Connecticut lawyer (and Gerry Spence chronicler) Norm Pattis, who Googles himself regularly, takes a crack at describing A Typology of Legal Blogs. Blawgs, says Norm, come in three flavors: "prophetic" (his, Appellate Law and Practice, SCOTUSBlog), "proselytizing" (Simple Justice), and "incestuous" (Matlock). I'm interested in the ways that blawgs fit together. I've written on the topic here and described a method for mapping the blawgosphere here. I've

Houston criminal defense trial lawyer Sarah Wood and I have a disagreement. She says that when I put my hand in my pants and simulated masturbation in an indecent exposure jury trial to illustrate what the police officer admitted having done to entice the accused to show his penis, it was "much worse" than Adam Reposa's conduct that netted him 90 days in The Reposa Affair. I

While I was contemplating the six-thousand-year-old theropod and sauropod tracks on Mr. McFall's farm over the weekend, Dallas D.A. Craig Watkins came out in favor of summarily executing prosecutors who concealed exculpatory evidence . . . well, actually just hitting them with bar sanctions and maybe criminal prosecution. Lots of folks had something to say about this: Grits, Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyer Robert Guest, Fort Worth criminal-defense

The Associate Press reports (H/T Judgment Day) that the feds prosecute more Hispanics than white people for powder cocaine trafficking. In a desperate bid to get more of a reaction than "Duh!", the writer, Laura Jakes Jordan, tries to draw a meaningful connection between the feds' prosecution statistics and the public perception that powder cocaine is a white man's drug; here's the lede: They were indelible images

Frisco, Texas DWI lawyer Hunter Biederman brings us this heartwarming story of Mike Crusee, a state rep from Williamson County, Texas illustrating the white republican hypocrisy for which that county is justly famed. Mr. Crusee, who "carried and passed legislation in 2003 that created something called the 'driver responsibility program' to help fund the Texas Mobility Fund. That program included a number of surcharges for driving offenses,

My lawyer informs me that, since I'm going to be HCCLA president next year (actually next week), I'm going to have to start being more "diplomatic". I'm not sure I can do that. But I'll try. . . . starting tomorrow. Today's Asshat of the Day Award (henceforth "ADA") is shared by every 25-28 year old lawyer who thinks that a law degree and a job with

Fort Worth criminal-defense lawyer Shawn "No Prisoners" Matlock asked a simple question: If you're hiring a defense attorney, do you want someone to feel your pain, or someone to take no prisoners in defending you? Given that choice, I argued that a person is better off with a person who has compassion than one who is ruthless. My argument must have been pretty compelling, because "No Prisoners"

Young Shawn Matlock, Fort Worth "Republican" criminal defense lawyerattorney, responds to my position that empathy makes us better lawyers and in doing so asks the following: But what about ruthless? Ruthless to get exactly what you want. Ruthless to not settle for less. Ruthless to take no prisoners, no matter what the cost to others. Ruthless to the point that everything is just collateral damage. Now, I

With a hat tip to alert reader Brendan Kelly, the story (USA Today Blog) of an Indiana Republican congressional candidate, Tony Zirkle, speaking at a birthday party for Adolf Hitler. (For this post only, the Rule Against Calling People Nazis in Comments is suspended.) Brendan also helpfully directed me to Mr. Zirkle's politician CV, from which the first image is excerpted (edit: Help! My float is broken!)