Lea Bickerton
@leabickerton.bsky.social
Lawyer, Bookstore owner, still trying hard to be the shepherd —In the middle of researching the Ninth Amendment, so don’t expect a lot of posting yet—
Currently reading—“Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life” by Stephen J. Campbell
Currently reading—“Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life” by Stephen J. Campbell
Pinned
Lea Bickerton
@leabickerton.bsky.social
· Nov 22
Dick’s with some solid legal advice for the holiday season
Reposted by Lea Bickerton
“The 69-page report, titled ‘Making Our Children Healthy Again,’ also says these drivers are partly propelled by corporate influence and government lobbying.”
He called it the MOCHA Report. I vaguely remember learning that titles set the tone for what follows…
www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
He called it the MOCHA Report. I vaguely remember learning that titles set the tone for what follows…
www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
RFK slams processed foods, pesticides, vaccines as harmful to kids in sweeping MAHA report
The commission to "Make America Healthy Again" was tasked with investigating chronic illness and delivering a plan to fight childhood diseases.
www.usatoday.com
May 23, 2025 at 1:45 AM
“The 69-page report, titled ‘Making Our Children Healthy Again,’ also says these drivers are partly propelled by corporate influence and government lobbying.”
He called it the MOCHA Report. I vaguely remember learning that titles set the tone for what follows…
www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
He called it the MOCHA Report. I vaguely remember learning that titles set the tone for what follows…
www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
Reposted by Lea Bickerton
This is how the Republican Justices on SCOTUS have defined corruption-they insist it is the *only* definition of corruption. (It is not! They don't control the English language! Or common sense!)
Congress has defined corruption in other ways- SCOTUS has just imposed its own definition on all of us.
Congress has defined corruption in other ways- SCOTUS has just imposed its own definition on all of us.
Corruption requires explict quid pro quo. It is not corrupt to take an action that aligns with the interest of a person who gives you a gift, unless the official action was in direct response to that gift--a bribe. Terms matter. Accuracy and fairness matters. Regardless of what social media wants.
May 12, 2025 at 2:13 PM
This is how the Republican Justices on SCOTUS have defined corruption-they insist it is the *only* definition of corruption. (It is not! They don't control the English language! Or common sense!)
Congress has defined corruption in other ways- SCOTUS has just imposed its own definition on all of us.
Congress has defined corruption in other ways- SCOTUS has just imposed its own definition on all of us.
Reposted by Lea Bickerton
Had a really interesting discussion with some friends last night about why so many lawyers end up practicing at full blast into their 70s and even 80s. From all our perspective, man no way! But then I bet many people who said that 30 years ago are still at it.
May 7, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Had a really interesting discussion with some friends last night about why so many lawyers end up practicing at full blast into their 70s and even 80s. From all our perspective, man no way! But then I bet many people who said that 30 years ago are still at it.
Reposted by Lea Bickerton
You’ll want to read @ilyasomin.bsky.social on anti-commandeering and how Trump keeps losing in court with this stuff
April 28, 2025 at 11:35 PM
You’ll want to read @ilyasomin.bsky.social on anti-commandeering and how Trump keeps losing in court with this stuff
Reposted by Lea Bickerton
So this, I think, is reasonably interpreted as a claim that it is illegal for states to prohibit state officials from assisting ICE. This is bullshit. State officials are not obliged to enforce federal law and actually constitutionally can’t be forced to do so. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
April 28, 2025 at 11:34 PM
So this, I think, is reasonably interpreted as a claim that it is illegal for states to prohibit state officials from assisting ICE. This is bullshit. State officials are not obliged to enforce federal law and actually constitutionally can’t be forced to do so. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Remember how in “Romeo and Juliet,” Romeo was really distraught because he was banished from his city-state and he felt that banishment was worse than death?
7/ You may not think this case matters to you. But Abrego Garcia was legally in the U.S., just like all the rest of us. His status as an immigrant doesn't matter as a matter of law.
If Trump can lock up or remove ANYONE - no matter what the courts say - we are all at grave risk.
If Trump can lock up or remove ANYONE - no matter what the courts say - we are all at grave risk.
April 14, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Remember how in “Romeo and Juliet,” Romeo was really distraught because he was banished from his city-state and he felt that banishment was worse than death?
