Laugh tracking at Scotus
April 29, 2008
Oral arguments are over, the transcripts have been scoured and our sister blog, DC Dicta, has figuratively crowned the Supreme Court’s Funniest Justice of the October 2007 Term:
No drumroll needed here: As predicted, the winner by a long, long shot is the ever-amusing Justice Antonin Scalia.
Scalia had the court reporters hitting their (Laughter) keys 74 times this term — 18 in the final two weeks of argument alone, DC Dicta notes. And contrary to what you might have seen on TV, Justice Clarence Thomas managed to go for a second straight year without making a single comment during oral arguments.
The tally:
Justice Antonin Scalia: 74
Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.: 23
Justice Stephen Breyer: 21
Justice David Souter: 17
Justice Anthony Kennedy: 9
Justice John Paul Stevens: 7
Justice Samuel Alito, Jr.: 4
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: 4
Justice Clarence Thomas: 0
BARBARA GRZINCIC, Managing Editor, Law
Sphere: Related ContentThe law is an S’ – or an s’s
April 28, 2008
In a footnote in a recent opinion (PDF), U.S. District Judge J. Fredrick Motz weighs in on one of the big legal issues of our day, something that divides the highest court in the land. Yes, that’s right: the correct possessive form of a proper noun ending in S.
In a case involving a man named Darron Goods, Motz makes Goods’ last name possessive by simply adding an apostrophe, not an apostrophe and an S. In the footnote, he comes down in favor of a “hybrid approach” to the “S or no S” dilemma, adding just an apostrophe when the final S sounds like a Z but an apostrophe and an S when the final S sounds like an S. (I do apologize for the ridiculousness of the previous sentence.) Motz says the hybrid approach “has the virtue of marrying the written word and the spoken tongue and contributes to the growth of English as a living language, unconstrained by archaic and inflexible rules.”
What do you think of the judge’s approach? Is it a sensible way to keep flexibility in the language or a road to utter grammar mayhem? If this case goes to the 4th Circuit and that court’s opinion follows Goods’ name with an apostrophe and an S, does that constitute binding precedent?
I tend to say there should be a consistent no-S approach, but then again, I’m part of the generation(s) that didn’t really learn much grammar in school, so maybe my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt. I just like the way names look without that extra S. It’s more aerodynamic.
For what it’s worth, my Associated Press Stylebook says no S.
CARYN TAMBER, Legal Affairs Writer
Sphere: Related ContentAn unexpected protest at a SABEW conference
April 28, 2008
I’m at the Society of American Business Editors and Writers conference at the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel. An afternoon presentation was interrupted by union members in advance protest of speaker David Rubenstein, who is co-founder and managing director of the Carlyle Group.
The Service Employees International Union was railing against Carlyle’s ownership of the nursing home operator Manor Care, claiming that it hadn’t lived up to its staffing level commitments at its facilities.
At one point, hotel staff rushed into the conference and began to fiddle with the electronic locks on the entry doors. Outside in the hall, a chant began. I couldn’t make it out at the time, but others later told me it was “Better staffing, better care, no more money for millionaires” (or maybe it was billionaires — I’m just not sure).
Rubenstein, who had not yet arrived when the protest began, later said that the union was trying to embarrass company officials into altering its labor policy.
The room full of journalists began to debate whether to let a union member come in and question Rubenstein. So far, it hasn’t happened. Typically these forums are limited to society members. Do you think that’s fair, or would you make an exception in this case?
ANDY ROSEN, Business Writer
When will your check come in?
April 28, 2008
If you’re curious when to expect your economic stimulus check (…or already mentally spending it…), click here to see the IRS’s payment schedule.
The schedule’s based on the last two digits of your social security number: basically, the lower the digits are, the faster you’ll get your check. And if you used direct deposit for your federal tax return, you’ll have cash in hand sooner than your paper-check counterparts.
If you didn’t pay your taxes on time - tsk tsk - you should expect to wait at least two weeks longer.
Apparently some lucky ducks could even see their deposits today.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentLaw blog round-up
April 28, 2008
Good afternoon!
- Terrapin Run opponents aren’t saying how much they spent in total to fight the giant development, but they do say they owe more than $11,000 in legal fees, the Cumberland Times-News reports.
- Book of Joe links to a Post story from yesterday about Facebook bullying at a Bethesda high school, referencing the fact that the legislature has just added computer bullying to the state’s definition of bullying. I guess with every new technology, kids will figure out how to use it to be mean to each other.
- This law firm is brought to you by the letter V.
- That appearance at UB last week didn’t satisfy your deep craving for all things Scalia? Watch the “brilliant and combative” justice’s 60 Minutes appearance. Thanks to Lawbeat for the link.
- Does your firm have someone in charge of client satisfaction?
- BusinessWeek has a great story from the other day on an Oregon woman fighting the RIAA on what she and her lawyer say is the ridiculous charge that she shared copyrighted music online. Hat tip: Slashdot.
CARYN TAMBER, Legal Affairs Writer
Sphere: Related ContentThis week in Maryland Lawyer
April 28, 2008
Can lawyer layoffs happen here? Pick one: (a) They already are; (b) Yes, it’s just a matter of time; (c) Maybe, but it won’t be as bad as it is elsewhere; or (d) all of the above.
As Caryn Tamber writes in Maryland Lawyer, the answer depends on whom you ask.
