Monthly Archives: August 2007

From the sublime to the ridiculous

August 31, 2007 – 12:26 pm

Hmm, maybe that should be just from the ridiculous to the ridiculous… First ridiculous legal snippet: An American millionaire has left US$14.8M on trust for her white Maltese terrier, Trouble. But two of her grandchildren get nothing. The other two get $5M each (still less than the dog…) as long as they tend their father’s […]

By Legal Eagle | Posted in Fark!, Law, Religion | Comments (5)

It’s just wrong

August 26, 2007 – 1:03 am

A tall, broad-shouldered man strides onto the stage. He physically dominates the chamber orchestra behind him, partly through size, and partly through charisma. Some way over six feet, with dark hair and glasses, he clears his throat – a deep, baritone growl – and then begins to sing. Like a girl. The experts say that […]

By skepticlawyer | Posted in Events, Music | Comments (36)

When children kill

August 24, 2007 – 12:09 pm

The question of when one can be held to be responsible as an adult is a vexed on in the law. In medieval times, one reached adulthood upon attaining the age of 7. There was no concept of the teenager until recent times. What happens when children kill? There was a tragic case in the […]

By Legal Eagle | Posted in Children, Law, Society | Comments (10)

Limits on executive power

August 23, 2007 – 12:07 am

I venture into questions of migration law and executive power somewhat tentatively. They are far from my “comfort zone”. But I couldn’t help having a curious look at the case of Haneef v Minister for Immigration [2007] FCA 1273. The primary question in this decision is the interpretation of s 501(6)(b) of the Migration Act […]

By Legal Eagle | Posted in Immigration, Law, Politics, Terrorism | Comments (3)

Legalising abortion

August 22, 2007 – 10:39 pm

The Victorian government has decided that it is going to decriminalise abortion in this state, and clarify the legal position. I’m glad. I think it’s best to be totally clear about the exact situations in which abortion will be legal or illegal. Much better than leaving things in a legal and moral vacuum. I do […]

By Legal Eagle | Posted in Feminism, Law, Motherhood, Politics, Religion | Comments (19)

Kevin Rudd and the strip club

August 20, 2007 – 8:19 pm

The mainstream media really gives me the pip sometimes. The recent reaction to the revelation that Kevin Rudd visited a strip club four years ago is one of those things which irritates me. If Rudd had misued his position of power in some way, perhaps there would be some reason for the incident to be […]

By Legal Eagle | Posted in Politics | Comments (20)

More on choosing judges

August 19, 2007 – 2:27 pm

Women are represented in the law as judges, barristers, solicitors, attorneys-general, law makers and court administrators. They identify an issue quickly, focus on it and persuade rather than dictate. Mostly, women who work in the law are goal oriented. They readily identify their litigation goal, their judgment goal. Women provide perspective. They search out the […]

By Legal Eagle | Posted in Feminism, Law | Comments (6)

Jonathan Mills is a pretentious git, but The Bacchae is great

August 18, 2007 – 12:33 am

When Australian Jonathan Mills was appointed Director of the Edinburgh International Festival, arguably the world’s most high-powered arts job, not a few locals were shocked and a wee bit pissed off. Watching his excruciating ‘interview’ (billed as ‘conversations with artists’, supposedly designed to illuminate The Bacchae, or rather, the National Theatre of Scotland‘s innovative production) […]

By skepticlawyer | Posted in Events, Literature, Popular culture, Religion | Comments (8)

Rat finks, be careful when you send flowers to your mistress

August 16, 2007 – 1:02 pm

Thanks to my lovely Mum for pointing me to the crazy case of Leroy Greer, who is suing 1-800-flowers.com for giving his wife information about the long-stemmed roses which he had sent to his mistress months earlier. Greer alleges that he ordered the roses for his mistress via the online florist, and that they agreed […]

By Legal Eagle | Posted in Fark!, Law | Comments (7)

Facebook Freddi

August 16, 2007 – 12:26 am

I’ve recently become addicted to Facebook. It’s great. I’ve managed to get in touch with friends with whom I hadn’t spoken for almost 20 years, and to stay in better contact with others. Another friend of mine is less keen. “I’m really worried about the privacy issues”, she told me. Initially I wasn’t so concerned, […]

By Legal Eagle | Posted in Internet, Privacy | Comments (1)