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Attorney Scott Pilutik wrestles with the news of the day, from a lawyerly perspective… I’m reluctant to dive into the election debate dumpster fire but here goes anyway. So that you’re aware of my bias, I think Elizabeth Warren would make the best, most effective president. But never mind that because that outcome appears very unrealistic unless she’s on the ticket as Vice President and succeeds to the job (actuarial tables suggest that isn’t crazy). And put aside policy preferences. Continue reading Biden v. Bernie: Your ‘electability’ reasoning is almost certainly flawed
[The unstable orbit of Earth’s temporary satellite]On February 25, Kacper Wierzchos of the Catalina Sky Survey at the University of Arizona tweeted that since February 15 his team had been observing a small object, now catalogued as 2020 CD3, to ascertain whether it was a natural satellite of the Earth. There is a lot of “space junk” orbiting the Earth by now, but almost all in low orbits which will spiral down, not up, with time; only rocket stages or other shed parts from interplanetary launches are going to be in high orbits. Continue reading That’s no moon: Earth’s temporary mini-satellites may help protect against disaster
[Trump going viral]Attorney Scott Pilutik wrestles with the news of the day, from a lawyerly perspective… So a Health and Human Services (the CDC’s parent agency) official raised a concern about that agency’s handling of the return of Americans returning from Wuhan China, specifically that those officials — all non-medical professionals — were ordered to to receive the evacuees without protective gear, ordered to enter quarantined areas where the evacuees were present, and then weren’t ever tested for the virus. One of those staff members stayed at a nearby hotel and left California on a commercial flight. Continue reading After chiding China’s over secrecy, Trump White House attacks coronavirus whistleblower
Attorney Scott Pilutik wrestles with the news of the day, from a lawyerly perspective… The Trump Campaign today sued the New York Times in New York state court for defamation over an opinion piece, which is kind of all you need to know if you already know that where the plaintiff is a political figure, defamation requires a showing of “actual malice” and factual falsity. Meaning that an opinion piece cannot, by definition, be defamatory, unless they contain factual assertions that otherwise meet all the other requisite criteria. Continue reading Trump files garbage defamation lawsuit against New York Times opinion piece
Attorney Scott Pilutik wrestles with the news of the day, from a lawyerly perspective… I’ve avoided writing about the coronavirus epidemic because I don’t feel particularly qualified to say smart things about it, but given that ignorance didn’t stop Donald Trump from tweeting about the Ebola virus 49 times in Oct-Nov 2014, mostly about how Obama was dangerously mishandling it, I’m confident, given that low bar, I can at least say something smarter than anything Trump conveyed over that time. Continue reading Trump’s 2014 jabs at Obama over Ebola don’t play so well during the Coronavirus era
“Mad” Mike Hughes, aged 64, died February 22 when his home-made steam-powered rocket crashed into the desert near Barstow, California. A video shot for an intended television show “Homemade Astronauts” to be aired on Discovery, Inc.’s Science Channel shows that the parachute which was supposed to brake the descent deployed prematurely and was torn off during the launch. Continue reading What daredevil ‘Mad’ Mike’s fatal rocket launch had to do with promoting a flat Earth
[Judge Jackson and Roger Stone]Attorney Scott Pilutik wrestles with the news of the day, from a lawyerly perspective… Roger Stone moved Judge Jackson to recuse herself from hearing his motion for a retrial (which motion is the reason he’s been remanded to prison). The basis for the recusal motion was nonsense — arguing that because the judge said at sentencing that the jurors served with “integrity,” she’s too biased to rule on Stone’s other motion arguing juror misconduct. Continue reading Judge rejects Roger Stone’s motion to step down from case for praising juror ‘integrity’
Attorney Scott Pilutik wrestles with the news of the day, from a lawyerly perspective… Ignoring debate drama to impose vote-related courtroom drama instead. The 11th Circuit yesterday unanimously shot down Florida’s poll tax targeting ex-prisoners (specifically ex-felons, excepting convictions for murder and sexual violence), whose voting rights Florida citizens restored via a 2018 ballot referendum (“Amendment 4”), which measure passed with 65 percent approval. Continue reading Appeals court strikes down Florida law keeping ex-felons from voting because they’re poor Advertisement
[Judge David Casement]Coffeyville, in the southeast corner of Kansas, is best known for a botched double bank robbery in 1892 which cost most of the Dalton Gang their lives. Continue reading Kansas justice, where an unpaid medical bill can get you thrown in debtor’s prison
“Revolution is not nakedness!” is not the kind of slogan one would hear most places. But political protests in Iraq have taken an odd turn this week. Continue reading Protests in Iraq take a new turn, on gender issues
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