Millions in the United States have impaired vision because of uncorrected refractive error, and many suffer vision impairment even after correction. A great many people cannot read small font or “the fine print.” Fantastic (but worrisome) examples of how those with different visual-related print disabilities struggle with print text are included in this informative, one-hour…
A strong model for “translating” image Tweets and emojis into text-based legal writing
Federal District Court Judge William L. Campbell, Jr. (Middle District, Tennessee) just issued a written opinion that effectively models how to translate Tweet and emoji images into understandable text-based legal writing. The Complaint’s Exhibit B image was the original product the judge had to work with. The imaged Tweet and its content were important for…
The “honest old minister” was the first to lie to the Emperor about the new clothes—an analogy miss
“Truth” or some form of that root appears no less than 30 times in the Diocese of Lansing’s written objection to the Michigan Supreme Court’s ADM File No. 2022-03 personal-pronoun proposal. Proposal background: Party and attorney pronouns would be allowed on the first part of every Michigan court document caption and . . . Parties…
Process design and implementation that works can take a lot of testing. And that’s okay. Ask Chick-fil-A.
The Washington Post’s recent Chick-fil-A put actual cauliflower on a sandwich—and it’s good caught my curiosity and I’m glad I stuck with it for the full read. One doesn’t have to be a fan of Chick-fil-A to appreciate the article. (Full disclosure: I’ve never tried one because the lines near mine are always crazy long…
Want emailed case-specific notifications about future orders/opinions entered in a pending Michigan Court of Appeals or Michigan Supreme Court case? Create a Google Scholar alert.
The “create alert” feature within Google Scholar’s Case law search tool is an easy way for the public to receive emailed notifications for when the Michigan Court of Appeals or Michigan Supreme Court issues new orders or opinions on specific cases. To use it, you need to have a free Google account (a gmail address)…
Three reasons why a proposed Michigan court rule that would invite and recognize self-identified pronouns does not offend the Constitution.
“If the judge wants everyone to respect and adhere to their pronoun of ‘Your Honor’ they must give the same respect they are receiving.” — Johanna C. Szalankiewicz’s written comment to the Michigan Supreme Court supporting ADM 2022-03 “When you meet a dog on the street, the owner might correct you and tell you the…
What’s next in Michigan’s criminal court costs journey when the Michigan Supreme Court asks that a specific question be briefed and practically no one does? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Immediate background The controversial MCL 769.1k that permits a sentencing judge to assess “court costs” has been one of the sticky wickets in Michigan’s ongoing conversation about how Michigan trial courts should be funded. (See for example People v Cunningham, 496 Mich 145 (2014) and the 2019 Trial Court Funding Commission Final Report.) 🚨Whether MCL…
Large font is better (really!), including for footnotes and endnotes
There is no opinion shortage about the U.S. State Department’s announced shift from the Times New Roman font to Calibri (A font feud brews after State Dept. picks Calibri over Times New Roman) This post, however, is about font size and not type. The “controversial” State Department cable also directs future written communications to use…
Why images in your writing should include numbered labels, descriptive captions, and content warnings
There are two valuable lessons from the shortcomings in how the scores of photos were included in the 845-page January 6th Report: the need for numbered image labels and descriptive captions Consider these two report pictures from the Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference: Shortfall: Missing numbered labels. Notice how these photos do not include…
A recommended read: Ann Handley’s newsletter #129
Count me in as one of Ann Handley’s newsletter subscribers. This week’s Total Annarchy newsletter (#129) includes an observation that, in a different way, reminds me of why I am going to miss reading (now-retired) Justice Bridget McCormack’s writings from the Michigan Supreme Court: Instead, this story is about the staying power of something more…