Sanction for wrong line spacing in brief | Man suing to marry his laptop can refile | Virtual keypad for lawyers

ABA Journal's Top Stories of the Week
Friday, April 7, 2017

Law grad who sued for right to marry his laptop gets second chance in court

Apr 4, 2017, 7:00 am CDT

New virtual keypad for lawyers allows easy insertion of citation phrases and symbols

Apr 4, 2017, 11:12 am CDT

Law prof sees 'nuclear option' bright side: More interesting SCOTUS nominees

Apr 6, 2017, 4:00 pm CDT

Did Gorsuch book track its sources' language too closely?

Apr 5, 2017, 10:40 am CDT

Title VII protects gay workers, 7th Circuit rules; Posner backs 'interpretive updating' of old laws

Apr 5, 2017, 11:54 am CDT

Law firm and its name partner are using the courts for 'their own self-aggrandizement,' suit says

Apr 6, 2017, 7:30 am CDT

Female justices being interrupted at a greater rate during oral arguments, study finds

Apr 6, 2017, 10:06 am CDT

Magistrate files suit challenging federal judge's ability to manage her own finances

Apr 3, 2017, 7:00 am CDT

In novel 'Al-Tounsi,' author tells behind-the-scenes story of Supreme Court justices (podcast)

Apr 5, 2017, 8:30 am CDT

Federal judge says Trump's campaign rally command could have incited violence

Apr 3, 2017, 8:39 am CDT

Investment fund fires Morgan Lewis over advice to Trump that 'encourages 'impeachable offenses'

Apr 3, 2017, 9:51 am CDT

As most-cited songwriter, Bob Dylan brings complex poetry to court opinions

Apr 1, 2017, 2:50 am CDT

10 Questions: For rap and hip-hop artists, LA lawyer Julian Petty represents

Apr 1, 2017, 3:50 am CDT

In the Magazine

From the April 2017 Issue

Legal Logjam

Immigration court backlog grows to more than 540,000 cases

Loving, Then and Now

Movie gives new significance to landmark ruling

This Week's Featured Blawg

From our Blawg Directory

FOIA Advisor

FOIA Advisor is a one-stop Freedom of Information Act resource for both experienced practitioners and new FOIA requesters. Visitors have free access to federal court decisions, reference material, how-to-guides, FOIA news and a Q-and-A forum.

Question of the Week

We want to hear from you

Have you ever quoted a song lyric or poem in a legal submission?

Bob Dylan is the most-cited songwriter in U.S. judicial opinions, law prof Philip N. Meyer writes in the April issue of the ABA Journal.

"And these citations are not merely add-ons or throwaways providing appellate judges and Supreme Court justices with the opportunity to display stylistic flair or pop culture literacy," Meyer writes. "Indeed, just the opposite: Dylan's lyrics are intrinsic to the judicial reasoning in appellate opinions."

This week, we'd like to ask you: Have you ever quoted a song lyric or poem in a legal submission? Or quoted sources beyond the law? If so, why did you? If you'd never make a popular culture reference in a legal brief, tell us why not.

Reply in the comments.

Read commenters' answers to last week's question: What's the telecommuting policy for your workplace?

Featured answer:

Posted by Buckeye: "All attorneys are permitted to work from home. Since all have laptops and home internet, we do not pay for internet but do pay for printers, fax, scanners and upgrades to laptops as needed. We cut our office expense by two-thirds by moving into smaller space out of the city center. Most support staff are also permitted to work at home, but on a limited basis and are to insure office is staffed. Productivity and billing have increased as a result."

This week's question was suggested by a reader. Do you have an idea for a question of the week? If so, contact us.

Cartoon Contest

You be the judge

Are you on our wavelength?
Readers have until midnight Sunday to submit a caption for this cartoon. The caption with the most votes will appear in an upcoming issue of the ABA Journal.

ABA Journal Podcast

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The Modern Law Library

In novel 'Al-Tounsi,' author looks at US Supreme Court through a human lens