John Elwood
@johnpelwood.bsky.social
Law nerd. Music fan. Serial monomaniac. Views are my own and not my firm's. Maybe not even mine.
The Court granted review on Hunter v. US, previewed below. Note in particular the last line of my write up.
October 10, 2025 at 8:40 PM
The Court granted review on Hunter v. US, previewed below. Note in particular the last line of my write up.
This week's installment was delayed because I had an argument in New Orleans Tuesday morning, then travelled up to Maine for Damariscotta's annual Pumpkinfest. My feed will transition from legal topics to oversized gourds shortly after 10 or 11 am.
October 10, 2025 at 12:55 PM
This week's installment was delayed because I had an argument in New Orleans Tuesday morning, then travelled up to Maine for Damariscotta's annual Pumpkinfest. My feed will transition from legal topics to oversized gourds shortly after 10 or 11 am.
Tonight's walk. Pemaquid Point ME lighthouse.
July 31, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Tonight's walk. Pemaquid Point ME lighthouse.
This guy showed up in my backyard just a couple days late.
July 9, 2025 at 3:00 PM
This guy showed up in my backyard just a couple days late.
Interesting that Justice Kavanaugh had two majority opinions for April and Justices Kagan and Jackson had none. They must have been assigned the ill-fated LabCorp and St. Isidore cases.
June 28, 2025 at 4:16 AM
Interesting that Justice Kavanaugh had two majority opinions for April and Justices Kagan and Jackson had none. They must have been assigned the ill-fated LabCorp and St. Isidore cases.
Um, Garnett was colleagues of both of them, at a small law firm in DC. Indeed, he was involved in recruiting both. From the National Law Journal, March 4, 2022:
June 28, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Um, Garnett was colleagues of both of them, at a small law firm in DC. Indeed, he was involved in recruiting both. From the National Law Journal, March 4, 2022:
From Consumers Research today: Justice Kavanaugh, who called for reconsideration of nondelegation doctrine, has made his peace with the "intelligible principle" standard. He makes explicit what some have speculated: Justices think major questions doctrine has mitigated risks of expansive delegation.
June 27, 2025 at 3:09 PM
From Consumers Research today: Justice Kavanaugh, who called for reconsideration of nondelegation doctrine, has made his peace with the "intelligible principle" standard. He makes explicit what some have speculated: Justices think major questions doctrine has mitigated risks of expansive delegation.
Or as she is sometimes called, "Yellen Louise Janet."
June 24, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Or as she is sometimes called, "Yellen Louise Janet."
I'll be posting less, as the ex-Treasury Secretary has written me from the future (24/7/2025) using abdullahianas468's gmail account to give me $30.000,000 dollars. As usual when claiming a totally legitimate government benefit, all I have to do is send her a $150 Apple gift card.
June 24, 2025 at 3:25 PM
I'll be posting less, as the ex-Treasury Secretary has written me from the future (24/7/2025) using abdullahianas468's gmail account to give me $30.000,000 dollars. As usual when claiming a totally legitimate government benefit, all I have to do is send her a $150 Apple gift card.
Like most people, I spent my Friday night reading the day's Supreme Court opinions. And based on decisions that are out so far, I suspect Texas is going to like the outcome of Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton.
June 21, 2025 at 4:11 AM
Like most people, I spent my Friday night reading the day's Supreme Court opinions. And based on decisions that are out so far, I suspect Texas is going to like the outcome of Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton.
Three of Friday's #SCOTUS grants were previewed in last week's post; the fourth was previewed back on May 29th.
The part I'm proudest of concerned the dispute over whether Carter v. US or Rutherford v. US was the better vehicle to address this newest "compassionate release" issue:
The part I'm proudest of concerned the dispute over whether Carter v. US or Rutherford v. US was the better vehicle to address this newest "compassionate release" issue:
June 7, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Three of Friday's #SCOTUS grants were previewed in last week's post; the fourth was previewed back on May 29th.
The part I'm proudest of concerned the dispute over whether Carter v. US or Rutherford v. US was the better vehicle to address this newest "compassionate release" issue:
The part I'm proudest of concerned the dispute over whether Carter v. US or Rutherford v. US was the better vehicle to address this newest "compassionate release" issue:
In St. Andrews, Scotland for a few days. An incredibly pretty small town with some amazing details if you keep your eyes open.
May 30, 2025 at 9:56 AM
In St. Andrews, Scotland for a few days. An incredibly pretty small town with some amazing details if you keep your eyes open.
