Some heavy reading on the death penalty.

Judge Richard Kopf has an terrific post (first and third definitions) on his blog, Hercules and the Umpire today. It concerns the death penalty and the execution of people who are "factually," i.e., actually, innocent. I'll do a poor job of summarizing the post in a minute but you should really read the post and then click back to this. I'll wait.

Blogging judges and unctous lawyers.

Richard G. Kopf, a United States District Court Judge for the District of Nebraska, has a blog called Hercules and the Umpire in which Judge Kopf posts about the role of the federal trial judge.  It is worth a look.  I particularly enjoyed this post about Mr. Torvik's fellow Packer fan Paul Clement.  The lick-spittle way that Mr. Clement tries to re-ingratiate himself with Justice Sotomayor after insulting her is a nice example of why people dislike lawyers.  It is also a reminder that some very accomplished people have the social skills of a fencepost.  Anyway read the post and then insert your own joke about Packer fans here.

I'm glad to learn of Judge Kopf's blog as it is nice to know that Mr. Torvik and I can continue this blog once President Obama rectifies his inexplicable failure to nominate us to the federal bench.