Reposted by Lea Bickerton
Y’all, I remember when I thought that AI legal research and drafting tools were ok if they were used by lawyers, who would have the capacity to know if the cites were good
Do NOT do this!!! #aifail #aiandthelaw
The cites look very real, don’t mistake it. Worse, in the brief itself, there are lengthy expositions of the *facts* of these fake cases.
h/t: @dougthelawyer.bsky.social
The cites look very real, don’t mistake it. Worse, in the brief itself, there are lengthy expositions of the *facts* of these fake cases.
h/t: @dougthelawyer.bsky.social
April 14, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Y’all, I remember when I thought that AI legal research and drafting tools were ok if they were used by lawyers, who would have the capacity to know if the cites were good
Reposted by Lea Bickerton
Tonight’s dumb napkin cartoon…
April 2, 2025 at 1:46 AM
Tonight’s dumb napkin cartoon…
Reposted by Lea Bickerton
There it is: 7:19 pm — Cory Booker has buried the odious arch segregationist Strom Thurmond’s record for the longest speech in Senate history — and Booker is acknowledging him as “the man who tried to stop the rights on which I stand… I’m here despite his speech."
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/u...
April 1, 2025 at 11:19 PM
There it is: 7:19 pm — Cory Booker has buried the odious arch segregationist Strom Thurmond’s record for the longest speech in Senate history — and Booker is acknowledging him as “the man who tried to stop the rights on which I stand… I’m here despite his speech."
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/u...
Watching Cory Booker and thinking about just how committed to segregation Strom Thurmond had to be to do this before Gatorade, Depend, and 48-hour antiperspirants.
April 1, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Watching Cory Booker and thinking about just how committed to segregation Strom Thurmond had to be to do this before Gatorade, Depend, and 48-hour antiperspirants.
“Like an attorney, the media are supposed to have a duty to their client, the public.”
Just had a flashback to an ethics class where the professor mentioned imminent harm to others as one of the times when an attorney’s duty to the public outweighs the duty to the client…
Just had a flashback to an ethics class where the professor mentioned imminent harm to others as one of the times when an attorney’s duty to the public outweighs the duty to the client…
The standard for publication is supposed to be if the information is in the public interest, not the national security interest.
Publish the Leaked Trump Texts
Biggest leak yet for Trump falls prey to media paternalism
www.kenklippenstein.com
March 25, 2025 at 2:46 AM
“Like an attorney, the media are supposed to have a duty to their client, the public.”
Just had a flashback to an ethics class where the professor mentioned imminent harm to others as one of the times when an attorney’s duty to the public outweighs the duty to the client…
Just had a flashback to an ethics class where the professor mentioned imminent harm to others as one of the times when an attorney’s duty to the public outweighs the duty to the client…
Not being the least bit curious about who you’re related to has its benefits.
👀 California attorney general urges 23andMe customers to delete their data after the company goes bankrupt www.huffpost.com/entry/23andm...
Attorney General Urges 23andMe Customers Delete Their Data After Company Goes Bankrupt
A company spokesperson told HuffPost that 23andMe isn't changing the way it stores, manages or protects customer data.
www.huffpost.com
March 24, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Not being the least bit curious about who you’re related to has its benefits.
The AI chatbots apparently have a lot in common with bad lawyers.
New research shows that AI chatbots often fail to admit when they couldn't answer a question accurately, instead providing incorrect or speculative responses. Premium chatbots were even more prone to confidently giving wrong answers compared to their free versions.
www.cjr.org/tow_center/w...
www.cjr.org/tow_center/w...
AI Search Has A Citation Problem
We Compared Eight AI Search Engines. They’re All Bad at Citing News.
www.cjr.org
March 14, 2025 at 5:25 PM
The AI chatbots apparently have a lot in common with bad lawyers.
Reposted by Lea Bickerton
‘Earth, Wind, & Fire’ implies the existence of Water and Heart, and when their powers combine…
March 11, 2025 at 2:26 AM
‘Earth, Wind, & Fire’ implies the existence of Water and Heart, and when their powers combine…
Bond is going to be “British or from the Commonwealth.” Which means a Jamaican Bond is possible. I’d go to the theater twice to see that.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
James Bond owners reveal gender of the next 007
EXCLUSIVE: Fans of 007 feared Amazon Studios would corrupt the British super spy after buying the Bond franchise and rights for £770 million from Bond stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson.
www.dailymail.co.uk
March 9, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Bond is going to be “British or from the Commonwealth.” Which means a Jamaican Bond is possible. I’d go to the theater twice to see that.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Lea Bickerton
It really doesn't
This is a wildly dangerous sign — the idea that there are only five SCOTUS votes for paying congressionally mandated invoices for work *already* done!? This should be as basic a test of Article I as you can get. And that does not bode well for decisions to come.
BREAKING: On a 5-4 order, SCOTUS denies DOJ’s motion to vacate Judge Ali’s State/USAID order, but notes that his prior deadline passed, so Ali is going to have to go back to the drawing board and “clarify” what the gov’t needs to do, “with due regard for the feasibility of any compliance timelines.”
