Image 01 Image 03
Sign In or RegisterLogout

Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

/var/www/vhosts/legalinsurrection.com/httpdocs/wp-content/themes/bridge-child/readFeeds.incFALSE

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on November 18, 2016 22 Comments
Say what you will about Donny Deutsch, but the man-about-Manhattan and the Hamptons moves in the Trump social circle and is well-connected there. So attention must be paid to Deutsch's declaration on today's With All Due Respect. Asked by Mark Halperin whether the talk about Romney being considered for Secretary of State is "real, whether Romney might end up with the job," Deutsch responded: "somebody very, very, very high up in the inner [Trump] circle yesterday told me it was very, very real," and that this person was "very excited about it." Halperin prefaced his question to Deutsch by mentioning that that the prospect of Romney as Secretary of State has been met with very favorable reactions. That might be a kiss of death among conservatives, but the fact is that Romney has demonstrated a good understanding of the opportunities and threats facing America around the world.

LATEST NEWS

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 18, 2016 42 Comments
Designer Sophie Theallet has announced on Twitter she will not design and dress Melania Trump with her brand: Theallet has designed and dressed First Lady Michelle Obama during the past eight years, which she called "a highlight and an honor." Obama's "values, actions, and grace have always resonated deeply within" the designer. She added:
As one who celebrates and strives for diversity, individual freedom, and respect for all lifestyles. I will not participate in dressing or associating in any way with the next First Lady. The rhetoric of racism, sexism, and xenophobia unleashed by her husband's presidential campaign are incompatible with the shared values we live by. I encourage my fellow designers to do the same.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on November 18, 2016 20 Comments
It's Friday. We could be discussing Trump's latest round of cabinet picks, getting angry with the media for over-inflating some less desirable details about our new administration's past, but instead, I've decided to share with you one of the best news stories ever -- the case of the exploding whale. When an eight ton whale washed ashore near Florence, Oregon, the local highway department found themselves stuck, unsure of how to remove the giant, stinky once-whale.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 18, 2016 31 Comments
The Nuclear Option was used for the first time by Harry Reid in 2013 to allow Obama to stuff the lower federal courts with Obama nominees despite Democrats not having a filibuster proof majority in the Senate at the time. It was a clear possibility at the time that Democrats were about to lose control of the Senate in the 2014 cycle, so the court-stuffing Nuclear Option was a desperate last-minute tactic. Democrats said that rule change would not apply to the Supreme Court. Holding back on using the Nuclear Option for the Supreme Court was a meaningless gesture at the time, because there were no Supreme Court vacancies.

Posted by Andrew Branca on November 18, 2016 11 Comments
Readers may recall the 2014 trial of Michael Dunn for the killing of teenager Jordan Davis, as well as three counts of attempted murder of Davis' friends, in an incident apparently triggered by Dunn's annoyance with the teens' loud music.  We covered this trial in great detail right here at Legal Insurrection.  Following his conviction Dunn filed an appeal "on the ground that the State failed to present evidence rebutting his self-defense claim." Yesterday, Florida's 1st District Court of Appeal unanimously affirmed Dunn's conviction in a concise 6-page opinion.  (That opinion is embedded below.)

LEGAL INSURRECTION QUICK TAKES

Gender Studies Institute at Stanford Hosting Far-Left Journalist to Discuss Conservative ‘Bigotry’

Study Claims SAT Reading Section is ‘Less Demanding’ Than in Past Decades

Connecticut Teacher Escorted Out of School for Refusing to Remove Crucifix From Classroom

TPUSA Members: UT Tyler Attack Reflects Growing Campus Hostility Toward Conservatives

UT Austin Funds Graduate Student Research on ‘Reproductive Justice’

Texas Tech Regents Eliminate Several Race, Gender Studies Courses

SEE MORE

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on November 18, 2016 20 Comments
Earlier this morning, reports indicated Trump's transition team had selected an Attorney General, CIA Director, and National Security Advisor. AG: Sen. Jeff Sessions CIA Director: Rep. Mike Pompeo National Security Advisor: Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn Politico confirms those individuals have accepted the posts:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 18, 2016 41 Comments
Once upon a time, soccer and piano lessons were the preferred extra-curricular options for teens. Now social justice warfare may be the thrilling, new, after-school activity. A group of American kids are suing the federal government demanding "climate action."
“We are standing here to fight and protect everything that we love—from our land to our waters to the mountains to the rivers and forests,” Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, a 16-year-old plaintiff in the case told supporters after a hearing in Eugene, Ore. this fall. “This is the moment where we decide what kind of legacy we are going to leave behind for future generations.”

