Year Of Law School Now Mandatory For Nation’s 25-Year-Olds

This killed me: From the Onion:

WASHINGTON—Under the provisions of a bill approved by Congress and signed into law Tuesday, every 25-year-old American, regardless of prior life commitments, is now legally obligated to enroll in a full year of study at one of the nation’s accredited law schools. “This new measure gives us the means to compel 25-year-olds to simultaneously placate their parents, impress their friends with complex-sounding legal jargon, and effectively avoid any real-world responsibilities for another full year,” said Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN). “We can think of no better way for our young people to squander their postcollegiate aimlessness.” Congress is reportedly seeking further legislation that would provide for an additional nine months of grumbling over LSAT prep, and up to five years of whining about paying off student loan debt.

Some odd Juror Trends

Technology intrudes on the legal system and into the juror box.  Here are two examples of the conjunction between the internet and jury duty.

Jurors’ online posts concern trial lawyers

Juror’s Twitter posts cited in motion for mistrial

Look for more of this in the future.  The solution is Judges are going to have to take juror’s phones/blackberries/etc. up while they are in the box and threaten them with pain if they blog or post about their jury service while the trial is going on.

Edit: From Courtoons:

New York Cracks Down on Cell Phone Drivers…

Why can’t Alabama?  From the New York Post and the Associated Press:

NEW YORK – New York City police issued a whopping 9,016 tickets during a 24-hour crackdown on phoning-while-driving.

Department spokesman Paul Browne says that compares to 500 on a typical day.

The ticket blitz ended Friday. But the law is still the law.

Get caught driving while using a hand held phone and you could be fined $120.

Taxi drivers are held to an even higher standard. They can receive a $200 summons from the Taxi and Limousine Commission for using even a hands-free phone while driving.

The NYPD said hands-free phones were not a focus of its 24-hour crackdown.