Nan Aron on Huffington Post: The 111th Congress wrapped up its business last night, and a last-minute flurry of action resulted in some important victories for the Administration and its allies, especially the long-overdue repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Discrimination and hate should never be enshrined in our laws and it is heartening to see our nation move one step closer to the day when all Americans are treated fairly and equally.But in spite of this wonderful victory, and the passage of other important legislation, one very important thing was left undone as a result of unrelenting...
Now you tell us, Senator Specter!
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chief justice john roberts
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justice alito
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senator specter
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supreme court
Senate Confirms Two District Court Nominees
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judicial nominations
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judicial selection
Sears was even a lousy dirt play?
The New York Times had a good piece on the five year anniversary of Kmart buying Sears and becoming Sears Holdings. At the time, I said that Edward Lampert's acquisition of the retailing icon was as much a real estate acquisition as it was a retail deal.Unfortunately on the retail side, the attitude of many people is, as the last sentence of the piece states succinctly, “Honestly, I’d rather go to Target.” Sears and Kmart are still doing poorly, and many think the future -- if there is one -- lies in the Sears strategy of trying to become an Amazon.com style retailer. (Go it...
Senate Confirms Eight Nominees Over Weekend
This weekend the Senate confirmed 8 judicial nominees: Albert Diaz to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (voice vote) Raymond Lohier to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals (92-0) Ellen Lipton Hollander to the District of Maryland (95-0) Edmond E-Min Chang to the Northern District of Illinois (voice vote) Leslie E. Kobayashi to the District of Hawaii (voice vote) Carlton W. Reeves to the Southern District of Mississippi (voice vote) Denise Jefferson Casper to the District of Massachusetts (voice vote) Susan Richard Nelson to the District of Minnesota (voice vote) With the...
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judicial nominations
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judicial selection
Alliance for Justice Hails "Don't Ask Don't Tell" Vote and Calls for Swift Implementation
Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron issued the following statement on the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that has prevented gay and lesbian Americans from serving openly in the military: The long-overdue repeal of the military’s reprehensible “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is a heartening step forward in our nation’s progress toward a society unequivocally rooted in fairness and equality for every citizen. There must never be a place in our laws for officially sanctioned discrimination, and this action will help wipe away the stain of a policy that has done so much damage...
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don't ask don't tell
New York Times Reports on the Corporate Court
The New York Times this weekend reported on the Roberts Court’s corporate favoritism, noting that the Chamber of Commerce enjoys significantly disproportionate influence in business cases before the Court. The article details the concerted effort that the conservative big business group has undertaken over the past 40 years to gain influence before the Court – an idea initially propounded by Justice Lewis Powell. Robin Conrad, executive vice-president of the Chamber, touted the Court’s pro-corporate bias noting that “[t]here has been a return on investment, not to sound too crass.” The article...
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roberts court
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the corporate court
Senate confirms four judicial nominees
Last night the Senate confirmed four of the 38 judicial nominees pending on the senate floor: Kimberly Mueller, nominee to the Eastern District of California, James Bredar, nominee to the District of Maryland, Catherine Eagles, nominee to the Middle District of North Carolina, and John Gibney, nominee to the Eastern District of Virginia.Politico reports:'Regan Lachapelle, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that the four confirmations Thursday are "just a start" to clearing the backlog during this session."We are still working through the list and are committed to confirming...
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judicial nominees
E-ticket deals in a B-ticket market?
I could not resist the old Disneyland ticket system analogy in thinking about the Chicago market right now. (For you younger folks, search the term and you will understand.)The great news in Chicago? Two trophy properties are trading. The Hyatt Center is under contract to The Irvine Company (Billionaire Donald Bren is the long time head of TIC) at what is understood to be just over a 6-cap, or $625 million/$419 per square foot. I suppose that is not a B-ticket price for that great property. Then you have 353 North Clark trading from a Mesirow/Friedman Properties...
Nan Aron Joins Senator Tom Harkin to Call for Senate Rules Reform
“We’ve all been involved in fights over judicial appointments, but what’s happening now is well beyond anything we’ve ever encountered. There is nothing that can possibly justify this abuse of the process and the traditions of the Senate,” Nan Aron said today at a panel on Senate rules reform organized by Common Cause. The panel, “Shackled Senate: How the Filibuster is Holding Hostage our Congress, A Case for Senate Rules Reform,” took place this morning at the National Press Club and featured remarks from Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), who expressed his frustration at the misuse of the filibuster...
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judicial nominations
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senate rules reform
AFJ Opposes Blanket Ban on Transfer of Guantanamo Detainees for Criminal Prosecution
This morning the Senate introduced an omnibus spending bill for 2011 which includes a provision preventing Guantanamo detainees from being transferred to the U.S. – even for purposes of prosecution. This blanket ban would override the executive branch’s prerogative to decide the best forum to try suspected terrorists and prevent the Obama Administration from obtaining criminal prosecutions in federal courts. Under current law, Guantanamo detainees cannot be transferred to the United States, except for purposes of criminal prosecution.Alliance for Justice recently joined a broad coalition of...
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guantanamo
AFJ Decries District Court Ruling on the Constitutionality of Health Care Law
Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron issued the following statement today on the ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson that portions of the health care law passed by Congress earlier this year are unconstitutional:If anyone needed proof that judges matter and that the current battle in the Senate over judicial nominations is a fight worth having, they need look no farther than today’s ruling by Judge Henry Hudson, a former conservative Republican politician from Virginia, on a lawsuit filed by a current conservative Republican politician from Virginia, state Attorney General...
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health care
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judges
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judicial nominations
Liquidated damages
In my first year Contracts class in law school, we learned about liquidated damages; i.e. a clause stating that a certain amount of money is a reasonable estimate of a party's damages in the event of a default and that, in lieu of litigating the question of damages, the stipulated amount will serve as actual damages and not as a penalty. Liquidated damages play an important role in many real estate contracts. I like them for both sides. It can limit the buyer's downside and quantify the seller's compensation if a deal goes bust. Most every big deal I run across has...
House Judiciary Committee Calls For Torture Accountability
Representative John Conyers (D-Mich.) yesterday called on President Obama to investigate and prosecute Bush officials who authorized torture. Conyers, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, presided over a hearing on “Civil Liberties and National Security.” Conyers noted that President Obama has made some positive steps, such as banning torture and the use of secret “black sites,” but called on the President to investigate those who approved or ordered crimes such as torture and waterboarding.Representative Conyers noted that such an investigation should include those who were responsible...
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torture accountability
Activists organize screenings of Crude Justice throughout the country
Last Tuesday was the deadline for Gulf Coast residents impacted by the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig to file claims for emergency payments from the BP compensation fund administered by Kenneth Feinberg. More than 400,000 claims were filed before the deadline, and approximately 150,000 individuals and businesses have received an estimated $2.2 billion. The next phase in this process is the negotiation of lump-sum final settlements for those affected by the spill, a process which will play out over the course of three years. This fall, AFJ released Crude Justice, a short documentary...
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crude justice
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deepwater horizon
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kenneth feinberg
A quick note of thanks....
If you look at the blog regularly but do not follow me on Twitter, you will see my updates here on the right of your screen. I use Twitter for short thoughts (duh) and quick information about what is going on in real estate that interests me. Long form writing, of course, will remain here.I just wanted to take a moment to thank one of the better bloggers and Twitter folks out there, Duke Long, for including me in his list of the Top 50 Commercial Real Estate People You Must Follow on Twitter. I appreciate the recognition and will try to live up to those standard...