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US v. Van Meerbeke ...wtf.

“Fife was called to testify on March 25, 1976. In the course of describing his exploits, he identified the suitcase that had contained the opium, which was then introduced into evidence. Fife pointed out that small pieces of opium remained in the suitcase mixed with bits of fiberglass. At some point during his testimony on March 25, Fife removed a small chip of opium from the suitcase and swallowed it. Though his action was not perceived by either prosecution or defense counsel, it was observed by the trial judge, Judge Bramwell, and possibly by some jurors as well. Judge Bramwell did not comment on Fife’s behavior or take any other action in response to this untoward incident.

When trial resumed on March 29, Fife continued his testimony. Apparently, bits of opium had fallen to the floor from the suitcase and remained in the witness box. Following a recess, a defense counsel observed Fife pick up a small piece of opium from the floor and place it in his mouth. The attorney did not immediately object, but questioned Fife about the incident during cross-examination. Fife admitted he had ingested small amounts of opium both that day and on March 25. The defendants immediately moved for a mistrial, or to strike Fife’s testimony. Judge Bramwell denied both motions, and in so doing, revealed for the first time his own observations of Fife’s behavior on March 25. He stated:

There was nothing This is a person who used a lot of drugs. It is true when the suitcase was in front of him he took a small snip, the Court saw him and the jury saw him…”

Filed under Law School 1L Law Law Student Law School Humor Law Humor

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1L. Part Deux.

First semester was rough. Quick recap: Had a few breakdowns through the semester, ended up breaking out into hives for 6 days right between my Torts and Contracts final which lead to an emergency room visit when I should’ve been studying, and in the end I had two B’s and a C. I’m totally ok with this. Am I dying on the inside over the C? Yes, I am. Will I get over it? Yes, I will. NBD.

This semester, I have Property, Civil Procedure, Lawyering Skills & Values, and Legal Study Skills.

-Property: I love my professor. She’s so sweet, and she’s from Boston and has a wicked cool accent and pronounces “idea” as “idear”. So cute. A lot of the information is familiar because I do some property stuff at work, but I’m still a little confused…especially since we’re heading into the dreaded Rule Against Perpetuities. Yikes.

-Civil Procedure: My professor has a lot of street cred in the legal world. He has done it all and seen it all, and he tells lots of stories to keep us entertained. The topic is pretty dry and hard to follow. I have a feeling I’ll be using lots of supplements. Oh, and my professor wears a bow tie every and drives a Porsche. Crazy.

-Lawyering Skills & Values: Had this last semester too with the same professor. Last semester is part one where we wrote memos and needed to be objective. This semester is our chance to argue. I like the case we’ve been given, but I’m nervous. Sometimes things seems unclear and one minute I feel behind and the next minute, I feel like I’m waiting for the next step so I can go ahead and get started on our first memo.

-Legal Study Skills: Took part one of this last semester, and this semester it’s more of a writing lab. Our instructor was a bar grader, so I’m really eager to get her feedback on our practice essays. I think I’m going to get a lot from this class. Really excited about it.

I’m also really getting involved this semester. I’m in a slew of student organizations and on the board for one of them. It’s really exciting, and I feel like I’m really settling into my surroundings. So that’s it for now. I’m already counting down to spring break!

Filed under Law School 1L Law Law Student Law School Humor Law Humor