FAA Investigating Balloon-Boy Case; Balloon Dad Prepares for Apocalypse
Lawyer speculates Balloon Dad wanted to make a lot of money in a hurry because the world was about to end.
Crime and Punishment
Beer-Drinking Woman’s Caning Can Proceed, Says Malaysian Court
Now that Ramadan is over, the case of Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno is back in the news. As you know, Ramadan is the Muslim holy month during which followers abstain during daylight hours from things like eating, drinking, smoking, and…
Police in South Carolina Town Not Allowed to Chase Suspects
There are many sad examples of innocent bystanders and police officers being injured as a result of high-speed chases, and so it is understandable that some cities might direct officers not to engage in those kinds of pursuits, on the grounds that…
Big Firm Rocked by Tab-Divider Scam
In what is believed to be the largest tab-divider scam yet perpetrated on a large American law firm, three men are accused of defrauding Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati out of $1 million by charging it for tab dividers that were never delivered. …
Malaysian Woman Sentenced to Caning for Drinking Beer
I have been meaning to post on this case for a while, and given yesterday's post on the story of Lubna Hussein, the Sudanese woman punished for wearing pants, now seems like a good time. In July, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno,…
Sudan Fines Woman Who Dared To Wear Pants
The New York Times reports that a Sudanese woman has been fined the equivalent of $200 after a trial on Monday in which she was found guilty of wearing pants in public. She was, however, spared the 40 lashes she…
Iraqi Shoe-Thrower to Get Early Release
BAGHDAD — An Iraqi journalist imprisoned for hurling his shoes at former President George W. Bush will be released next month after his sentence was reduced for good behavior, his lawyer said Saturday. Muntadhar al-Zeidi, you may recall, threw both…
Defendant Gone Wild
"He has put a lot of this foolish behavior behind him," said Joe Francis's lawyer in 2007, but guess what? He had plenty left. Back then, Mr. Francis, who some of you may know as the purveyor of "Girls Gone Wild" videos,…
“I’m With The CIA” Defense Fails Again
Whether or not this defense will work in the context of possible prosecutions for torture enhanced interrogation techniques remains to be seen, but it does not seem likely to help dodge a speeding ticket. Sources reported today that a man caught speeding in Hawkins…
Man Who Posed As Lawyer “Seemed To Know What He Was Talking About,” Say Colleagues
Howard Kieffer practiced law for years in at least ten different states, specializing in federal criminal defense. That seems like an impressive number of states until you learn that he did not all get bogged down in taking the bar…