Blog Posts


The Confusing Rhetoric of "White Supremacism"

I keep running into the following in books and articles I read about current affairs. An author writes about critics of a current social policy or tendency, and he characterizes the criticism as "white supremacist." There's something dishonest about the move that I can't quite put my finger...

Playing With History: Neither A Jefferson Nor A Kinte Be

I have a confession to make: I never watched the television series “Roots,” nor have I read the Alex Hailey novel “Roots: The Saga of An American Family,” on which it was based. This despite the fact that the television series took the nation by storm in the late...


Covidtopia --Is Connecticut's Judicial Branch Paying Attention?

I’ve been tempted from time to time to become a judge. Being relieved from the grind of eking a living from the raw suffering of others is the principal draw: imagine never having to ask another human being whose life hangs in the balance for a fee? And think of the ability to do...

An Incoherent Call For Jurors In Connecticut

Does the State of Connecticut have a coherent statewide plan for the resumption of jury trials? If so, it is one of the best-kept secrets in the state. I talk each week to prosecutors in the various courthouses. One would think they would know what’s going on. They don’t.
...

Covidtopia, the Courts and Pro Se Litigants

Here’s a wrinkle I didn’t foresee in Covidtopia, our brave new world bounded by the pandemic.
A colleague of mine appeared in court in central Connecticut this morning. This in and of itself is remarkable. There are no jury trials taking place, and there...

Connecticut Hoping To Resume Jury Trials

I was startled during my annual physical this week when I asked my family physician how much longer he expected the pandemic to require restricted activity. “At least a year,” he said. When I asked him what he thought of my traveling by air in the near term, his answer was...

Mass Surveillance and COVID-19 -- Dystopian Jitters, I

I’ve got a serious case of the dystopian jitters, and I can’t tell whether the source of them is realistic or not. So, I share them with you, the better to reality test in these days of isolated anxiety.
What are dystopian jitters?
A fear...

Atkinson v. Facebook: Here's the writ

UNITED STATED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF CONNECTICUT
CAMERON L. ATKINSON, Plaintiff, :
v.
FACEBOOK, INC., : MARK ZUCKERBERG, : Defendants. : November 12, 2019
COMPLAINT
1. This is an action for money damages and injunctive relief against Facebook, a social...

Social Media and the Mueller Report -- Who's Being Investigated?

I’ve been watching the baubleheads on the networks discuss the Mueller report, and I’m disappointed. From the left, cries for impeachment. From the right, claims of exoneration. And from the center, a wary appraisal – President Trump was never going to charged with obstruction,...

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