Thursday, October 12, 2006

 

I am the Eggman, but I feel like the Walrus


In watching the Supreme Court arguments yesterday, I felt a little tiny connection to the action. The two most animated and interesting Justices were Justice Stevens and Justice Scalia, who were particularly informed and engaged on the issue of jury rights at sentencing under mandatory sentencing regimes. Much of their discussion yesterday involved the Booker decision of last year, in which they struck down the mandatory federal sentencing guidelines as unconstitutional, effectively making those guidelines advisory rather than binding on lower courts.

The Booker decision was a thunderbolt in my field, and we all gobbled it up as fast as we could. In reading through it, I was shocked to find that Justice Stevens had quoted one of my articles in making his point in dissent. Now—and here is the good part—Justice Scalia joined Stevens in his dissent except the part in which Stevens quoted me, saying that Stevens improperly relied on “statements by various individuals.”

As I sat in the crowd watching them banter, I felt a little more like I fit in there, knowing that Justice Stevens had borrowed my words on the issue they were discussing and that Scalia had expressly rejected them.

Well, law law law, blah blah blah, hoodie hoodie hoo. Tomorrow is Haiku Friday! Be Prepared!

Comments:
lucky!
 
"Various Individuals" should be the name of a new intramural team.
 
Supreme decisions
Should pale in comparison
Tigers in Series?
 
Do you know if you will be teaching your Crim Prac & Pro class next fall, or just PR?
 
B--

What kind of question is that for a blog? Crikeys, I just figured out I'm teaching Crim Prac starting in three weeks-- who knows what will happen by next fall!

But, it would probably be winter/summer.
 
Sorry didn't mean to offend. Just needed to know. Thanks.
 
Wasn't "Various Individuals" a grunge rock back from Nantucket? Does your head hurt after all that deep thinking? I need to watch more re-runs of Gilligan's Island, that professor, he can make anything out of coconuts. I still prefer Mary Ann. Hubba, hubba.
 
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