I thought surely there was a little more to it than what the Houston Chronicle included in the headine – Judge grants motion declaring death penalty unconstitutional – nope, not really. Harris County Criminal Judge Kevin Fine, who ran on a campaign of personal experience with addiction, has apparently declared the death penalty unconstitutional, granting a motion by defense in a pretrial conference.
If anyone has a copy of the motion I would dearly love to see it. My friend Josh Zientek points out that the orders are available in all their glory on the recently revamped…
Photoshoped Rudy flashes
the ‘Coog’ hand sign
University of Houston Law Dean Ray Nimmer announced today that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, now a partner in the New York office of Houston-based Bracewell and Giuliani, will deliver the commencement address at our law school commencement.
Although a commencement speaker doesn’t substantively add to the education you just received, it’s one of the few opportunities to celebrate your accomplishments with your family and it’s nice when it’s somebody your grandma can recognize.
Update:
Commencement speakers…
Adobe Photoshop Cook from Lait Noir on Vimeo. via urlesque
Rob Cottingham’s Noise to Signal
XKCD: Honor Societies
Google ran the following heartwarming ad in the Super Bowl, telling the story of a romance in Paris through search queries.
The ad, of course, begs to be spoofed. See Hitler spoof meme for a preview of where this is headed.
David Dow is a law professor at the University of Houston Law Center and Litigation Director of the Texas Defender Service. His latest book The Autobiography of an Execution (Amazon) was just published last week.
He had a very interesting interview on Fresh Air on NPR 20 Years Of Defending Death Row Inmates (embedded below) Hat tip to Nancy Rapoport
Prof. Dow also had an excellent article in the Houston Law Review: The Last Execution: Rethinking the Fundamentals of Death Penalty Law, 45 Hous. L. Rev. 963 (2008) (pdf).
It’s probably not a good idea to sleep outside in one of these – especially not in Maine – certainly not in hunting season – or or mating for that matter. Still, a clever idea from designer Eiko Ishizawa.
When a graphic artist says the wrong thing. From Betsy Streeter, Brainwaves
In the south at least, significant football games are quickly setting precedent as grounds for automatic continuance. Just as ‘Bama courthouses emptied in anticipation of the Rose Bowl, a Lousiana court has taken judicial notice of the Saints Super Bowl appearance to grant a continuance (embedded below). As my third grade teacher used to say – let’s not abuse this privilege – but chalk one up for work-life balance.
