A French / US research team, who analysed the outcomes of more than 4 million court cases, found that, if you’re a defendant : Having a decision on one’s birthday reduces the sentence by 4 days out of an average total sentence length of 127 days If you’re wondering why a defendant may get more […]
Tag: court
Establishment of the “Moron in a Hurry” paradigm
“A Moron in a Hurry” is a formalized legal term used in the UK and Canada and the US. It was first established in a 1978 UK court case : The Morning Star Cooperative Society v Express Newspapers Limited, and subsequently reaffirmed by Alfred Thompson “Tom” Denning, OM, PC, DL (Baron Denning,) [pictured] in the case […]
Taking Laughter Seriously at the Supreme Court [study update]
Studies into possible implications of laughter episodes at the US Supreme Court were initiated in 2005 by Professor Jay D. Wexler (Boston University School of Law) who was the first to calculate the ‘Laughter Episodes Instigated Per Argument Average’ (LEIPAA) from the records of court proceedings. Details here in a 2016 Improbable Article. Then, in 2019, […]
Recalling the US Fifth Circuit’s first ‘Haircut’ case
If you have been wondering along the lines of – ‘When was the first haircut case heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ?’ The answer could well be : Ferrell v. Dallas Independent School District, 261 F. Supp. 545 (N.D. Tex. 1966) The Ferrell plaintiffs were members of a […]
