Moritz Legal Information Blog

With the Fourth of July holiday coming up, celebratory fireworks are in the news. The National Council on Fireworks Safety has an interactive map , showing the kinds of fireworks allowed in each state. Ohio Revised Code, Chapter 3743: Fireworks State Fire Marshal's Fireworks Redbook Fireworks Safety: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission National Council on Fireworks Safety Ohio and fireworks in the news: Chillicothe Gazette NBC4

Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued its final opinions of the term. In a case that has received much press, Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Ass'n , the Court struck down a California ban on the sale of violent video games to minors. More on all of the opinions: SCOTUSblog NPR New York Times Wall Street Journal The cases: Goodyear Dunlop Tires Operations, S.A. v. Brown J. McIntyre Machinery v. Nicastro Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Ass’n Arizona Free Enterprise Club’s Freedom Club PAC v. Bennett United States v. Juvenile Male

Snap along with "The Hamilton Mixtape," a founding father tribute performed by Lin-Manuel Miranda at the White House a couple years ago. Apparently it appears during the closing credits of a film on Hamilton recently aired by PBS. Thanks to The Volokh Conpiracy for its write-up of the film and YouTube clip.

In April, 60 Minutes raised questions about Greg Mortenson's book, Three Cups of Tea , including the veracity of some of the stories in it, and whether Mortenson's charity, the Central Asia Institute, is properly run. Now, a federal lawsuit has been filed in Illinois, alleging violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. This is not the first lawsuit regarding the book--another was filed in Montana, and class-action status is sought for both of them, so they may be joined by purchasers of Mortenson's book. CBS News MSNBC Justia

A man desperate for health care for several physical ailments planned a bank robbery of one dollar. Previously law-abiding, he handed a note to a bank teller, then sat to wait for the police. He also sent a letter to a local newspaper, calling himself "of sound mind but not so much sound body," so that it would be clear that his true motivation was getting medical care, not money from the bank. Gaston Gazette The Volokh Conspiracy Huffington Post LA Times Blog Hat tip: Sentencing Law and Policy Blog

Today, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in the case of Wal-Mart v. Dukes . Although the Court was unanimous that the class should not be certified, there was a 5-4 split as to the scope of that decision. Commentary: The Volokh Conspiracy Slate Wall Street Journal MarketBeat Blog CBS MoneyWatch Forbes Blog

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday that age is a relevant factor to consider as to whether a child is "in custody" for the purposes of Miranda warnings. The majority opinion was written by Justice Sotomayor and joined by Justices Breyer, Ginsburg, Kagan, and Kennedy. The dissent was written by Justice Alito and joined by the Chief Justice, and Justices Scalia and Thomas. J.D.B. v. North Carolina Additional information and commentary: SCOTUSblog PBS NewsHour WSJ Law Blog NPR

The resume advice that worked five years ago might not be so helpful today. Here are a few recent articles on current resume trends: CNNMoney : This one is aimed at executive resumes, but most of the tips would be applicable to other types, as well. Chicago Tribune Wall Street Journal (hat tip to Legal Skills Prof Blog) And, with a focus on references, The Boston Globe

A recent Marquette Law Review article by Jeffrey L. Kirchmeier and Samuel A. Thumma examined the Supreme Court's use of dictionaries in opinions. From the abstract: During Supreme Court Terms 2000–2001 through 2009–2010, the Justices have referenced dictionary definitions to define nearly 300 words or phrases. Yet the Court has never expressly explained the proper role and use of the dictionary in American jurisprudence. The Article studies the frequency and the approach the Justices have taken to citing dictionaries in the new century, and it considers the Court’s lack of a reasoned process for selecting or using dictionaries. The article has also led to a piece in the New York Times by Adam Liptak, pointing out one of the most recent uses of a dictionary: Justice Roberts examined the meaning of the word "of" in the case of Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University v. Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. : That reading follows from a common definition of the wo

On June 14, 1943, the Supreme Court decided the case of West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette, holding that it was unconstitutional to compel children to salute the American flag in public schools. From the majority opinion, written by Justice Jackson: The case is made difficult not because the principles of its decision are obscure, but because the flag involved is our own. Nevertheless, we apply the limitations of the Constitution with no fear that freedom to be intellectually and spiritually diverse or even contrary will disintegrate the social organization. To believe that patriotism will not flourish if patriotic ceremonies are voluntary and spontaneous, instead of a compulsory routine, is to make an unflattering estimate of the appeal of our institutions to free minds. We can have intellectual individualism and the rich cultural diversities that we owe to exceptional minds only at the price of occasional eccentricity and abnormal attitudes. When they are so harmless to oth

C-SPAN has archived the health care oral argument from Wednesday in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Note that the argument does not actually begin until about 16 seconds into the recording.

The Supreme Court issued opinions in four cases today: Sykes v. United States Talk America, Inc. v. Michigan Bell Telephone Co. Microsoft Corp. v. I4I Limited Partnership et al DePierre v. United States More on the opinions: SCOTUSblog Concurring Opinions On the lighter side, a zoo in China ran a tiger-escape drill , using a man in a tiger costume.

The website, newspaper map , uses Google Maps to provide convenient access to a multitude of newspapers throughout the world. Visitors to the site can simply click on a city to link to the local newspaper's website. It's also possible to link directly to a newspaper's presence on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Newspapers are available in the local language with the ability to quickly translate pages into English or other languages using Google Translate (translations are imperfect).

Lawsuits pending, settled, and new. 1. Retailer Forever 21 has threatened to sue Rachel Kane, author of a blog lambasting some of the company's more "unfortunate" designs. Kane has a disclaimer and numerous links to Forever 21, and even writes weekly posts devoted to Forever 21 items she likes, but the company has given her until June 10 to shut down the blog or face a lawsuit. New York Magazine NBC LA Hat tip: Blog Law Blog 2. A Pennsylvania woman has settled her lawsuit against Disney, for an undisclosed amount. She claimed that during a 2008 visit to Epcot, she was groped by a park employee in a Donald Duck costume. The Hollywood Reporter The Mercury 3. A different Pennsylvania woman has sued Dunkin Donuts for allegedly putting sugar in her coffee instead of artificial sweetener. Danielle Jordan, a diabetic, claims the sugar triggered a reaction which ultimately sent her to the hospital with diabetic shock. The Boston Globe

In a brief video interview for Texas Lawyer, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge Edith Jones provides advice for oral argument preparation. Judge Jones is apparently the court's most vigorous questioner and dislikes when attorneys refer to the court's judges as "you guys."

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral argument yesterday in a case involving the constitutionality of the individual mandate aspect of the new health care law. The appellate panel included Moritz alum, the Hon. Jeffrey S. Sutton . The court has posted oral argument audio on its website for both the motion to dismiss on procedural grounds and the merits .

The Illinois Supreme Court announced yesterday the creation of a public domain citation system for Illinois Supreme Court and Appellate Court opinions. The court will no longer contract with private publishers to produce bound print volumes of the opinions. The opinions will reside at the Illinois Supreme Court website, freely accessible to the public. See coverage from Legal Research Plus and the Illinois State Bar Association , which reports that the change will save Illinois taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. About a dozen other states, including Ohio, have adopted a public domain citation system.