Archive for the 'General Commentary' Category

SCHOOL IS OUT FOR THE HOLIDAYS

December 23rd, 2011 by Leonard Birdsong


Professor Birdsong has worked very hard this past semester at school and on the blog.

As of today school is officially out for the holidays.  He will return with more Weird Criminal Law Stories and some Refugee Law Student Papers when classes resume on January 9, 20112.

Mr. Hornstein on Equal Protection for Some

September 13th, 2011 by Leonard Birdsong


 Raymond Hornstein, one of Professor Birdsong’s brightest students, has written an interesting and provocative paper concerning the Fourteenth Amendment to the  U.S. Constitution.  Does it provide equal protection for all — or just for some?  Mr. Hornstein has given me permission to post his work on my blog. Read and enjoy.

The Fourteenth Amendment; Equal Protection for Some:

In regards to the rights of Homosexuals in the United States

Raymond H. Hornstein

I. Introduction

            Section 1 of the United States Constitution clearly states: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws (Emphasis added).[1]

            The Fourteenth Amendment came as one of the Reconstruction Amendments and was adopted in June of 1868 in an attempt to guarantee certain protections for the recently emancipated slaves at the end of the Civil War. The Amendment went on to be the justification for the repeal of American segregation in the landmark decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka[2] , as well as guaranteeing equal rights to women under the Equal Pay Act of 1963.[3]

            The Fourteenth Amendment has gone on to become the one of the most cited

Professor Birdsong is In Spain

June 13th, 2011 by Leonard Birdsong


Professor Birdsong is teaching a course in Comparative Immigration Law  this month in the St. Thomas Law School and Barry Law School joint program held each summer in El Escorial, Spain. El Escorial is 40 mile northwest of Madrid.
Look for new blog postings on my return home starting in August, 2011. In the meantime you may purchase my book “Professor Birdsong’s Zany But All True Criminal Law Stories.”  You can find it on Amazon.com in soft cover or as an e-book.

Professor Birdsong is Teaching in Spain

June 6th, 2011 by Leonard Birdsong


Hello readers there will be few blogs posts this summer because I will be teaching in Spain and then traveling through Europe.
Last Monday I began teaching a course in Comparative Immigration Law in the St. Thomas Law School and Barry Law School joint program held each summer in El Escorial, Spain. El Escorial is 40 mile northwest of Madrid. Look for new postings  on my return home starting in August, 2011. In the meantime you may purchase my book “Professor Birdsong’s Zany But All True Criminal Law Stories.”  You can find it on Amazon.com in soft cover or as an e-book.

Professor Birdsong in Europe

May 30th, 2011 by Leonard Birdsong


Hello Professor Birdsong’s blog readers.  There will be few blogs posts this summer because I will be teaching in Spain and then traveling through Europe. On today, Monday, May 30, I begin teaching a course in Comparative Immigration Law in the St. Thomas Law School and Barry Law School joint program held each summer in El Escorial, Spain. El Escorial is 40 miles northwest of Madrid. Look for new postings  on my return home starting in August, 2011. In the meantime you can purchase my book “Professor Birdsong’s Zany But All True Criminal Law Stories.”  You can find it on Amazon.com in soft cover or as an e-book.