Also in today’s issue, Brendan Kearney previews the death penalty case to be heard by the Court of Appeals. Lawyers for Jody Lee Miles know their argument has failed before, but they hope a 2007 Supreme Court ruling will make a difference — or that Judge Alan M. Wilner’s replacement, Judge Joseph F. Murphy Jr., will.
Then there’s the $2 million verdict in a surgical med-mal case; the latest battle in the war over Piney Run; and the attorneys’ fee award against a Bethesda woman who tried to have her husband killed during their divorce.
Plus:
- Damon’s Grill operator seeks dismissal of fraud action
- Jacobson named to environmental post
- Pro bono: Barbara Bakal Greene used it as a springboard to her own solo practice
- Interrogatory: What’s the strangest answer you’ve heard under oath?
- Briefs
- Opinion and Commentary by our Editorial Advisory Board and Jack L.B. Gohn
- Case digests
Want to blog about any of these topics, or suggest others we should be covering? Fire away…
BARBARA GRZINCIC, Managing Editor/Law
Sphere: Related ContentBecker Group to put Harry Potter on display
April 25, 2008
A Baltimore marketing company, The Becker Group, is teaming with Warner Bros. to bring the public “Harry Potter: The Exhibition.”
The 10,000 square-foot exhibition will visit at least ten cities around the globe (Anyone think Baltimore will make the cut? …Well, maybe D.C. will).
And, it boasts “artifacts” from the movies based on J.K. Rowling’s boy wizard book series.
If you’re not familiar with the series’ storyline, folks, we might lose you here: By “artifacts,” they’re referring to props and costumes from the sets of Harry’s school, Hogwarts, including the Gryffindor common room and Hagrid’s hut. More specimens will be added to the exhibit’s lineup as the final H.P. films wrap production.
It was only a matter of time before Potter was spun into a museum display for gawking tourists; as the most successful film franchise in the world, Potter movies have grossed more than $4.5 billion dollars. That’s a lot of galleons, sickles and knuts.
If the name Becker rings a bell, here’s a clue: the company prizes itself on experiential marketing - creating immersive attractions for casinos, theme parks, malls, you name it. Assistant Business Editor Ben Mook profiled the company in December.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentIn Rockville, business is just peachy
April 25, 2008
Rockville businesses say their immediate future looks bright, despite the uncertain economy.
The business community just wrapped up its third annual Rockville Business Appreciation Week - when, apparently, businesses were celebrated by being polled on their economic outlook.
According to Rockville Economic Development, Inc., the visits were conducted with a “diverse array” of companies in terms of size and sector. They even included a home-based consultancy business.
Here’s some highlights:
- 44 percent of the companies polled plan to grow by adding employees within the next year. Only 3 percent expect to lose employees in that timeframe.
- The “vast majority” of companies polled are confident their industry will not be affected by a recession or have already retooled to become more recession proof.
- Companies commented that international investors and customers are taking advantage of strong international currencies and are even more willing to do business with a U.S. company.
“We couldn’t have been more pleased that so many companies are planning to grow despite the current macroeconomic stresses,” said Sally Sternbach, REDI’s executive director.
Imagine that.
Good thing, too, since Rockville businesses contribute $13M annually in property taxes — money that MoCo really can’t afford to miss out on with the county’s current budget deficit.
In case you’re curious, there are more than 7500 businesses in the city of Rockville, one of our state’s largest cities, that employ more than 100,000 people.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentA new tool for med-mal cases?
April 25, 2008
Autopsies are far from routine, but a new technology could change that, according to a health blurb on WYPR’s “Maryland Morning” today.
CT autopsies are less expensive than surgical autopsies, take next to no time and involve no mutilation of the body, but can yield a wealth of information on just how effective a treatment was and on other conditions that were present at the time of death, the report said.
The radio host didn’t mention it, but it seems to me this could have vast implications for med-mal and wrongful death litigation, both for the plaintiff and defense bar. Lawyers, what do you think?
On the other hand, if the admissibility of fingerprint evidence is still a matter of dispute, what chance does a CT autopsy have?
BARBARA GRZINCIC, Managing Editor/Law
Sphere: Related ContentDo Maryland’s CEOs make too much?
April 24, 2008
Some of Maryland’s top-earning CEOs are missile makers, energy producers, power tool manufacturers and hoteliers.
Clearly these are complex businesses that require some of the best minds to keep them afloat. Maybe that’s why the men behind Lockheed Martin Corp. (Robert J. Stevens, at left), Constellation Energy Group Inc., Black & Decker Corp. and Marriott International Inc. raked in $61 million between them last year, even as the economy tanked.
That may seem like a large chunk of change for four men, but their average compensation — $15.25 million — isn’t that far off from the average salary of a CEO of a Standard & Poor’s 500 company in 2007, which came out to $14.2 million.
If you’re having a hard time stomaching the puffed up payday these executives get, you’re not alone. Congress has questioned the mentality of paying CEOs oodles of money even when their companies collapse.
If you’re into feeling dwarfed, the AFL-CIO has created a CEO pay database that lets you compare your salary to your favorite company’s top dog.
Once you’ve done that, factor in how much work it would take to run the show at Lockheed or Marriott, and then ask yourself: Do these guys make too much?
DANIELLE ULMAN, Business Writer
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