Via Advice Goddess Amy Alkon: At the US Department of Justice… Those with "targeted disabilities" may be hired through a "non-competitive" appointment. That means they don't have to endure the regular civil service competition among applicants, but can be plucked from the stack of resumes and hired immediately instead. According to the documents, those with these "targeted disabilities" may be hired "before the position is advertised" and

So what you're saying is that there were two threats to America, but now there's only one? That's awesome. And it's probably true, but how are we to remove the credulity of the American voter?

Lubbock County Judge (not a judicial officer, but an elected county manager) Tom Head wants more money for Lubbock County law enforcement. His justification is that a) Obama will hand over US Sovereignty to the UN; b) the people will rise; c) Obama will send UN troops in to Lubbock County; d) Head will stand in front of their armored personnel carrier; d) the sheriff will back

The Harris County Democratic Party Wednesday took district attorney candidate Lloyd Oliver's name off the ballot, deciding to go forward without a candidate in November's general election. (Houston Chronicle.) The pretext for removing Oliver from the ballot? [Former HCDP Chairman Gerry] Birnberg said in his complaint that Oliver told the Houston Chronicle in May that Lykos was such a good candidate that she "would have gotten my

Fortunately for the government, procedures are being put into place for dealing “civilly” with those deemed antisocial: once a conviction for which the sentence is allowed to trigger civil commitment, a principle is in place allowing other government-condemned behavior to do so as well. -Me, a couple years ago. First they came for the sex offenders. Then they came for the veterans, the gun collectors, and the preppers. Whom

The lesson (for criminal-defense lawyers) of Missouri Republican Todd Akin's surprising assertion that "If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down” is that there are people who earnestly believe such nonsense, which may be turned to our clients' advantage.

A Harris County ADA had been trying to talk to a potential witness. The witness didn't want to talk to her. Feeling harassed, the witness hired me. I told the prosecutor that I represented the witness. The prosecutor tried to subpoena the witness to court. While the case was technically still pending, the defendant had made a deal. There was no hearing set at which my client's

A young lawyer asked me today to suggest some questions to ask the jury panel in a prostitution case. To voir dire a jury, one needs only a single question. It applies to any situation and to any topic: How do you feel about…? For example: Sex: How do you feel about prostitution / pornography / strip clubs? Drugs: How do you feel about illegal drugs /

I've written about the case of the British guy charged with assisting in his wife's suicide (and represented by Dionne Press) here, here, and here. My bet is that sometime in the next two weeks the DA's Office will take the case to a grand jury, and the grand jury will no-bill (because there's no evidence that the accused caused his wife's suicide). The DA will have washed