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June 2019

With the compensatory damages verdict of $11.2 million having been rendered last Friday, the parties in Gibson's Bakery v. Oberlin College are now into the punitive damages phase. But in a civil trial that has gone on much longer expected, the jury never saw the courtroom today as the judge had to rule on about a half-dozen motions filed by Oberlin College.

There's not question that Elizabeth Warren has generated buzz with her serial proposals to transform the country. Whether her plans, which impose a government control of the economy that makes Obama seem like a free-market zealot, will sell in a general election is something even the NY Times is questioning:

There was a recent leak, in violation of court order, of the 911 call made by former Dallas cop Amber Guyger (mugshot in featured image). The call came immediately after she shot and killed Botham Jean when she mistakenly walked into his apartment, thinking it was her apartment and perceived him as an intruder. This post examines some of the legal implications of Guyger's statements during that 911 call.

Back in late April, The New York Times landed itself in some scalding hot water after its international edition published an anti-Semitic cartoon that depicted Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a dog leading a blind President Donald Trump, who had him on a leash. As Prof. Jacobson said after its publication, "The clearly antisemitic cartoon run in the NY Times is an example of how these anti-Israel antisemitic themes have worked their way into the mainstream media."

Update

[3:20 p.m.] The Court has rejected plaintiffs' request to use the mass email sent by Oberlin College's Vice President and General Counsel, Donica Thomas Varner, to the Oberlin community criticizing the jury. The plaintiffs subpoenaed her to testify, and the defense filed a motion to quash the subpoena. The Judge ruled: "this was a letter sent by the Oberlin general counsel after the verdict. We are talking about the actions of the defendants that demonstrated malice. What we will use is only what was litigated in court."

The British intelligence agency MI5 foiled a significant bomb plot linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah terror outfit, London-based Daily Telegraph disclosed. The British intelligence service and the Metropolitan Police uncovered a secret bomb factory in North West London in the autumn of 2015. They recovered thousands of packets containing ammonium nitrate, an explosive ingredient often used in homemade bombs.

The House Committee on Armed Services revealed an outline of its defense budget proposal on Monday. The contents of the plan set up a possible stalemate with the Senate and President Donald Trump. The proposal trims $17 billion from the $750 billion Trump requested for defense. The Senate defense bill sits right at $750 billion. I have a feeling the portion that does not allow any Pentagon funding towards a border wall will cause the most problems with Trump.

During the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump famously put out a list of judges he would consider for the Supreme Court if he were elected. The list served both to assure conservatives and also to motivate Republican voters. It's widely agreed that the Supreme Court specifically, and the federal judiciary more generally, were key factors in Trump's victory.

As you know, last Friday the jury rendered a verdict of $11.2 million against Oberlin College and Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo for compensatory damages. Allyn W. Gibson was awarded $3 million, David Gibson $5.8 million, Gibson Bros. $2,274,500. Legal Insurrection readers heard it here first. Our Verdict post has been shared tens of thousands of times on social media.

On Saturday we celebrated National Best Friends Day because everything has a day. I guess former Vice President Joe Biden thought he could seize the day to remind people that he served next to President Barack Obama for eight years by posting their friendship bracelet. Cringeworthy doesn't quite cut it. Even some of Obama's closest aides rolled their eyes. Do you know what I find hilarious? The media, the left, and the right loved the Obama-Biden bromance... until now.

Monday morning, Professor Jacobson joined The Michael Berry Show to discuss the recent verdict, awarding $11 million to Gibson's Bakery, who sued the college claiming defamation. During the interview, Professor Jacobson dismembered what's becoming national media spin -- that the case was actually a case about campus free speech. As Jacobson explained, "it's not."