Armchair Cancel Culture

  • Law

  •  The Nevada SOS, represented by AG Aaron Ford, filed a motion to dismiss the Trump campaign’s lawsuit. [TNI]
  • No bail for DUI suspect that killed two teens. [RJ]
  • Man falsely jailed for impersonating cop sues DA and Metro. [Nevada Current]
  • Editorial: Lack of oversight, accountability plague higher education in Nevada—and what do you think about what chief of staff Dean Gould did? [Las Vegas Sun]
  • The Nevada bar exam commences today. Let us know all know below if there are any issues with it. 
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 11, 2020 5:10 pm

Good luck to all of the at-home, open book, no MBE bar exam takers today. Back in my day, I had to walk 10 miles to the bar exam. Uphill both ways. In the snow.

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
August 11, 2020 8:38 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Hilarious! Love it. Seriously, though, good luck test-takers.

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
August 12, 2020 4:22 am
Reply to  Anonymous

10:10 forgot one more hardship. The Bar Exam proctor was the villain from the old silent films–the one who would tie the girl on the railroad tracks, or foreclose on the family farm. The whole time that he supervised the exam he had a menacing grin, and evil cackle, while he twirled his handle-bar mustache.

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
August 12, 2020 4:28 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Exam-taker tells me that day 1 was: ethics; secured transactions; civ pro; torts; evidence; and community property. And it was "hard as f*ck."

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
August 11, 2020 5:19 pm

Just wondering if any of you have dealt with clients seeking to sue the Nevada State Bar after their unfair at-home, open book, no MBE bar exam. I am anticipating multiple lawsuits from failed bar takers. As a bar exam survivor myself, I desire to fight these cases to the extent possible. Thanks.

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
August 11, 2020 5:30 pm

The Dean Gould kerfuffle is being completely blown out of proportion. I watched that meeting. I know Lisa. I know Dean. The substance of her points were valid. Her speaking over people, ignoring who had the floor, refusing to comply with the meeting format was not OK. She wasn't heroic; she was rude and out of line. Dean used the wrong terms and should be upbraided for "man speak" terms but he was right on the procedure and posture. He asked her politely to comply; she refused. He asked her sternly to comply; she refused. Her microphone could and should have been muted. But this notion that she is a hero for being rude is baseless.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 11, 2020 6:07 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

I admire Dean's willingness to speak his mind, but I do think speaking to a Regent like that *in public* is crossing a pretty clear line. It's fine to criticize your bosses behind closed doors but doing it in a public meeting makes the Board/state look like a joke and invites dumb op-eds like the one linked here about how it's a symptom of our dysfunctional higher ed system.

Laughlin Constable Jordan Ross
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Laughlin Constable Jordan Ross
August 12, 2020 10:52 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

I would like to suggest that in this case style does trump substance, inasmuch as the style is substance for several good reasons. August 11, 2020 at 11:07 AM has already pointed out quite correctly that this was inappropriate for a subordinate to speak to a member of the Regents in this fashion publicly, regardless of the policy issues at hand.

My next question when hearing of this is why didn't the Chancellor intervene and stop Mr. Gould's behavior? That's less clear and it may (or may not, I couldn't immediately determine) that as a special counsel he may not report to the board through the Chancellor. If that's the case, then I understand that.

What I do not understand is where was Board Chair Mark Doubrava during all of this? Contemporaneous reports seem to imply that Mr. Gould was in many respects running the meeting. If so, this is a classic case of an elected board being co-opted by professional staff, which is especially prevalent in education. Ms. Levine's behavior may or may not have been appropriate but that's not the point I'm making here. It was not the place of Mr. Gould to correct that nor for that matter to act as though he were a member of the board; if Chair Doubrava isn't willing to keep a firm hand on the meetings, he should step down and let someone else such as Vice Chair DeCarlo take over.

As someone who has presided over a number of very large and very contentious public meetings, I understand that some people aren't comfortable with confrontation, especially with a staff member. If that's the case, they certainly have many ways to contribute to a public organization but serving as a meeting chair is perhaps not the best choice among them.

