Charlie Rangel Needs a Lawyer, Pockets are Empty

Anyone needing some pro bono hours could lend a hand to Mr. Rangel. His previous counsel stepped down after Mr. Rangel racked up huge bills that he probably cannot pay. From the AmLaw Daily:

On Monday, Rangel complained that the two-year investigation caused him to rack up a legal tab of nearly $2 million, with another $1 million in fees for the House hearing alone, the Times reports. After failing to convince his Zuckerman lawyers of his ability to pay them, the firm withdrew its representation earlier this fall.


The story is here. Be sure to watch the video as well if you have 12 spare minutes. Rangel, who has a law degree from St. John's, does not do a great job representing himself. He is not sure whether he raises a motion to continue even with some help from ethics panelist Congressman G.K. Butterfield D-NC. Exasperated, Butterfield makes his own motion to continue which was subsequently denied.

Is Litigation Finance a Good Idea?

The NYT had a good article today about the growth of litigation finance in funding plaintiffs' lawsuits. Article is here. The Chamber of Commerce, per the Institute for Legal Reform does not seem thrilled with this trend.

UPDATE: Professor Epstein offers his take on the subject here.

Richard Redding: November 17

LAST EVENT OF THE SEMESTER

On Wednesday November 17th from 4-5pm, Professor Richard Redding will be talking about the ill effects of political correctness in American academia. The presentation will also highlight the costs of the lack of intellectual diversity in the professoriate. Professor Redding is an editor and contributor to the most important book on the subject. The event is McD 206. As always, free food and drinks.

TONIGHT: Veterans Day Panel

Please join the Military Law Society as we honor Veterans Day with a panel and happy hour reception. The Veterans Day Panel will include Georgetown Law students who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan since 9/11. Panelists will share their experiences and opinions on military and veterans issues. Pizza and soda will be provided at the event. A happy hour reception will follow the panel at the Billy Goat.

Please promote this event amongst your friends, classmates, and professors. This is the most meaningful event MLS puts on every year.

What: Veterans Day Panel

Who: Georgetown Law veterans--details below

Where: McDonough 205

When: Thursday, 11/11 at 6pm

Why: Because one way to honor all who have served is to share the stories of a few.

Panelist include:

Thomas Leary: Commander, U.S. Navy, Judge Advocate General Corps, legal advisor to a 3-star Joint Special Operations Task Force, headquartered in Iraq, in 2007, 2008, and 2009, and then back to Afghanistan in 2010 after we shifted our headquarters to support the surge. Previously, legal advisor to an O-6 level Joint Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan in 2002 and 2004, and in Iraq in 2003 (initial combat operations in OIF)

Aaron Pennekamp: First Lieutenant, Army National Guard, Infantry Rifle Platoon Leader in Iraq from March to August 2010

William Sloan: Captain, USMC, Company Excutive Officer, Fallujah, Iraq from September 2007 to April 2008, and Platoon Commander, Fallujah, Iraq from October 2005 to September 2006

Andy Moore: First Lieutenant, Army National Guard, Embedded Tactical Trainer to the Afghanistan National Army and Police from January 2007 to January 2008

Panel Moderator: Gordon Griffin, Captain, USMC, Aviation Officer, Iraq 2006-2007

Health Care Challenge Not Ready For SCOTUS

From the WSJ:
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a long-shot request for a review of the Obama administration's health-care overhaul before the matter has been fully litigated. The high court's rejection of the health-care challenge, brought by a conservative legal group in California, wasn't a surprise, but it yielded one notable piece of information: Justices Elena Kagan and Clarence Thomas participated in the court's decision not to hear the case.


Full Story here. 

AEI Election Results Panel

The American Enterprise Institute is hosting a panel on Thursday to discuss today's elections results. Info and registration here: http://www.aei.org/event/100322. For those who have not been to AEI before, it is only a block north from Farragut North Metro on 17th NW. The event is free; lunch will be provided.

Date: Thursday, Nov. 4

Time: 12-2

Place: AEI, 17th Street NW (Farragut North metro)

Election Night Viewing Party

On Tuesday, November 2nd from 7-10 the Georgetown Federalist Society is co-sponsoring an election viewing party in the Gewirz first floor lounge. Free pizza, soda, beer, and democracy. The event co-sponsored by Law Republicans, Law Democrats, and the Georgetown Election Law Society.

UPDATE: great guide to today's election from WSJ here. 

DATE: November 2nd
TIME: 7-10pm
PLACE: Gewirz first floor lounge 

From Where Should Judges Come?

