The Story Behind the U.S. Constitution's 27th Amendment

The story behind the 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is really cool!

I wasn't aware of the historical path. I can't wait to see what results from some of the grades I give! Also, never underestimate the power of being bloody-minded...

(Tip of the cap to Nicholas Christakis and others.)

Oxford Comma: The Revenge

And, sometimes, the lack of an Oxford comma might determine the outcome of a court case.

Also see previous blog entries of mine, such as this one, this one, and this one.

Vindication is mine!

(Tip of the cap to Jaideep Taggart Singh.)

Update: Aaron Clements pointed me to this Washington Post article.

A "Legal" Definition of "Order Parameter"

Sometimes aggregators are wonderful, like when an online law dictionary includes a definition for order parameter.

Also apparently of interest to people who visit this definition:

1. What Happens If A Person Breaks A Restraining Order?

7. How To File Forms For Temporary Child Custody

10. How To Request Voluntary Deportation

(I skipped a few, of course.)

I suppose power law might be there as well, but I didn't check.

Best. Law Firm. Name+Slogan. Ever.

I have only two words to say: I approve!.

(Tip of the cap to Lemming.)

Tales from the arXiv: World-Ending Edition

When world-ending physics meets the law, we get this:

Title: The Black Hole Case: The Injunction Against the End of the World

Author: Eric E. Johnson

Abstract: What should a court do with a preliminary-injunction request to halt a multi-billion-dollar particle-physics experiment that plaintiffs claim could create a black hole that will devour the planet? This real-life case seems like a legal classic in the making. Unfortunately, however, no court has braved the extreme factual terrain to reach the merits. This article steps into the void. First, the relevant facts of the scientific debate and its human context are memorialized and made ripe for legal analysis. Next, the article explores the daunting challenges this case presents to equity, evidence, and law-and-economics analysis. Finally, a set of analytical tools are offered that provide a way out of the thicket - a method for providing meaningful judicial review even in cases, such as this one, where the scientific issues are almost unfathomably complex.


Note that this article has been published in a legal journal.

$150,000 per song?

Um, isn't $150,000 per song just a little bit steep a price for music piracy?

(Tip of the cap to Christopher Voyce.)