Kudos to Mr. Moran for speaking up however unpopular that may have been.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 13, 2020 4:51 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

And it is not inappropriate for a regent to speak to her staff as Lisa did? Her "manplaining" comment was unacceptable and her overall meeting behavior is abhorrent. Shame on Moran (and now our beloved constable) for not calling her out, too.

Laughlin Constable Jordan Ross
Guest
Laughlin Constable Jordan Ross
August 13, 2020 5:16 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

August 13, 2020 at 9:51 AM has a reasonable criticism of me. In my defense, I was focused on what appears to be a more systemic problem with the Regents of control and governance of the board meetings on an institutional basis. If Ms. Levine crossed a line in addressing staff, that too should be addressed and dealt with by the largely absent board chair. But her comment might be mitigated somewhat in context if her comment was meant to highlight sexist attitudes by Mr. Gould. The rule of law and public policy are generally not well served by uncivil behavior on the part of anyone.

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
August 11, 2020 5:30 pm

Please sue the bar, bunch of flickers over there.

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
August 11, 2020 5:51 pm

Fuckers, damn autocorrect

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
August 11, 2020 8:38 pm

https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/democrats-ask-federal-court-to-intervene-in-trump-lawsuit-over-mail-in-election-legislation The moving papers of the democrat party intervenors do a great job in making the case that the Trump plaintiffs, meet all justiciability criteria to be in court.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 11, 2020 9:06 pm

China's puppet Joe Biden checked the quota box today adding Kamala to his ticket. A shallow dive into the history of both shows overwhelming "which way is the wind blowing" politics. Keep America Great in 2020.

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
August 11, 2020 10:02 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Just sitting over here waiting for the obligatory "a vote against Biden/Harris is a vote against blacks/women/old people" commercials. Because, you know, it's totally inclusive and non-racist to tell people to vote for someone that looks like them.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 11, 2020 10:25 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Serious questions: (1) how did our little blog end up on the Russian tolls/bots radar? and (2) how do we get it off?

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
August 11, 2020 11:28 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Karen is a great choice!

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
August 11, 2020 11:54 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Judicial elections, vote out the Karens.
#blacklivesmatter

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 12, 2020 2:53 am
Reply to  Anonymous

But did you know Trump wants to cut $2 trillion from medicare, medicaid and social security?

Andrew Anglin
Guest
Andrew Anglin
August 12, 2020 12:24 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Saw a bumper sticker already

JOE/BLOW
2020

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
August 12, 2020 1:50 am

At 3:25
As a long time bar member, I always viewed my fellow lawyers with some respect. Nevada lawyers, for the most part, were thoughtful, open minded citizens, who valued the rule of law.
This blog has shed a new light on my perceptions.
Fair minded justice. Gone.
Rule of law. Gone.
Law over politics. Gone.
Civility. Gone.
Concern about others. Gone.
What happened to our bar?
Where did these people come from?
Did they really pass the MBE?
Do they have any concept of equal justice under the law or due process?
Do they understand their attorney's oath?
It is embarrassing and a disgrace. Is there any way to return professionalism to our profession, or have we truly become a blue collar job?
What a shame!

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
August 12, 2020 3:00 am
Reply to  Anonymous

I agree, the left's takeover of our beloved profession has had massive deleterious effects on the kinship of members of the bar.

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
August 12, 2020 4:27 am
Reply to  Anonymous

I agree. Focus on #WAP

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
August 12, 2020 6:28 am
Reply to  Anonymous

Re 8:00 P.M. and the comment of the left's takeover of our beloved profession." Really? I know just as many, if not more right-wing jackholes that are unprofessional POS. /s/ Fiscally Conservative, Socially Moderate Angry Baby-Boomer

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
August 12, 2020 8:32 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

I am socially degenerate, fiscally conservative, and the nicest attorney you will ever encounter. Bluejeans is fine but I miss the old days very much.