Imagine he supports Russian threats rather than fearing them, and it all makes sense.

Thatcher wrote in her memoirs: “I was to have many disputes with President Mitterrand in later years. But I never forgot the debt we owed him for his personal support throughout the Falklands crisis.” Defence Secretary John Nott: “In so many ways Mitterrand and the French were our greatest allies”.

If he were at all serious about the Greenland threat from Russia and China, his threats and stupid tariffs would be against Russia and China. Some unknown allegiance or influence makes Trump threaten and undermine Europe and NATO instead, objectively serving Putin’s strategic interests.

The tariffs (other than the steel ones) aren't lawful. The IEEPA doesn't authorise this on any reasonable reading of its provisions. SCOTUS should decide that. Indeed it should have decided that already, but there must be disagreement.

It must be worth the Nobel people changing things so that recipients make a legally binding agreement not only that the medal cannot be transferred, but that it remains the property of Nobel and must be returned if required.

Lord Reed is just a great lawyer. The best lawyer we've had as President, and one of the great judges of the last 50 years. At least Sales will presumably replace him as President. supremecourt.uk/news/lord-re...

If anyone out there really is thinking of bringing Gordon Brown back, for pity's sake put him on the economy or poverty and keep him well away from the constitution.

Jenrick's sacking is a huge opportunity for the Conservatives to reject Farage-Brexitism for good, rediscover its more moderate and sensible tradition, and heal. But I don't think the leader has the insight or capacity even to consider it.

In The Traitors it seems to be widely believed that a barrister (or ex barrister) must have extraordinary powers of telling truth from lie, and superhuman persuasive and strategic skill. A belief Harriet did her level best to demolish tonight.

I mentioned earlier today that I had done a watercolour of the London Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand. This is it from 1993 (see alt text). I did several paintings wandering up and down the Strand and also in the Inns of Court. #London #TheStrand #watercolour #ink

Sir Nicholas Mostyn's obituary of Sir James Munby for the Financial Remedies Journal,

Do courts bother to consider applications to vacate hearings any more? I've had multiple cases where we've applied to change a hearing date, chased the court multiple times, but no response has been received and no decision has been made by the time of the hearing.

there should be some sort of rule prohibiting describing the politicians who held roles in the Johnson interregnum period (after everyone resigned and before the Truss interregnum) as really holding the office they were appointed to for 6 weeks or so.

My wishlist for the next Master of the Rolls: 1) A particular interest in cases outside the High Court. 2) A focus on boring IT like document management systems rather than blue-sky-thinking. 3) Someone who has practised as a mediator. What about yours?

Turner/Constable exhibit. Only painting behind perspex so that you cant see it properly because of the reflection. A condition imposed by the gallery lending to the Tate. Presumably, other galleries are now refusing to lend at all. Thanks a lot Just Stop Oil.

Tributes pour in for Sir James Munby, the former head of the family division of the High Court, who died suddenly on new year's days -- in the @lawsocgazette. www.lawgazette.co.uk/practice/mor...

I'm far from expert on trade mark law, but doesn't he also face the problem that the words at least in his mark "Cambridge Rowing" seem more descriptive than distinctive?

I am very sad about this. James Munby was not just clever and driven, he was also funny and kind.

The Supreme Court is again assuming (I think) that a decision it makes binds all UK legal systems (except Scotland in crime). But I never quite see how that stands with Constit Reform Act 2005 s 41(2) - a decision is that of a court of the part of the UK the appeal comes from. R (Jwanczuk) v SoSWP.

But what if Maduro’s involvement in the drug trade was an “official act”?

I think it's in episode 1, which apparently went out at New Year, that the Doctor enjoys some wine and gorgonzola. And when I was a nipper around then, I remember stinky gorgonzola being a staple joke in comics. Maybe there was a fad for it in early 70s Britain.

Watched Back to the Future 1-3 with the kids yesterday as we were waiting for the New Year. The portrayal of Biff Tannen as a grotesque, sexist, criminal millionaire who has taken over America now seems painfully prescient rather than comedic. The parallels (also optically) are mind boggling.

I’ve been saying for a while that it’d be great if you could watch The Traitors without knowing who they were. The BBC have granted my wish in part so I should be happy now. But I wonder if this way of doing it will improve the game, or detract from it.

Good thread of comments here on advocacy undertaken by Government Law Officers. bsky.app/profile/giff...

As I wrote here in 2021, the last three British judges to serve as members of the EU judiciary were snubbed by last Conservative government. Finally, all have received the recognition they deserved. rozenberg.substack.com/p/injustices...

Having had a day to think through everything about El-Fattah, here's where I stand. Yes, it's possible to believe all of these things at once! In fact, it really shouldn't be that hard.

I think it's obvious Putin has some hold over Trump, even if a purely psychological one, that makes Trump a Russian asset objectively speaking. I wonder if we'll ever know what the nature of the hold is, whether psychological, ideological, financial, "kompromat", or what.

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Today is my final day as the Standard's Courts Correspondent After a decade, it's time for a new challenge I'll continue to cover the courts & remain obsessed with open justice The joy of this job has been working with very talented & hard-working people who I will miss a lot

This is wholly unsurprising but absolutely appalling. This is like concluding a coin always lands on heads because every time it lands on tails you discard the result. And, I am afraid, yet again, this is a symptom of volunteer Magistrates just not getting it.

Progress update from IPCO. www.ipco.org.uk/news/investi...

Big donor to Boris Johnson's 2019 election campaign Murtaza Lakhani has been sanctioned by Britain for fuelling Putin's war in Ukraine. No surprise there...

Fair point, but I'd still rather have that stuff than Peroni.

Paul Marshall said he always thought there would "short-term economic downside" to Brexit. Does anyone remember him mentioning this at the time? www.ft.com/content/42b3...

Christmas carols, as written by Parliamentary lawyers

I'll say it again: if any other ethnic or religious minority said "please don't use this particular term or chant, you might not have bad intentions but it is deeply racist and threatening to us", the reaction would be mortified apology. And that's without a mass terror event four days ago

ok so maybe I was wrong when I said Putin would never invade. and maybe I was wrong when I said Putin will win in a week and we should not help. But now we’re here, and I'm going to tell you what putin is thinking, and I’m going to do it in the most patronizing way possible

this is bang on. Why would you continue to use a slogan that people actively beg you not to use?

One of those sad days when a person you remember as a toddler becomes a defendant in a case…. you check the name, place and date of birth about three times before giving up any hope that you’re possibly mistaken. The cycle continues.

CJEU, rule of law New judgment: Polish Constitutional Court is not independent, breached EU law by failing to uphold primacy of EU law 🦘🦘 curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/Jo...

I just don't believe this article. First, the supposed explanation of the barrister's test makes no sense. (This may be the author's fault). What was fed to Grok? If it was the barrister's skeleton, then what was the AI improving? If just the facts, I don't believe it. spectator.com/article/ai-w...

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Apropos of a row raging across my TL: you don't have to think that invading another European state would be either a logical or successful thing for Putin to do, to see the necessity of preparing for the attempt.

That Greenalls branding was on half the pubs in Warrington back then.

I think one reason some people feel relaxed about Putin’s Russia is that they basically imagine that him invading EU countries or starting a wider war means masses of Russian tanks simultaneously rolling westwards all along a line from Tallinn to Odessa.

Matilda

NEW - The Employment Rights bill has finally passed, after a tortured time in the Lords. Christmas cheer for ministers and trade unions

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