tloojs
May 20, 20214 min read
Here’s What it Means to “Think Like a Lawyer”
This is not so much a “Soap Box” as it is a reflection on the concept of “thinking like a lawyer.” This evokes the phrase heard by every...
tloojs
May 19, 20212 min read
I send a lot of emails . . .
I send a lot of emails. I don’t mean that I personally send a lot to friends and family — my output in that region is pretty slim as we...
tloojs
May 6, 20212 min read
Double negative, Justice Goodwyn?
The Supreme Court of Virginia released one published opinion this morning. White v. Llewellyn is an interesting read if you find...
tloojs
May 5, 20216 min read
Winning isn’t the only thing . . . sometimes it isn’t anything.
So I have been retired from public service for just over seven months and I spent the first several of those months resting, avoiding...
tloojs
Apr 5, 202111 min read
The Cases of Tennessee v. James Earl Ray and Coretta Scott King, et al. v. Loyd Jowers
When people talk about the “trial of the century” – the acquittal of Orenthal James Simpson of the murders of Nicole Simpson and Ronald...
tloojs
Apr 2, 20216 min read
Understanding the Charlottesville Confederate Monuments Decision
When I started this “Blawg” I indicated that I would leave the analysis of Supreme Court of Virginia Opinions to my friend Steve Emmert,...
tloojs
Feb 13, 20213 min read
Carbon Copy Indictments — An Issue that Needs to be Raised (Again)
Ok The main part of this blog is devoted to decisions of the Court of Appeals of Virginia. Occasionally, however, I will stray in other...
tloojs
Feb 12, 20213 min read
Yes, Virginia, There is Private Prosecution . . . But It’s Rarely a Good Idea
Private prosecutions are not a unique feature of Virginia law and the practice is even common in some states. In Virginia, however, the...
tloojs
Feb 11, 20212 min read
The Legislature is Debating Whether to Get Rid of Mandatory Minimum Sentences. A jury in the City o
Norman L. Blowe, Jr. v. Commonwealth of Virginia 10/27/2020. It was not disputed that, in Blowe’s trial for two counts of production of...
tloojs
Feb 3, 20214 min read
Five Unpublished Opinions in Search of an Essay
Today the Court of Appeals hands down five unpublished opinions (a separate entry will follow on the single published opinion). I have...
tloojs
Jan 22, 20213 min read
Are you an “Attorney” or a “Lawyer”? Probably Both.
If you Google the difference between the terms “lawyer” and “attorney” you will get any number of websites with various explanations of...
tloojs
Jan 17, 202111 min read
Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics
The following essay is meant to demonstrate why we say that “Law students teach themselves the law; law school teaches them to think like...