Perils of being the child of a lawyer: you can ask literally any question trying to shock us and you will not shock us, we have heard it all 1000 times over

If you are/were a college student curious about voting and how elections work, what would you want to know? (I get to chat with students at my alma mater next week, which is one of my favorite parts of election season.)

When left to my own devices I'm a second shifter. During early covid I would basically sleep 3 am-11 am and do my most productive work at night.

Anyone else feel like they're eating bowls full of Stupid Flakes every morning this week or is it just me?

Tinder: Let me scan your camera roll to determine what you're into My Camera Roll: mostly accidental photos of the inside of my bag and screenshots of my lock screen

"You are awkward. You will not outgrow it. You will always need to be hyper-aware of where the mic cord is. You will always say "you too!" when the ticket taker tells you to enjoy the show. You will learn to lean into it. And it will be great."

Hair metal, then grunge Guess? jeans and shoes you could pump Hypercolor and splatter paint (not together, each for a minute) Big hair and big shoulders The original Nintendo and later, GameBoys Novelty phones "Heroin chic" Rampant low-grade workplace sexual harassment

Malls of all sizes. Bowling alleys. Denny's. Glencoe Beach in nice weather. Under a particular highway overpass. Now most of those are too expensive (even the beach charges admission now in the summer), or require chaperones after 3 pm, or have a much higher police presence.

This is unrelated, but "counsel, are you testifying?" or words to that effect came out from OC in an argument at SCOWIS a few years ago and I don't remember if that was before or after he addressed the Court as "you guys" and I am just proud I did not crack up at any of it even though it was close

I've had my share of "really, counsel? 🙄" inquiries from all kinds of referees and judges (comes with the territory) but this is next level and I would simply walk into Lake Michigan and keep walking after this

I was a little adult, to the point where a camp counselor pulled me aside and tried to figure out why I was how I was. Girls in the 1980s who did well in school and weren't disruptive were not evaluated for neurodivergence, part 27,891.

"I've been to the 7th Circuit, it's one step below the Supreme Court"--something you can tell a non-lawyer client that is absolutely true and sounds very impressive, even though your only experience there is third-chairing a case against a pro se sovereign citizen

Like every high school sophomore in the Chicago suburbs in the 20th century, we went to the Robert Crown Health Center to watch movies of childbirth and late stage syphilis to scare us from having sex

Welp, Milwaukee has a snow day tomorrow

It's that time of year again--when the reels for Passover Sushi (matzoh dipped in egg and griddled, then rolled with sushi fillings) start showing up. Why? Why do this to yourself? They make passover nori. If you're not eating kitniyot you can do it without the rice or maybe use cauliflower.

A few years back I represented a candidate (for a suburban aldermanic seat) who had lost by one vote (and the one vote was a provisional--rare in Wisconsin--that was successfully cured). The recount did not change the outcome but it was still an object lesson in "every vote counts."

"Tie goes to the runner. And that's hopefully the last sports metaphor I'll say in this courtroom." -- I always have a "welp I guess I said that out loud" thing at an argument and this was Wednesday's

Me, today: everything and everyone across all time and space, including but not limited to me, opposing counsel, all seven members of the Court, this cup of coffee, the way the toilet paper has been put on the holder, the weather, the weather forecast, and the grammar in this post is wrong

No--perhaps this is me being unsentimental, but I loathe the concept of "making memories." It's commodified doing things. Just do things. Our experiences inform who we are, and things we don't remember (we were too young, it was traumatic, or maybe it was minor at the time) are part of that too.

Me, yesterday night: "I know I'm going to be mostly feeling like I got hit by a truck tomorrow night, it is an incredibly predictable response" Me, tonight: "Well this is rude"

If you get to do cool things like state Supreme Court arguments, bring a young lawyer or two. It doesn’t matter if you can bill for them. Bring them anyway. 10/10, would recommend.

