The lawyer who railed against a judge online found himself hauled up before the Florida bar, which issued a reprimand and a fine for his intemperate blog post.
Schwartz quotes WUSTL legal ethics professor Michael Downey: "When you become an officer of the court, you lose the full ability to criticize the court."
Legal ethics experts say that collisions between the freewheeling ways of the Internet and the tight boundaries of legal discourse are inevitable -- whether they result in damaged careers or simply raise eyebrows.

References:

1. Sept. 13, 2009 — A Legal Battle: Online Attitude vs. Rules of the Bar in the The New York Times

and 9 others.

Ashby Jones writes about a NYT report on what happened to a lawyer who publicly railed against a judge.
The lawyer found himself hauled up before the Florida bar, which in April issued a reprimand and a fine for his intemperate blog post.
An abrogation of one's First Amendment rights? Schwartz quotes WUSTL legal ethics professor Michael Downey: "When you become an officer of the court, you lose the full ability to criticize the court."

References:

1. Sept. 14, 2009 — When Talking Smack About a Judge, Proceed With Caution in the The Wall Street Journal blog

and 1 others.

Expectations are high that Obama will nominate a woman to the Supreme Court. A recent study by three academics focusing on the votes of federal court of appeals judges bears out the observation that a conservative woman acts more pro-women's rights than a conservative man. The research was conducted by WUSTL law and political science professor Andrew Martin and WUSTL political science doctoral student Christina Boyd, along with Lee Epstein of Northwestern University Law School in Chicago.

References:

1. May 18, 2009 — What another woman would bring to Supreme Court in the The Christian Science Monitor online

Just as California under President Bush asserted itself on issues ranging from gun control to medical marijuana, a motley cohort of states — from South Carolina to New Hampshire — are presenting a foil for President Obama's national ambitions. WUSTL political science professor Steve Smith, who is director of WUSTL's Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy, comments.

References:

1. March 27, 2009 — States rebel against Washington in the The Christian Science Monitor

Efforts to change or abolish the Electoral College are hardly new.
The National Popular Vote drive differs in its tactics, though not its aims, from these previous efforts. Rather than a top-down strategy aimed at Congress, it seeks to enact change at the grass roots - state legislatures.
WUSTL law professor and election law expert Gregory Magarian comments on their strategy.

References:

1. Sept. 4, 2008 — Obama-McCain contest: Should winner of popular vote always win the White House? in the The Christian Science Monitor

A number of scholars are seeking to shore up friendship in a surprising way: by granting it legal recognition. Some of the rights and privileges restricted to family, they argue, should be given to friends. WUSTL law professor Laura Rosenbury comments.

References:

1. June 8, 2008 — I now pronounce you . . . friend and friend in the Boston Globe

Laura Ingraham interviews two students on the subject of liberal intolerance on college campuses. WUSTL student Jill Strominger comments.

References:

1. May 20, 2008 — Liberal Intolerance on College Campuses in the Fox - The O'Reilly Factor

Host Neal Conan talks to the Weekly Standard's Joseph Epstein about Northwestern offering and then rescinding an honorary degree to Reverend Jeremiah Wright. One of the callers was a WUSTL alum named Mark who described the protest against Phyllis Schlafly at WUSTL's commencement.

References:

1. May 20, 2008 — Northwestern Rescinds Wright's Honorary Degree in the NPR - Talk of the Nation

Hundreds of WUSTL students and faculty staged a silent protest as conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly received an honorary degree at the 147th Commencement.

References:

1. May 16, 2008 — Students, faculty protest Schlafly at commencement in the Associated Press State & Local Wire

and 62 others.

Some faculty and students at WUSTL plan to protest at commencement to show their disapproval for the university's decision to award conservative leader Phyllis Schlafly an honorary degree on Friday.
The director of WUSTL's woman and gender studies program, Mary Ann Dzuback, comments.

References:

1. May 9, 2008 — Protest planned against Schlafly receiving honorary degree in the Associated Press State & Local Wire

and 3 others.

The Chicago Tribune magazine story on the conflict between Darwin and theology. Ursula Goodenough professor of biology comments on the conflict.

References:

1. Jan. 20, 2008 — The New Theology in the Chicago Tribune magazine

Legacy admissions may be elitist, says Adam Liptak, but they're not illegal.
He also says that legacy preferences in college admissions -- the nepotistic advantages given to the children of alumni -- are indefensible.
References include an article published in the WUSTL Law Review.

References:

1. Jan. 15, 2008 — A Hereditary Perk the Founding Fathers Failed to Anticipate in the The New York Times

Pine Lawn, a mostly black municipality outside St. Louis, is among a growing number of U.S. cities enacting laws that ban low-slung pants.
Critics say the bans amount to government attacks on youthful fashion that some find offensive. And constitutional scholars say they may not be lawful.
WUSTL law professor and First Amendment expert Neil Richards comments.

References:

1. — Saggy Pants Bans May Not Be Lawful in the Associated Press

and 74 others.

School leaders in the Houston area said Thursday they're not expecting a shake-up in how they assign students to campuses after a Supreme Court decision that limits the use of race.
WUSTL law professor Samuel Bagenstos comments on the ruling.

References:

1. June 28, 2007 — Houston area schools don't expect ruling to have major impact in the Houston Chronicle

A 10-year-old case about politics, free speech and privacy rights that started with an illegally recorded telephone conversation, was resolved at the D.C. federal appeals court.
WUSTL law professor Neil Richards, an expert in First Amendment and privacy law, comments on the court's decision.

References:

1. May 1, 2007 — Court Settles Fight Between Boehner, McDermott in the NPR: All Things Considered

On March 6, 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court denied slave Dred Scott his freedom, a decision that helped push a nation inflamed over slavery closer to Civil War.
Throughout St. Louis, events are being held to mark the 150th anniversary of the ruling in the court case that began in this city, and to foster new discussions about race and equality in America.
WUSTL history and law professor David Konig comments on the legacy of the decision.
WUSTL is holding a national symposium March 1-3. It aims to provide insights into American history, culture and the struggle for equality.

References:

1. Feb. 28, 2007 — St. Louis hosts events to mark anniversary of Dred Scott ruling in the Associated Press State & Local Wire

and 8 others.

Transcript of Morning Edition program on the free speech rights of bloggers that came before a federal court on Wednesday.
WUSTL law professor Neil Richards comments on whether individual bloggers deserve the same protections as the established media.

References:

1. Jan. 17, 2007 — Documents Leaked to Web Prompt First-Amendment Debate in the NPR Morning Edition (transcript)

and 1 others.

Snigdha Prakash reports on a case before a federal judge that could determine if bloggers have the same free speech rights as traditional media. WUSTL law professor Neil Richards comments.

References:

1. — Leaked Documents Spur First-Amendment Debate in the NPR Morning Edition

Article on the increasingly common attack fare in news releases from political operatives desperate to spin news coverage to their advantage.
WUSTL political rhetoric expert Wayne Fields, who directs the American Culture Studies program, says these tactics threaten to drain the substance out of political debate.

References:

1. July 25, 2006 — Political pros sharpen their knives in press release wars in the Associated Press State & Local Wire

and 5 others.

Several hundred Parisians gathered at City Hall yesterday to pay tribute to a French army captain, Alfred Dreyfus,who was convicted wrongly of treason in a trial that divided France more than a century ago. Anti-Semitism and assimilation are still controversial subjects in France today. WUSTL anthropology professor John Bowen comments.

References:

1. July 7, 2006 — Secularism, the French & Alfred Dreyfus in the The New York Sun