“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
-Albert Einstein (attributed)
Most of my blog posts are summaries of recent cases. I try to make these summaries accessible to non-lawyer readers, but also detailed enough that a practitioner would know the essential holding of the case and what legal doctrines the case involves. I also try to make them short enough to be read in a minute or two, simplifying without over-simplifying. Overall, this is a difficult task, and I may not always succeed!
In selecting cases to write about, here are some of the things I look for:
- the case announces a new rule of law, or clarifies an existing rule;
- the case involves a close question;
- the case is unlikely to receive a lot of attention elsewhere; and
- the case is interesting to me.
Many cases are complicated. I routinely ignore some of the issues discussed in an opinion, focusing on one or two issues that satisfy the above criteria. Of course nothing is a substitute for reading the full opinion. I always provide a link.
I write these summaries myself, and errors of any sort are mine alone. I welcome feedback of any kind. You can comment below each post, or send me an email. Comments are moderated for spam control.