Posted by Mike LaChance on November 18, 2016 15 Comments
Try to imagine for a moment, what would happen if public schools in a conservative community were offered a lesson plan in 2008 which was in any way critical of then President Elect Barack Obama. We all know what would have followed, don't we? Of course, the reverse of this situation never would have happened because the driving force behind this is a teachers union and we all know which party they support. Just remember as you read this, that this is a public school system.

Posted by Toni Airaksinen on November 18, 2016 34 Comments
Last week, a Columbia University student blog published a series of leaked chat room messages, leaked to a Columbia student blog, that were sent between school wrestling team players. The team was then suspended, as Legal Insurrection reported, Columbia Suspends Men’s Wrestling Season Over Lewd Texts. These leaked messages, which were sent in the assumed privacy of a group chat, are described at the student blog as follows: “mock women’s appearances, make jokes about rape, use homophobic and racist slurs, and engage in other distasteful interactions.” Indeed, many of the messages, which can be seen at this link, would most likely be considered problematic by many on campus.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 17, 2016 16 Comments
Oberlin College certainly is an "exciting" place to be these days. Oberlin just fired a professor after antisemitic Facebook posts, students are petitioning to become a sanctuary campus, and the President of Oberlin just circulated an email about antisemitic vandalism at an unnamed professor's house. That come just after calls from Black Lives Matters supporters on campus to boycott Gibson's Bakery, near the Oberlin College campus. The spark was the arrest of a black student for shoplifting and assault, and two other students for assault on the shop owner. In response, Oberlin College appears to have ceased purchasing baked goods from Gibson's, in apparent sympathy with the boycott call:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on November 17, 2016 14 Comments
Even President Obama recognizes some Constitutional boundaries. Who knew? Thursday, House Democrats petitioned President Obama, requesting a pardon for DREAMers (kids who would benefit under the contentious DREAM Act). The pardon would nullify any legal ramifications accrued because of their lack of legal status. DREAMers would've been brought to the U.S. as children. Their parents or legal guardians entered without inspection and settled without legal status, leaving their children without any legal presence. DREAM proponents often argue its not the fault of the child their parents brought them to the country illegally.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 17, 2016 40 Comments
Keith Ellison, Democratic Congressman from Minnesota, is the favorite to become Chair of the Democratic National Committee. He has the support of big names like Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Harry Reid, among others. Yet for years there have been questions about Ellison's past association with Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, as well as his association with anti-Israel groups. We touched upon Ellison's background in two recent posts: Scott Johnson of Power Line, who is based in Minnesota, has been following the career of Ellison for a decade. Scott talked about some of what he has learned about Ellison in a recent radio interview, Ten Years On The Ellison Case:

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 17, 2016 22 Comments
After a deadly school shooting in October that killed a six-year-old student, South Carolina Rep. Joshua Putnam (R) introduced a new bill that would allow teachers to carry a gun to protect children:
“It would incorporate mostly live shooter scenarios. So then teachers are familiar with how to approach that gunman on campus, how to interact with getting children away from... danger situations and how to confront that until law enforcement arrives,” said Putnam.

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 17, 2016 15 Comments
House Republicans have chosen to go with a short-term spending bill to fund the government through March 31 instead of a full year bill:
Appropriations Chairman Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Kentucky, said in a statement that his committee would immediately start working on “a Continuing Resolution (CR) at the current rate of funding to extend the operations of our government through March 31, 2017.”

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on November 17, 2016 2 Comments
With Israel's President Reuven Rivlin touring India on an 8-day visit, Ariel University is taking this historic opportunity to connect with Indian universities and tap into South Asian country's huge talent pool. Professor Yehuda Danon, President of Ariel University, is accompanying the presidential delegation, along with fifteen other heads of Israeli universities. Along with student and faculty exchange programmes, Ariel University hopes to set up a joint research fund aimed at promoting research projects with India counterparts. Ariel University, located in Samaria hills, is already home to many Indian research scholars, working mainly in industrial and technological fields. During my visit to Israel, earlier this year, I met few of the doctoral students from India and learned about the path-breaking work they were doing in collaboration with their Israeli teammates.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on November 17, 2016 34 Comments
And people have been worrying whether the Trump administration would conduct itself in a mature manner? . . . On CNN this morning, Christine Quinn—former NYC Council Speaker and a Hillary surrogate—used childish antics in an attempt to silence conservative radio talk show host Ben Ferguson on the subject of sanctuary cities. At one point [1:46 in video], Quinn raised her hand and angrily yelled "ah, ba-ba-ba-ba!" to shut Ferguson down. It was the most churlish display by a political pundit this Insurrectionist can remember. Ferguson took it all in stride, smiling wryly through Quinn's antics.
MORE POSTS
Accessibility by WAH