Legislative Treatment of E-Cigarettes

In recent months, efforts to subject e-cigarettes to the same laws as traditional cigarettes have swept the country.  The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has unanimously voted to subject the smokeless, tobacco-less cigarette to the same public bans as cigarettes.  Across the country in New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie recently unveiled a new budget plan that will subject e-cigarettes to the same excise tax rate as their tobacco-filled cousins.
So, should e-cigarettes and cigarettes be subject to the same laws? 
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Congratulations to the 2014 Jenkins Honors Moot Court Semifinalists

Congratulations to this year’s Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competition semifinalists: Tyler Coppage, Amy Heart, Brian Kane, Amanda Luedtke, Jennifer McNamee, Elizabeth Oestreich, Frank Remington, and Derek Waterstreet. Teams are advancing after four rounds of preliminary competition.

Thank you to the numerous judges who graded briefs and heard oral arguments, as well as to all the competitors, who prepared hard for the competition and fought good battles this weekend.

The semifinal round will be held on Thursday, March 27 at 6:00 p.m. The teams will be matched as follows:

Tyler Coppage and Derek Waterstreet v. Jennifer McNamee and Elizabeth Oestreich will argue in the Appellate Courtroom.

Brian Kane and Amanda Luedtke v. Amy Heart and Frank Remington will argue in the Trial Courtroom.

The teams will argue before a panel of judges, including Hon. Michael Bohren; Hon. G. Michael Halfenger; Hon. Donald Hassin; Hon. Nancy Joseph; Hon. Joan Kessler; and Hon. JoAnne Kloppenburg.

Good luck to the semifinalists.

 

 

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Commonly Confused Words: Knowing When to Choose the Right One

Even as we add more official (and some might say questionable) words to our dictionaries—like selfie, twerk, sexting, and LOL—we sometimes seem to have a difficult time knowing when to use some of the basic words that have been around forever. Below are some commonly confused words, their meanings, and their proper use.

That/Which/Who – Probably the most commonly confused combination.  Misuse of “that” and “which” proliferate nearly every judicial opinion students read, which adds to the confusion.  Also, of late, I’ve noticed that students are dropping the use of “who” altogether and using “which” instead in places that make their writing grammatically incorrect.  So let’s take a look at each of these words.

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