Political scientist Jeffrey Friedman has an excellent article arguing that political ignorance by both regulators and voters played a key role in causing the financial crisis: You are familiar by now with the role of the Federal Reserve in stimulating the housing boom; the role of Fannie Mae and Fr ...

Tax Prof speakers at the recently concluded 44th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning: Christopher R. Hoyt (Missouri-Kansas City), How to Do Your Roth IRA Conversion in 2010 and Current Issues in Charitable Planning Jeffrey N. Pennell (Emory), Recent Estate Planning Developments Randall W. ...

President Obama entered office with a nearly unprecedented opportunity to remake the federal courts, but he has yet to take advantage of it.  The President has only made 38 judicial nominations, and the Senate has only confirmed 14.  Who is to blame for the slow pace?  It depends on who you ask — an ...

The United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary hosted a forum entitled, "Head and Other Injuries in Youth, High School, College and Professional Football" Monday, February 1, 2010, in Houston, Texas. Patrick Donohue, founder of the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation, partic ...

In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader: Majority Leader Hoyer Statement on House Floor Schedule WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement tonight on the schedule for the U.S. House of Representatives: "Due to the weathe ...

The WSJ’s Jess Bravin has an interesting article on a debate within Democratic circles over President Obama’s next Supreme Court pick. Democrats gearing up for a possible Supreme Court vacancy are divided over whether President Barack Obama should appoint a prominent liberal voice while their party ...

The largest individual award to a Florida smoker will be reduced, Judge Jeffrey Streitfeld (Broward County Circuit Court) ruled Friday. [Here's the story on Law.com] Judge Streitfeld called the $300 million jury verdict, rendered months ago, "excessive" and "shocking," based...

The Politico reports: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid used to consider recess appointments “an end run around the Senate and the Constitution” — so much so that he kept the chamber open during breaks to prevent President George W. Bush from making any more of them. But with a Democrat in the White ...

In a February 3 Wall Street Journal op-ed, I argued that the current law forbidding homosexual military members to discuss their sexual orientation ought to remain in place. I based my contention on the importance of non-sexual bonding as the glue of unit cohesion, which is an important contributor ...

Most lawyers that are versed in the H1B visa process, are getting busier and busier these days. As we are nearing the April 1, 2010 filing deadline for the H1B visa. Many speculations out there as to when will the Cap be reached this year. The economy is still in recovery mode, and employers are car ...