Back to the books . . . and beyond

Although no one in the world has really noticed that I've been silent for many months, the open space on my desk has been taken over by a pile of books I've been sent to review. As a result, I'm back to blogging out of necessity if nothing else. From now on, however, I'll probably …

Recommended blogs, The Philosopher Mom

Here is Round Two of the Recommended Blogs posts. Today I want to point everyone to The Philosopher Mom. Written by an undergrad companion of mine and dear friend, this blog is dedicated to pondering the great questions of life even through the ordinary and mundane. The Aherns have just welcomed a third little lady …

The end of the blog

There is a season for everything, they say, and this season as a blogger is at an end. This fall, I will begin clerking for a judge who has a policy that his clerks are not allowed to have blogs, Facebook pages, etc. It's a sensible policy, and I'm all for it. But due to …

Another perspective on immigration

Another view, closely aligned with Bishop Olmsted's is here from Fr. Jay Scott Newman (another person for whom I have immense respect). Fr. Newman adds another layer to what Bishop Olmsted mentioned, which is that if we were in the position of the immigrant, we would do the same thing. It is not right for …

Arizona's immigration conundrum

The State legislature in Arizona recently passed, and the Governor recently signed, a bill purported to enforce federal immigration laws through the actions of state and local law enforcement officials. Many have called the law racist. Others call it unconstitutional. Some call it common sense. I'm not going to dive into the tempting waters of …

That's all she wrote

My law school career ended with a rather anticlimactic eight-hour take-home exam today. I spent the whole time in my office at school working through all the complex issues of federal jurisdiction raised in the questions. And after it was all over, there were no fireworks, no joyous celebration. It kind of ended with a …