David Rivkin is angry with Sandra Day O'Connor because of her support (and campaign telephone calls) for "merit" selection for judges. Rivkin's objections were in the WSJ on Friday. The Washington Times had an editorial on the same subject here. From the Times:

This week, the retired justice was exposed for having recorded political robo-calls pushing a constitutional amendment in Nevada for state judges to be appointed by governors rather than elected by citizens. She claims she never gave permission for her recording to be used for robo-calls, but she recorded not just a voice message but also a video for a political group dedicated solely to passing this amendment - a group she leads as "honorary chairwoman."

Immigration Law Panel November 3rd.

The Georgetown Federalist Society is co-sponsoring an Immigration Law Panel on November 3rd from 12:30-2 in McD 437. The panel will feature:


Mark Krikorian of The Center for Immigration Studies

Marc Rosenblum of Migration Policy Institute
Michael Hethmon of Immigration Reform Law Institute
Liz McGrail of CAIR Coalition

The panel will be moderated by Peter Asaad, immigration law professor at American University. 


Clear your schedule for this great event and come hear both sides of the important issue. 

T-Shirts on Sale, Thursday October 28 12-3

In order to meet rising demand, we will be selling the rest of our t-shirts at the tables outside the McDonough Hall Chapel (conveniently located near the ATMs) on Thursday, October 28 from 12-3. The shirts are $10 cash each. Be sure to get one before it is too late.

Should US Courts Ignore International Law? October 28

BYU Law Professor David Moore

Our next event is this Thursday, October 28 from 12-1 in McD 202. Professor David Moore from BYU Law will address the question "Should U.S. Courts Ignore International Law." Please come by for free lunch, free drinks, and an interesting presentation.

Volunteer For National Lawyers Convention

The National Office needs 100 volunteers to help run the National Lawyers Convention from November 18 - 20. Selected volunteers are allowed to attend most of the convention for free. All the information you need to register is here. You must be a dues paying student member of the Federalist Society ($5) to volunteer so make sure you register before signing up to volunteer.

CATO event: James Madison Rules America

Cato book forum on William F. Connelly Jr.'s new book, James Madison Rules America: The Constitutional Origins of Congressional Partnership.


Critics argue that Congress has become the "broken branch," marked by extreme partisanship and few achievements. They prescribe nostrums ranging from campaign finance regulation to redistricting reform to foster compromise rather than conflict on Capitol Hill. Yet the American founders, especially James Madison, believed "ambition must be made to counteract ambition" as a way to limit the power of government. The Constitution itself favors broad consent to laws over an efficient implementation of the will of a majority. William Connelly believes many of the "flaws" in Congress identified by critics arise from the Constitution. Please join us for a lively discussion of how and why the Constitution created a Congress marked by conflict, polarization, and partisanship and why that might be a good thing.


The event is FREE, but you have to RSVP here.

DATE: October 14
TIME: Noon
FOOD: Free Lunch
WHERE: Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave (Metro Center)

Job Opportunities

1. The Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) seeks a self-starting, entrepreneurial Online Education Director to drive a major new initiative to teach students about classical liberal ideas on the web. IHS envisions creating the first open platform for online educational delivery of classical liberal ideas. On the model of TED.com, the platform would first host video and other content from IHS seminars and faculty in the IHS network.  Once we have a robust platform, it would be opened to others to add and manage their own educational content. For more information, please visit our website at www.theIHS.org/Jobs.


2. There is an exciting Fellowship opportunity open to Federalist Society members here at C-FAM.   Edmund Burke Fellows receive a front-row seat in the fight to promote a culture of life at the United Nations.  Responsibilities include lobbying delegates, performing research, and observing and reporting on UN meetings.

Our Edmund Burke Fellowship Program seeks law students and recent graduates who possess a demonstrated background in public policy and/or international law.  Applicants may apply for two separate Fellowships.  The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Fellowship is open to students whose Spring Break falls between February 22nd and March 4th of 2011.  Thirty Fellows (split between the two-week Commission) will be selected for the CSW Fellowship.   Our second Fellowship--the UN Conference on Youth Fellowship—is a week-long Summer program.  Because the UN has not yet finalized the dates of the Youth Conference, the dates for our Summer Fellowship are not yet available, but C-FAM welcomes applications for the Summer program at this time as well.

Students and graduates selected for this highly-competitive program will each be awarded scholarships of $500.00 per person to help cover hotel and travel expenses.  Thank you in advance for spreading the word among Federalist Society members, and we welcome further questions and inquiries.  The deadline for applications for the CSW Fellowship is November 1, 2010. http://www.c-fam.org/programs/id.200/default.asp