Archive for December, 2008

Annals of public employee tenure, cont’d

Assume a false identity and file a bogus misconduct complaint that gets your boss fired. Claim whistleblower protection and transfer to a nice job in another department. When the imposture is discovered, the state won’t be able to do more than slap your wrist. That’s been the happy experience of a lawyer with Connecticut’s state ethics bureau (!) in a case provoking considerable, though apparently futile, outrage in the Nutmeg State. (Point of Law, Nov. 25; Dan Schwartz, Nov. 17).

Pork-handling and religious accommodation, cont’d

Hasanali Khoja, a Muslim chef employed by London’s Metropolitan Police as a catering manager, has filed a discrimination claim after being asked to prepare breakfasts with pork sausages and bacon, saying he had been assured he would not have to handle the meat products. (David Barrett, “Muslim police chef claims religious discrimination over sausage and bacon breakfasts”, Telegraph, Nov. 2). The Minnesota meat-packing case discussed earlier is here.

“The video that helped put a man in prison for 22 years for running a stop sign”

Negligence lawyers have long reaped great benefits by introducing “day-in-the-life” videos that arouse jurors’ sympathy for injury victims. Now prosecutors are learning how to get enormous mileage from “victim TV” as well. Fair play? Should defense lawyers be allowed to introduce counter-videos of how horrible prison is and what it does to clients sent there? (Ann Althouse, Nov. 30).

More: Commenters say “for running a stop sign” much under-describes the crime at issue in the case.