Getting "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Done | The White House

Getting "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Done | The White House: "Today, in accordance with this law, I signed the certification that will end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” once and for all. The Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also have certified that the military is ready for the repeal. Sixty days from now, on September 20th, the repeal will be complete and gay men and women will be able to serve their country openly."

al.com: Mobile : Ken Feinberg agrees to independent audit of Gulf Coast Claims Facility

al.com: Mobile : Ken Feinberg agrees to independent audit of Gulf Coast Claims Facility: "Attorney General Eric Holder said in a letter dated today.

The letter, addressed to Feinberg, recounts a July 7, closed-door meeting between the two, at which Holder relayed concerns he’d heard during a late June visit to Mobile.

Holder wrote that he will hold the Claims Facility to 'the highest standards of efficiency, consistency and customer service,' adding that that resolving spill claims quickly must be the facility’s highest priority, notwithstanding the audit."

As Gulf Tourism Rebounds, BP Seeks to Lower Payments - NYTimes.com

As Gulf Tourism Rebounds, BP Seeks to Lower Payments - NYTimes.com: "GULF SHORES, Ala. — It seems like old times here on the Gulf Coast. The Flora-Bama Lounge is hopping, there’s a two-hour wait for a table at the Original Oyster House, and the first complaints you hear among the charter boat operators are about the latest fishing limits — not oil slicks."

Professional Responsibility: West Virginia Adopts Actual Innocence Rule For Criminal Clients Who Sue for Malpractice

Professional Responsibility: West Virginia Adopts Actual Innocence Rule For Criminal Clients Who Sue for Malpractice

Grief and Questions After Death at Ballpark - NYTimes.com

Grief and Questions After Death at Ballpark - NYTimes.com: "ARLINGTON, Tex. — Josh Hamilton doesn’t make a habit of tossing baseballs to fans in the stands, so when he fielded a foul ball early in Thursday night’s game against the Oakland Athletics, he did what he usually does — he turned it over to the ball girl along the left-field line at Rangers Ballpark.

Shannon Stone, 39, tumbled over a railing Thursday and was fatally injured after catching a ball thrown to him by Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton.  As he did, though, he heard a shout from behind the left-field fence. There stood a father and son, the two of them in the first row of an elevated bank of seats. “Hey, Hamilton, how about the next one?” the father asked."

DADT is dead - Log Cabin Republicans v. United States of America

In a classic example of the dynamic interaction between legislation and litigation the Log Cabin Republicans have triumphed.  "The circumstances balance of hardships has changed" said a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel in an unsigned Order.  Citing the repeal of DADT by Congress, and the Obama administration's decision not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act  the court has lifted the stay it had granted to the Defense Department - and enjoined enforcement of DADT, freeing soldiers and sailors who were facing removal from the service under the nearly defunct statute.
Key documents in the litigation can be found HERE

Congratulations to the Log Cabin Republicans who have worked successfully to end this injustice and salvaged something of the Republican Party's nearly extinguished ability to claim that it is still the party of Lincoln.

Chantix, Smoking Cessation Drug, Linked to Cardiovascular Problems - NYTimes.com

Chantix, Smoking Cessation Drug, Linked to Cardiovascular Problems - NYTimes.com: "Chantix, the best-selling prescription drug for smoking cessation, was linked to an increased risk of a heart attack, stroke or other serious cardiovascular event for smokers without a history of heart disease compared with smokers who did not use the drug, according to a Canadian medical journal report released on Monday."

The Insightful Immigration Blog – Commentaries on Immigration Policy, Cases and Trends: RIGHT TO APPOINTED COUNSEL IN REMOVAL PROCEEDINGS? THE SUPREME COURT MAY HAVE OPENED THE DOOR IN TURNER v. ROGERS

by Cyrus Mehta

The Insightful Immigration Blog – Commentaries on Immigration Policy, Cases and Trends: RIGHT TO APPOINTED COUNSEL IN REMOVAL PROCEEDINGS? THE SUPREME COURT MAY HAVE OPENED THE DOOR IN TURNER v. ROGERS: "non-citizen placed in removal proceedings has the privilege of being represented at no expense to the government pursuant to §240(b)(4)(A) and §292 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. While every non-citizen has a right to be represented by competent counsel of his or her choosing, he or she cannot ask the Immigration Court to appoint counsel if indigent. Even though we all know that immigration law is extremely complex, and a respondent’s chances to stave off removal are substantially increased if represented by counsel, this person is out of luck if he or she cannot afford a lawyer or does not have access to one if detained in a remote area where an immigration attorney may not be in close proximity."

Bank of America Announces Massive $8.5 Billion Mortgage-Backed Securities Settlement : The D & O Diary

Kevin LaCroix reports.

Bank of America Announces Massive $8.5 Billion Mortgage-Backed Securities Settlement : The D & O Diary: "The deal itself involves a settlement with the Bank of New York Mellon as trustee to 530 RMBS trusts having an original principal balance of $424 billion and unpaid principal balance of $221 billion. According to the Wall Street Journal’s account of the deal, the dispute had begun with a demand last October from a law firm representing 22 institutional investors.



The investors had demanded that BofA repurchase mortgages that had been packaged into securities, basing their demand on allegations of “breaches of representations and warranties contained in the Governing Agreements with respect to the Covered Trusts (including alleged failure to comply with underwriting guidelines (including limitations on underwriting exceptions), to comply with required loan-to-value and debt-to-income ratios, to ensure appropriate appraisals of mortgaged properties, and to verify appropriate owner-occupancy status), and of the repurchase provisions contained in the Governing Agreements. ”Although the original demand was on behalf only of the 22 investors, the settlement is on behalf of virtually all investors in the trusts."

TortsProf Blog: IL: Med Mal Pattern Jury Instruction is Erroneous

TortsProf Blog: IL: Med Mal Pattern Jury Instruction is Erroneous