late.Click for more | Comments (2)
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Blawg election
by David Ziemer on December 1, 2008 15:21 CST
It’s that time of year again, when the ABA nominates 100 legal blogs (blawgs), and gives us the opportunity to vote on our favorites in a variety of categories.Click for more | Comments
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Irresponsible Journalism
by David Ziemer on November 26, 2008 15:59 CST
The Capital Times has never been considered a reputable news source, but this latest entry is particularly irresponsible.Click for more | Comments (4)
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Welcome!
by David Ziemer on November 18, 2008 09:15 CST
Be sure to check out the latest addition to the Wisconsin blawgosphere, Wisconsin Lawyers Blog.Click for more | Comments (3)
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Romanettes?
by David Ziemer on November 19, 2008 08:58 CST
It’s not every day an attorney gets to teach the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court a new word. But in a recent oral argument concerning statutory construction, an attorney referred to “romanettes,” puzzling Chief Justice John Roberts.Click for more | Comments
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