By Mani Dabiri | Published September 24, 2019 | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Tags: history, jurisdiction |
The Judiciary Act of 1789
No one gets it right all the time, and that includes courts. But 230 years ago today, an act of Congress created the country’s federal courts, and that’s worth celebrating. You may not know this, but the only court required by the Constitution was the Supreme Court. It left the rest to Congress. Here’s what Read More
Read MoreMy 9/11 Memory
Do you remember where you were? I was 22 years old, and I was at a small fitness center in the apartment complex we lived in. It was early, and I was the only one in there. I got on the treadmill, wearing earphones, listening to music, and absent-mindedly looking at a TV that was Read More
Read MoreTribute to a Courtroom Legend
“Some people walk the walk,” my wife said to me this morning. Well, the flags at the federal courthouse in the city of angels flew at half staff on Friday to honor U.S. District Judge Manuel Real, who passed away last week at 95. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he was the longest-serving active Read More
Read MoreHappy Birthday, 14th Amendment
Did you know? This summer marks the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the 14th Amendment. To commemorate the occasion, here is a look at the Ohio congressman who authored arguably the most important amendment after the first ten. If he’s forgotten today then it’s a shame because he’s responsible for these momentous words: “All persons born Read More
Read MoreYou Can’t Rely on Prior Wages or Salary to Pay Women Less
One of the last cases of Judge Reinhardt’s life had to do with the Equal Pay Act of 1963. He wrote the decision, which was published last week, and it begins with these words: “The Equal Pay Act stands for a principle as simple as it is just: men and women should receive equal pay for equal work Read More
Read MoreFarewell to the Great Liberal Lion
Stephen Reinhardt, one of the most influential federal judges of the past half century, died suddenly yesterday. Here’s the news from the L.A. Times. We called him the liberal lion if we liked him and other names if we didn’t. He didn’t care. Like the late, great Harry Pregerson, he cared about which outcome was right Read More
Read MoreThe Greatest Generation, Indeed
Harry Pregerson passed away on Saturday, and if you haven’t heard of him, he’s worth learning about and remembering. If you’re like me, you never met him, but you knew who he was because you practiced law in Los Angeles (or California, for that matter, and a lot of other states, too). And if you’re like me, you’ll miss him Read More
Read MoreCommemorating a Courtroom Legend
One of the great professional experiences of my life was the year I spent working for a federal trial judge in Los Angeles. Fresh out of law school in 2005, I served as a law clerk to the Honorable Manuel Real, who was appointed by President Johnson in 1966 and has presided there in the district court since. He’s Read More
Read MoreThe Straight Scoop on Crime Rates
Want to know the truth? Here are five facts about crime in America. They don’t come from sound bites, talking heads, internet memes, or bloviating politicians. They come from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (or BJS). And they’re brought to you by the Pew Research Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank. The Read More
Read MoreA Big Anniversary for the Bill of Rights
Thursday will mark 225 years to the day. On December 15, 1791, the Commonwealth of Virginia became the eleventh state to ratify the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. That meant that three-fourths of state legislatures had approved them, which meant the Bill of Rights was born. To commemorate the occasion, here’s a great Read More
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