Teri KanefieldMay 18, 2024

Hi, Fediverse:

Whew. I finished this week's blog post. Do your thing, Mastodon.

https://terikanefield.com/beware-the-lawyers-follow-up/

It's a follow up from last week, answering some of the questions and comments I got.

In response to people telling me that I am overestimating the ability of people to decode legal news, I attempt to prove this hypothesis:

If people stop listening to legal pundits speculating, they wouldn’t feel confused and they wouldn’t think they need help from lawyers decoding the news.

1/

Beware the Lawyers (follow-up) - Teri Kanefield

Last week I summarized Peter Arenella’s 1998 piece, The Perils of Legal Punditry. Among other things, Arenella argues that much of legal punditry is “Hot air that passes for legal commentary.” If you missed it, start here. I suggested that people don’t need lawyers to decode the news. I turned off my comments and added […]

Teri Kanefield
Show threadQueen of AnxietyMay 19, 2024
@Teri_Kanefield I've been following the Karen Read trial here in MA and keeping an eye on the Idaho college student murders pre-trial activity. I've also followed a couple of other cases, now "concluded." The courts are slow. There are plenty of motions in the Idaho case not yet ruled on. This is not unusual. Knowing this has helped me a lot, but I wouldn't have known it without following some legal commentators who focus on explaining what's actually happening.
Show threadQueen of AnxietyMay 19, 2024
@Teri_Kanefield It's also not just the judges that usually side with the prosecution. The people who think Kohberger has changed his alibi, when he has always said he was out driving around, is astounding. They have been told that, and it confirms their bias that he is guilty, so they believe it and will not be swayed. The Karen Read trial seems to be an aberration in that most of the comments I have read are in her favor, and I can't help but think gender and attractiveness play a role there.
Show threadQueen of Anxiety
@Teri_Kanefield Which I wish was not a thing, but it's a thing across our whole society, so of course it's a thing in our courts as well. Many of those following the Read case think the judge is biased against the defendant, but those who think she's guilty feel the other way, so she's probably actually doing a balanced job. My mom used to say that if we were all unhappy with her, that must mean she was being fair. :D
May 19, 2024 at 1:41amWeb
Show threadQueen of AnxietyMay 19, 2024
@Teri_Kanefield On a much more important note, JJ is indeed adorable, but I admit I'm biased to my own pups, current and former. :D