Friend of the Court
May judges judge their friends? Adapted from the writings of Dayan Yitzhak Grossman August 27, 2020 A coalition of nine progressive groups has released a statement calling on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh to recuse himself from an upcoming case…
Whether Vain: The Story of Tu B’Av
Adapted from the writings of Dayan Yitzhak Grossman August 5, 2020 The Mishnah relates: Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: There were no days as joyous for the Jewish people as the fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur, on which…
Courting Disaster: The Judge’s Duty of Dauntlessness
Adapted from the writings of Dayan Yitzhak Grossman July 29, 2020 On July 19, a man knocked at the door of the New Jersey home of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas. When the door was opened, he fired multiple shots,…
Declarative Sentences: Exploring The Executive Function
Why punish wrongdoing? Adapted from the writings of Dayan Yitzhak Grossman July 23, 2020 One of the fundamental issues raised by the fatal police shooting of Rayshard Brooks (as well as by the recent federal execution, the first in seventeen…
The Prevent Defense: In Search of a Clean Shoot
Was the Rayshard Brooks shooting justified? Adapted from the writings of Dayan Yitzhak Grossman July 16, 2020 Last week's article on the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks by Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe discussed the self-defense defense—the law of rodef,…
Defense Mechanism: The Shooting of Rayshard Brooks
In pursuit of the self-defense defense Adapted from the writings of Dayan Yitzhak Grossman July 9, 2020 Last week, in discussing the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks by Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe, we addressed the liability of a government…
Police Protection: Are Officers Liable for Injuries They Inflict?
Adapted from the writings of Dayan Yitzhak Grossman July 2, 2020 On June 12, Atlanta Police Department officers Garrett Rolfe and Devin Brosnan were attempting to handcuff Rayshard Brooks and arrest him for driving while under the influence of alcohol.…
Rallying Point: For Demonstration Purposes Only
Need we beware the strides of march? Adapted from the writings of Dayan Yitzhak Grossman June 25, 2020 For the past several weeks, the United States has experienced widespread protests, as well as rioting and looting. In this article, we…
Going Public: Unauthorized Disclosure in Halacha
May secrets be revealed for the public good? Adapted from the writings of Dayan Yitzhak Grossman June 11, 2020 In the previous issue (tinyurl.com/y7ergrhk), we noted that software-based contact tracing of those infected by COVID-19 might entail privacy violations, and…