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March 31, 2014
Mr. Chavez
Today, the American states of California, Colorado and Texas observe an official state holiday to honor the late Cesar Chavez. Chavez was a Mexican-American civil rights and labor leader who, beginning in the late 1950s and early 1960s, brought worldwide attention to the low pay, poor living conditions and poor working conditions of American farm workers, including the health threat posed by pesticides to workers' health. A tireless organizer of non-violent strikes and boycotts, Chavez was instrumental in the formation of the United Farm Workers, and guided the UFW until his death in 1993. For his work, he earned the respect and admiration of countless contemporary American leaders and politicians.
César Estrada Chávez (March 31, 1927 - April 23, 1993)
Posted by JD Hull at 05:33 PM | Comments (0)
March 24, 2014
If you're a professional, 24/7 is really not too much to ask.
See "Rule 9: Be There For Clients--24/7" in our annoying but true 12 Rules.
1. Law is a service business.
2. Lawyers are not royalty.
3. It's a privilege to practice law (and to work, too).
Image: The wonderful Whole Theatre, Charlottesville, Virginia.
Posted by JD Hull at 12:38 AM | Comments (0)
March 09, 2014
Scott Greenfield: New York Times v. Sullivan, 50 years on, and more.
Back in olden times, I wrote my first law review article on a U.S. Supreme Court decision, Time, Inc. v. Firestone, that added another wrinkle to "public figure" under the line of cases following New York Times v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964). In New York Times v. Sullivan, now 50 years old, the Court established the actual malice standard for media coverage of public officials in defamation cases. It was, and is, a ringing victory for the First Amendment and the press. First Amendment rights, however, do collide with other constitutional principles in some difficult instances. Rights of the accused in criminal cases is one of them. For an especially good take on this, see our friend Scott Greenfield's post at Simple Justice today, "Confronting A Free Press, 50 Years After NY Times v. Sullivan". An excerpt:
But what of our right to know, to have the press use confidential sources whose identities must be protected or they will clam up, and we will be left in the dark? Sure, this time it was something as trivial to society as a shooter’s diary, but the next time could be Deep Throat and bring down a president.
That’s the nature of constitutional conflict. It’s not easy, and a painful choice must be made. We want both rights to prevail, but the conflict makes it impossible. One will fall in the face of another, and it can’t be prevented.
Posted by JD Hull at 01:51 PM | Comments (0)
March 08, 2014
Peter F. Drucker: Managing Oneself.
Here is the starting point of all management. Thanks to my friend John Davidson, a St. Louis business lawyer, and a fine and refreshing thinker in his own right, for reminding us all of the enduring Wonder of Drucker and, in particular, of one of Peter Drucker's best essays. See "Managing Oneself" which last appeared in the Harvard Business Review in January of 2005. There are few real classics. This is one of them.
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Posted by JD Hull at 11:56 PM | Comments (0)
March 04, 2014
It's Mardi Gras: Robert Palmer plays Allen Toussaint with Little Feat.
Sneakin' sally through the alley
Trying to keep her out of sight.
Sneakin' sally through the alley
When up pops the wife.
Posted by JD Hull at 11:50 PM | Comments (0)
March 03, 2014
Eric L. Mayer: Of Civil Disobedience and Selfies.
Eric Mayer writes about "Selfies Gone Wrong: The Tariqka Sheffey Story" at his Unwashed Advocate. With an assist from the enduring Army Times, Mayer sketches the classic collision of Selfies and Blowing Off Military Retreat Honors. In a nutshell, an Army private assigned to the 59th Sustainment Brigade at Fort Carson, Colorado, ducked into her car to avoid saluting the American flag being lowered at 5 p.m., selfied herself and trumpeted her disobedience with considerable sass in the selfie's caption. Legions of folks, some veterans, complained. A Fort Carson post spokesperson named McNutt has confirmed that the military chain of command is all over this like a big dog, and Pfc. Sheffey will have to answer. Our take? We have no opinion on the story's disciplinary (i.e., crime and punishment), legal or common sense aspects (i.e., hey, don't generate evidence of your bad self doing "bad" things). We have a larger concerns: philosophical, aesthetic and basic street cred. Listen up. Selfies were/are never good, never cool. They are the province of little kids, the Whoopee Cushion Guy and lower rent narcissists. Let's. Quit. Doing. Selfies. Please?
Early Selfier Protoype: Ed Grimley in 1985 (NBC photo)
Posted by JD Hull at 12:55 PM | Comments (2)