I am now at the “eating my salad because the argument is over” part of the argument prep

I am now at the “my argument should be over by now and instead it hasn’t even started yet because the last one has gone an hour long” part of the argument prep

I am now at the “dude, my moms is arguing with the Supreme Court tomorrow, I gotta shut the fuck up” discussion between 15 and his friends on the gaming headset part of argument prep (Which is the last part, as I am going to bed)

I am now at the "what the hell got into you?" remarks from 15 part of argument prep

This is an interesting question. I think some empathy is innate but expressing it appropriately is learned. I've learned to mask and mirror, basically. (Girls were not evaluated for neurodivergence in the 1980s if they were good at school and not disruptive, why do you ask?)

I am now at the "garment steamer does not work unless you turn it on" part of argument prep

I am now at the "brains are stupid and I hate them" part of argument prep

I am at that very familiar point in argument prep where I wish the argument was today or three months from now

Outpost, I love you, but dear lord your deli salads are terrible

Imagine how little self-respect a grown adult in an ostensible position of power must have to walk around in a pair of obviously ill-fitting shoes to avoid angering their boss

"Let us know if you need a Zoom link for Wednesday's board meeting." "I will be on Zoom for quorum purposes but I cannot guarantee I will be helpful. You leave oral argument feeling 50% like you're on a cloud and 50% like you got hit by a truck, but by the end of the day it's all truck."

My late colleague used to refer to the candidates and officials he represented who got in trouble as "people who have had a misunderstanding with the government."

I’ve got “ good morning, Madame Chief Justice, may please the court” on my paper so I guess that’s a start

By definition I will never be on a manel but I've definitely been the only woman, and I've been asked to be a "diversity speaker" (I am a middle age white Jewish woman, we are not underrepresented in law) which I decline. But I get to be on a 4-woman panel in May, which I think is a first.

When I have the chance to quote with a Nick Cave song, I will quote with a Nick Cave song. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKq3...

This is interesting. I'm not an academic, and I went to law school as an older student without a lot of exposure to what law school and law practice would look like. I wasn't looking for a prestige job, just a job. I graded on to law review and accepted because I was "supposed to." 1/

I'm listening to some attorney discipline arguments (as is a nervous habit of mine in advance of my own) and the attorney arguing for the disciplinary agency keeps pronouncing "subpoenas" as "sup-peonies" so at least I'm not going to do that

I have both hugged and said the f-word to/in front of the majority of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin as well as its most recent retiree

Me to world: Hey I'm gonna be scarce next week, got a big professional thing Wednesday then I'm out the rest of the week World: Might I introduce you to another massively time sensitive new thing every 20 minutes for the next two days?

you know what, let the door hit you on the way out, it's the least we could do

You know shit’s getting real next week: I’m getting a haircut

One was a shop teacher and later a school administrator; the other was a baker. Both served in the Pacific in WWII (the baker was a Coast Guard shuttle boat pilot, the shop teacher had an administrative support type job on a Navy ship).

"Hey Stacie, have you heard about this? You've been quiet." "What, you couldn't hear the sound of me banging my head on my desk 156 times in a row from where you are?"

Everything may be on fire but I get to introduce my first-year associate to oral argument at SCOWIS next week, and perhaps just as importantly, to post-argument lunch at the Old Fashioned next week, so that has to count for something.

Ain’t no party like an ex parte

The people decrying Harris (who is now a private citizen) for "fighting fascism through my book tour" somehow think that's different from Sanders (who at all times relevant has been a Senator) doing a "fighting fascism through my fighting oligarchy tour, here's a link to my merch."

Update on my dad's efforts as the election organizer at his senior living facility: last week he helped the grandmas with their mailed ballots and tomorrow they've got a bus going to an early voting site

This is like the area behind your tradeshow booth where you keep the extra lit and a pair of shoes that isn’t quite as bad on the concrete floor

I just saw a job listing for an editing job I had in the early aughts (though now it's a lot more Internet-focused) and it is paying $6,000 more in actual dollars than I got 25 years ago. Yikes.