UZUEGBUNAM AND THE COMING FEDERAL JUDICIAL ACTIVISM — This is the second in a series of articles that looks at issues around judicial integrity and a crises of trust in the U.S. justice system. On March 8, 2021, the Supreme Court reversed a Court of Appeals decision in a holding that could have huge long-term ramifications. The decision…

No Opinions, No Hearings, No Standards of Review, No Lower Court Guidance, No Accountability — This is the first in a series of articles that looks at issues around judicial integrity and a crises of trust in the U.S. justice system. On Thursday, February 18, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary held a Hearing and there is largely bipartisan support to…

This week we will cover RBG’s first appearance in front of SCOTUS, marijuana distribution, trade secret vs patent laws, Congress changes a 4-factor injunction test, Benjamin Franklin’s “Join, or Die” cartoon, Standard Oil is dissolved, and discriminatory application of race neutral laws. Cases are presented in chronological order. …

This week we will cover nonconsensual eugenic sterilization, restrictive covenants against Blacks and Asians, ratification of the 13th Amendment (really?) and the 27th Amendment (great story!), and the disbarment of Spiro T. Agnew. There are lots of really good embedded videos in this one (especially that last one). Cases are…

This week we will cover the Erie Doctrine, the first U.S. greenbacks, an entrapment case where the gov’t provided the illegal drugs, guns on campus and the commerce clause, eliminating jurors based on race, and the value of a dog. Cases are presented in chronological order. IRAC format used where…

This week we will cover probably the worst and most consequential death penalty decision in SCOTUS history, a case of fraud against a religion, an entrapment case with a powerful dissent, overturning racially motivated state laws that allowed non-unanimous guilty verdicts for serious crimes, a copyright case involving Dr. …

# of Circuits vs # of States vs # of SCOTUS Justices — Below you will find a table chronicling a numerical timeline of the U.S. Circuit Courts. I have included the total number of states and territories under jurisdiction; the number of circuits, including an identification of which states and territories belong in which circuits; and the number of Supreme Court justices…

This week we look at the first patent of a life form, one of the worst holdings in SCOTUS history (Carnival Cruise Line), an execution in Virginia that defied the World Court, and the Court’s ruling on virtual or simulated child pornography. 1925, April 14 First Radio Broadcast of an MLB Game

This week we will cover the establishment of the U.S. Patent System and the mistaken identity of the first patent, the Flag Act of 1818, the prohibition against patent misuse, right to privacy, and entrapment. 1790, April 10 U.S. Patent System is Established President George Washington signed the Patent Act of 1790 into law. The first patent board…