Year: 2014
LEGAL DEPT.
Is The Legal Field Ready for CSO?
A couple of days ago, Scott Greenfield was writing about some of the complexities of federal sentencing, when a commenter named Jake proposed a crazy solution: Was there ever a task in the courtroom more ripe for automation? Well, yes, there’s tons of administrative crap that can be, or has been, automated. However, Jake had… Read more
ECONOMICS DEPT.
What Could Be Worse Than Raising the Minimum Wage?
I see that our mayor has proposed a city ordinance to raise Chicago’s minimum wage to $13 an hour. The current minimum wage in Illinois is $8.25/hour, a buck over the federal minimum, so that amounts to a 58% hike. This follows Seattle’s decision to increase their minimum wage to $15 a few months ago,… Read more
POLICE DEPT.
What Democracy’s All About?
NYPD Police Commissioner Bill Bratton has been taking a lot of crap, deservedly so, for his comments after Eric Garner died while being arrested for selling untaxed cigarettes on the street. In a news conference, with mayor Bill de Blasio standing at his side, Bratton came out full-authoritarian: According to Mayor de Blasio and Police… Read more
SCATTERSHOT DEPT.
Scattershot: Leaving Cops in the Dust, Shock Doctrine, and CSI: Gallifrey.
Random shots around the web: Yet another case of judges saying you can drive away from the cops. Well, not that you can actually do that, but if you open your window because a cop pulled up behind you, got out of his car, and knocked on your window, you are totally doing that voluntarily… Read more
HEALTHCARE DEPT.
Why Obamacare Means Insurance Refunds
At the reliably hyper Addicting Info, Wendy Gittleson is excited over upcoming insurance refunds due to the Affordable Care Act: In a story that’s bound to send Republicans straight into the spin cycle, it was announced on Thursday that insurance companies will be refunding Americans $332 million because they’ve been overcharging them for healthcare. That’s… Read more