March 5, 2025 at 3:14 PM
It really doesn't
I wonder how many weeks it would take to pick an impartial jury on this
triblive.com/news/wire-st...
triblive.com/news/wire-st...
Cybercrime crew stole then resold hundreds of tickets to Swift concerts, prosecutors say
NEW YORK — A cybercrime crew stole then resold more than 900 digital tickets to Taylor Swift concerts and other pricey events on StubHub, according to prosecutors in New York. The international ...
triblive.com
March 5, 2025 at 5:24 AM
I wonder how many weeks it would take to pick an impartial jury on this
triblive.com/news/wire-st...
triblive.com/news/wire-st...
Reposted by Lea Bickerton
Anyone ever have to tell a co-counsel that they are too much of an asshole to work with? No matter how good the case is?
March 4, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Anyone ever have to tell a co-counsel that they are too much of an asshole to work with? No matter how good the case is?
The 40th Anniversary of Geraldo Rivera opening Al Capone’s vault is next year
apnews.com/article/jeff...
apnews.com/article/jeff...
No new bombshells in Justice Department’s release of Jeffrey Epstein files
Attorney General Pam Bondi was expected to publicly release flight logs and other government documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, though the files are unlikely to include new bombshells.
apnews.com
February 28, 2025 at 2:20 AM
The 40th Anniversary of Geraldo Rivera opening Al Capone’s vault is next year
apnews.com/article/jeff...
apnews.com/article/jeff...
I will never pre-judge a book I haven’t read yet, but if half of this book doesn’t cover why journalists didn’t rely on their own eyes and video archives instead of what their sources were telling them…
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/f...
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/f...
New book to detail ‘cover-up’ of Biden’s health decline before 2024 election
Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson will focus on president’s ‘self-delusional’ decision to seek re-election
www.theguardian.com
February 27, 2025 at 2:57 PM
I will never pre-judge a book I haven’t read yet, but if half of this book doesn’t cover why journalists didn’t rely on their own eyes and video archives instead of what their sources were telling them…
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/f...
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/f...
Reposted by Lea Bickerton
There is no acceptable reason for doing this. None.
There is no conceivable situation in which Trump officials will be in the position of Lincoln officials trying to figure out whether to obey Dred Scott. No one should fall for this.
There is no conceivable situation in which Trump officials will be in the position of Lincoln officials trying to figure out whether to obey Dred Scott. No one should fall for this.
Trump’s solicitor general pick has refused to say whether officials should obey court orders—admitting under oath that there might be “extreme cases” where they don’t.
Trump’s Pick for Top Supreme Court Lawyer Can’t Rule Out Defying Courts
Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, now the pick for solicitor general, said under oath that there could be “extreme cases.”
www.thedailybeast.com
February 26, 2025 at 9:59 PM
There is no acceptable reason for doing this. None.
There is no conceivable situation in which Trump officials will be in the position of Lincoln officials trying to figure out whether to obey Dred Scott. No one should fall for this.
There is no conceivable situation in which Trump officials will be in the position of Lincoln officials trying to figure out whether to obey Dred Scott. No one should fall for this.
Reposted by Lea Bickerton
HUGE: The Supreme Court sides with Richard Glossip, holding that prosecutors violated his constitutional rights by failing to correct false testimony at his trial. It directs the Oklahoma courts to vacate his conviction! www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...
February 25, 2025 at 3:04 PM
HUGE: The Supreme Court sides with Richard Glossip, holding that prosecutors violated his constitutional rights by failing to correct false testimony at his trial. It directs the Oklahoma courts to vacate his conviction! www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...
Reposted by Lea Bickerton
Birthright citizenship 3: My letter to editor of NY Times on Barnett and Wurman’s misleading essay
They’re not publishing it, so I’m self-publishing.
Now y’all know what to do:
shugerblogcom.wordpress.com/2025/02/21/b...
They’re not publishing it, so I’m self-publishing.
Now y’all know what to do:
shugerblogcom.wordpress.com/2025/02/21/b...
Birthright citizenship 3: My letter to editor of NY Times on Barnett and Wurman’s misleading essay
This is my more concise letter to the NY Times editor, a short summary of Birthright Bates Backfire posts 1 & 2 on Barnett and Wurman’s irresponsible and misleading (at best) misuse of Bates. I…
shugerblogcom.wordpress.com
February 21, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Birthright citizenship 3: My letter to editor of NY Times on Barnett and Wurman’s misleading essay
They’re not publishing it, so I’m self-publishing.
Now y’all know what to do:
shugerblogcom.wordpress.com/2025/02/21/b...
They’re not publishing it, so I’m self-publishing.
Now y’all know what to do:
shugerblogcom.wordpress.com/2025/02/21/b...