Happy New Academic Year. What Are We Even Doing Here Anymore?
In a week, we will open our Fall 2026 semester, and as has been the case in the last couple of semesters, we must contend with reality: much of what
Upcoming Events for Behind Ancient Bars!
Behind Ancient Bars is out in the world and, by all reports, very well received! One of my Amazon reviewers wrote: “This book is like a rock skipping over a
Are We Afraid of Our Own Compassion?
Yesterday, the CA Court of appeal ruled in Wayne Hsiung’s appeal of his conviction in a case involving the rescue of chickens from Sunrise Farms in Petaluma, CA. Wayne was
Seven Lawyers, A Taxidermied Hoopoe, Etrog Jam, and a Fertility Singalong
We spent our winter in Israel, where I taught Introduction to American Incarceration in English–the Council of Higher Education has decreed that Israeli law students should take a couple of
Death Penalty Resurrections
I used to believe, like many in the criminal justice research community, that once a country gets rid of the death penalty, it never returns (which is why I saw
Evolving Standards of Cult Perceptions
A new story in the New York Times offers an overview and a behind-the-scenes look at a new seven-episode podcast featuring Allison Mack, Keith Raniere’s second-in-command in the NXIVM cult.
Upcoming Events for Behind Ancient Bars!
Behind Ancient Bars is out in the world and, by all reports, very well received! One of my Amazon reviewers wrote: “This book is like a rock skipping over a
Seven Lawyers, A Taxidermied Hoopoe, Etrog Jam, and a Fertility Singalong
We spent our winter in Israel, where I taught Introduction to American Incarceration in English–the Council of Higher Education has decreed that Israeli law students should take a couple of
Congregational Guitar
I recently realized that I don’t post a lot about music here, though I often do post songs and tunes. It’s odd, given how important music is in my life,
Rock in the Kasvah and Torture in the Kippah: b.Sanhedrin 81-84
The last few pages on the matter of death by fire start off sensibly enough, dealing with questions of dual punishment, and then things get a bit of the rails
Transferred Intent and Hiding in a Crowd: b.Sanhedrin 79-80
Today and tomorrow’s pages address two issues on which there is plenty of writing in modern criminal law. The first is the issue of transferred intent. Usually, we look for
The Eggshell Skull and Other Causation Challenges: b.Sanhedrin 78
Today’s page features two recognized problems in criminal causation of homicide: the issue of multiple contributing factors and the problem of a preexisting condition that hastened death.[1] Today, issues of
The Quagmire of Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition
This year presented so many challenges, and the emotional and physical ones ended up being embroiled together. While dealing with unprecedented amounts of grief and stress, I was diagnosed with
Confetti Roots Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
This salad comes together in minutes and goes with everything. It’s also very pretty: the intense hues of the vegetables contrast with the mild green of the dressing. All it
Batch-Prepped Lunches!
It’s been a while since I posted about food, and not for lack of eating. With full-time parenting, full-time working, and full-time studying, I’ve had little time to make labor
On Stuffing Your Face: b.Sanhedrin 70
Today the sages continue with their project of defining the rebellious son as narrowly as possible. Part of the biblical definition of a rebellious son includes the description זוֹלֵל וְסֹבֵא,
The Geography of Eating Animals
There are plenty of instructive takes about yesterday’s presidential debate you can read in other places, but one point of contention been left unpacked. I’m talking about Trump’s scaremongering regarding
The Elusive Body Recomposition Quest
The vegan fitness world is aflutter and atwitter about a new documentary miniseries on Netflix called You Are What You Eat: A Twins Experiment. The show follows a recent Stanford