I have read about every rock biography that is available, and I think Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell's may be my all-time favorite. It's a very honest book, even when it portrays him (or Tom) poorly. Because they were attached at the hip, it's essentially Petty's story too.
May 27, 2025 at 1:32 PM
I have read about every rock biography that is available, and I think Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell's may be my all-time favorite. It's a very honest book, even when it portrays him (or Tom) poorly. Because they were attached at the hip, it's essentially Petty's story too.
Ben heard me prepare for more oral arguments than any human companion--many people saw me practicing flash cards during walks around town. He also taught me to appreciate life literally at a slower pace. You notice more traveling at the speed of a geriatric dog. Hail and farewell, Benny!
May 26, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Ben heard me prepare for more oral arguments than any human companion--many people saw me practicing flash cards during walks around town. He also taught me to appreciate life literally at a slower pace. You notice more traveling at the speed of a geriatric dog. Hail and farewell, Benny!
At the advanced age of approximately 15, our beloved pooch Benny shuffled across the rainbow bridge May 6. We put up a memorial at one of his favorite places, our neighborhood bone box. Milkbones are on Ben for a few weeks--the least we could do given the thousands he ate here.
May 26, 2025 at 8:29 PM
At the advanced age of approximately 15, our beloved pooch Benny shuffled across the rainbow bridge May 6. We put up a memorial at one of his favorite places, our neighborhood bone box. Milkbones are on Ben for a few weeks--the least we could do given the thousands he ate here.
Just NASCAR legend Richard Petty autographing a baby while smoking a cigar with a large ash dangling off the end. Talladega Nights was nonfiction.
May 22, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Just NASCAR legend Richard Petty autographing a baby while smoking a cigar with a large ash dangling off the end. Talladega Nights was nonfiction.
The Solicitor General won't defend the federal statute that limits the amount of money that a political party can spend on an election campaign in coordination with a candidate, saying it violates the First Amendment. Recommends #SCOTUS grant review, appoint amicus to defend law.
May 19, 2025 at 9:23 PM
The Solicitor General won't defend the federal statute that limits the amount of money that a political party can spend on an election campaign in coordination with a candidate, saying it violates the First Amendment. Recommends #SCOTUS grant review, appoint amicus to defend law.
Brooklyn guitar store Retrofret is selling a bunch of guitar effects pedals owned by Tom Verlaine of the seminal band Television. Not bad prices given the provenance.
May 19, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Brooklyn guitar store Retrofret is selling a bunch of guitar effects pedals owned by Tom Verlaine of the seminal band Television. Not bad prices given the provenance.
It used to be quite rare for the United States to file unsolicited friend-of-the-court briefs at the cert. stage in Supreme Court cases, when the Court is deciding whether to review a case. The Trump Administration has filed 3 in just over 100 days.
May 1, 2025 at 11:03 PM
It used to be quite rare for the United States to file unsolicited friend-of-the-court briefs at the cert. stage in Supreme Court cases, when the Court is deciding whether to review a case. The Trump Administration has filed 3 in just over 100 days.
Congrats to Andrew Tutt & my @arnoldporter colleagues on a very important win in Feliciano v. Dept of Transportation today--a very significant victory for civilian federal employees who are military reservists, to make sure that they don't have to take a pay cut when they deploy during emergencies.
April 30, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Congrats to Andrew Tutt & my @arnoldporter colleagues on a very important win in Feliciano v. Dept of Transportation today--a very significant victory for civilian federal employees who are military reservists, to make sure that they don't have to take a pay cut when they deploy during emergencies.
A colleague emailed me today to flag the fact that the superb Fourth Circuit Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson ended a quotidian insurance opinion with an unusually introspective conclusion.
April 24, 2025 at 2:47 PM
A colleague emailed me today to flag the fact that the superb Fourth Circuit Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson ended a quotidian insurance opinion with an unusually introspective conclusion.
All roads lead to Peoria: DC's cherry trees were donated by a Japanese diplomat and by Jokichi Takamine, a chemist who made his money in Peoria inventing an improved method for making whiskey. (Peoria used to be a leading production center for the stuff.)
March 30, 2025 at 2:19 PM
All roads lead to Peoria: DC's cherry trees were donated by a Japanese diplomat and by Jokichi Takamine, a chemist who made his money in Peoria inventing an improved method for making whiskey. (Peoria used to be a leading production center for the stuff.)