Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog

Tuesday’s Gone

Post author:Nathan Petrashek
Post published:January 21, 2009
Post category:Political Processes & Rhetoric President & Executive Branch

Inauguration day has come and gone, but the euphoria of a historic election will likely remain for some time. For President Obama and the 110th Congress, the work is just beginning. The economy continues to show signs of weakening, even amidst hope that the downturn will be neither as severe nor as prolonged as some have prognosticated. Although Israel draws down its forces in Gaza, tension in the Middle East remains high. The status of the American presence in Iraq and the oft-criticized detention facility at Guantanamo Bay remain uncertain. Pricey health care and a failing education system also appear at the top of the President’s to do list.

Given these conditions, it is curious that some have anticipated one of the most prominent pieces of reform that will come on the heels of the inauguration to be the Freedom of Choice Act.

That Was the Copyright Year That Was

Post author:Bruce E. Boyden
Post published:January 20, 2009
Post category:Intellectual Property Law

I recently compiled a list of the biggest developments in copyright law in 2008, based on a not very systematic survey. I thought it would be worth sharing here, as I know that I often wish for lists like this myself. So here for your perusal is my list, grouped by topic:

An Ode to John Mortimer

Post author:Daniel D. Blinka
Post published:January 19, 2009
Post category:Popular Culture & Law

As faculty blogger of the month, I feel obligated to address this month’s question about one’s favorite movie about legal practice. In truth I have no such favorite movie, only some that are less tedious or off-putting than others. Yet the recent passing of John Mortimer (left) compels me to say just a few words. (I know an “ode” is supposed to be a poem, but I’m a lawyer after all, so a short essay is the best I could hope for.)

I honestly do not much like movies or television shows about lawyers or legal practice. It’s not that they are “unrealistic”; they are, after all, entertainment, not educational in purpose. The lawyers are usually caricatures at one extreme or the other. On the one side you have the unctuous Atticus Finch-type (I’d rather leave the planet than read or watch To Kill a Mockingbird — Finch loses the big case and gets his client killed; nice job!) and on the other you have the venal sleaze-ball. I like subtlety. Denzel Washington’s character in Philadelphia, for example, is affecting because he portrays a lawyer fighting his own demons while battling for his client.

And this brings me to John Mortimer, himself an accomplished barrister, a champion of free speech, and a gifted writer who died last week in Great Britain.