Shon R. Hopwood

Shon R. Hopwood

shonhopwood@hotmail.com

Website: http://www.thecocklebur.com

Shon R Hopwood’s unusual legal journey began not at law school, but federal prison, where he learned to write briefs for other prisoners. Two petitions for certiorari he prepared were later granted review by the United States Supreme Court, and the story of his legal success was the subject of articles in the New York Times, the Saturday Evening Post, and Above the Law. His work has been published in the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties and Fordham Law Reviews.

He is a consultant at Cockle Law Brief Printing Company, and a student and Gates Public Service Scholar at the University of Washington School of Law.

In August of 2012, Crown/Random House will publish his memoir entitled "Law Man: My Story of Robbing Banks, Winning Supreme Cases and Finding Redemption."

Through a decade of letters, Shon convinced his kind and beautiful wife, Ann Marie, to marry him. He has one cute but incredibly ornery son, Mark Raymond, and a precious and beautiful baby girl, Grace. Shon enjoys liberty, the writing of the Apostle Paul, Amy Hempel, and Raymond Carver, the music of Radiohead, and watching the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.

Shon R. Hopwood

Shon R Hopwood’s unusual legal journey began not at law school, but federal prison, where he learned to write briefs for other prisoners. Two petitions for certiorari he prepared were later granted review by the United States Supreme Court, and the story of his legal success was the subject of articles in the New York Times, the Saturday Evening Post, and Above the Law. His work has been published in the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties and Fordham Law Reviews.

He is a consultant at Cockle Law Brief Printing Company, and a student and Gates Public Service Scholar at the University of Washington School of Law.

In August of 2012, Crown/Random House will publish his memoir entitled “Law Man: My Story of Robbing Banks, Winning Supreme Cases and Finding Redemption.”

Through a decade of letters, Shon convinced his kind and beautiful wife, Ann Marie, to marry him. He has one cute but incredibly ornery son, Mark Raymond, and a precious and beautiful baby girl, Grace. Shon enjoys liberty, the writing of the Apostle Paul, Amy Hempel, and Raymond Carver, the music of Radiohead, and watching the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.

Recent Posts:

The Latest in Legal Media Coverage

The New York Times’ reporting has been legal-heavy in the past week. Emily Bazelon, normally of Slate, covered the subject of shaken-baby syndrome and how that crime is proved in court. Adam Liptak discusses the possibility that the Supreme Court could lose its reputation for impartiality if the Court rules in a partisan way on the Obama health care bill. [...]

A Non-Political View of the Commerce Clause and Health Care

Ever since Federal Judge Vinson struck down the Affordable Care Act, the legal blogosphere has been saturated with various arguments as to what the Commerce Clause should mean. I do not pretend to know whether or not the Affordable Care Act is good for the country, or, even if it is good for my family—a family that earns a very middle of the road income, that has a wife that is next to uncoverable, and has one child and another on the

The Solo Practitioner

On January 25th, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Fordham Law Review Symposium. Everyone that my wife, Annie, and I met from Fordham was gracious and welcoming. The topic of the discussion was the difficulties faced by pro se litigants, and it was enlightening to hear the varying perspectives; from Federal Judge James Francis, who must routinely deal with pro se prisoners filing civil suits to Columbia Professor Brett Dignam, who has been involved with prisoner rights litigation for over 20 years. I think the law profession, generally, tends to discount pro se litigants but that was not the feeling around the room on this night.

Another Great Read from Dahlia Lithwick

Dahlia Lithwick from Slate posted another great piece yesterday on whether Republican-appointed Justices should or should not attend the State of the Union address. To read the piece click here.

A Plea for a New Crack Law; A Prisoner Sues the Kardashian Sisters; An Economy of Tinned Mackerel; and Death Row Honey Buns

Earlier in the week, Julie Stewart, from the Families Against Mandatory Minimums, urged members of Congress and the President to pass a new law making the changes to crack cocaine sentencing retroactively applicable to federal prisoners. Courtesy of the Huffington Post, Ms. Stewart pleaded for new legislation, stating that:

Fordham Law Review Symposium on January 25th

The “Solo Practitioner”: Pro Se Litigants and Their Obstacles to Justice A panel discussion hosted by the Fordham Law Review On January 25th, I will be speaking about pro se litigation at the Fordham Law Review Symposium. My esteemed co-panelists will include: Judge James C. Francis, a federal Magistrate for the Southern District of New [...]

A Provacative Example of Parenting from Yale Law Professor Amy Chua

This week has seen a media storm over Yale law professor Amy Chua's new book, entitled "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother." Chua started the debate herself with her Wall Street Journal essay relating her experiences raising two daughters the "traditional" Chinese way. Chua later responded to reader's questions in the WSJ and during her appearance on The Today Show. By week's end coverage of her book made its way to Slate, Above the Law, the Boston Globe, Time magazine, NPR, the the Huffington Post. I found the furor over Professor Chua's book to be misguided. If anything, her book provoked, besides hostility, a debate over the proper role of parents in guiding their children. And in a country of parentless children, I find it disheartening that some would say she is not fit to raise children. She, at the very least, played an active role in children's formative years, which is more than most can claim.

A Rat Bites an Inmate’s Penis and other Prisoner News for the Week

This is the first of many posts covering a legal issue that is very important to me, to 2 million of its members, and to many more millions of the members’ families: prisoner news. A former inmate at the Nassau County Correctional Center in Long Island, New York, filed a law suit alleging that the [...]

The New York Times Covers MacDonald v. Johnson

Last week I wrote about a case that Cockle Contributor Jacob Huebert and I are involved with that is before the U.S. Supreme Court. The case involves a Lawrence v. Texas/due process challenge to the application of a state sodomy statute. Today, Adam Liptak at the New York Times continues the discussion–the article is entitled, “A Place on [...]

More Scary News for those Applying to Law Schools

David Segal published a piece at the New York Times today that started with this sentence: "IF there is ever a class in how to remain calm while trapped beneath $250,000 in loans, Michael Wallerstein ought to teach it." Guess how this Mr. Wallerstein ended up in such financial woes: bad stock investments, subprime housing, or toxic mutual funds? No. He went to three years of law school and now has no employment prospects.

Recent Comments:

Shon R. Hopwood
I meant to say in the response above this (I typed that response on my phone while on a bus). It doesn't matter if strip searching everyone would make a jail safer. Given the immensely important privacy and personal dignity interests at stake, the state should have to show that searches of people jailed for minor offenses would make the jail SUBSTANTIALLY more safe. Otherwise, its just not reasonable. Especially if they could use a metal detecting wand or some other method to discover weapons. I also just thought of two other things. First, the belief that somehow people would start purposely going to jail to smuggle in weapons just doesn't seem to fly. In every jail or prison I've ever been (and that is a fair share), weapons are plentiful so it wouldn't make much sense for prisoners to want someone to smuggle in a knife when they can get one anyway. What we are really talking about here are smuggling in drugs. Second, if the Supreme Court rules that some people don't have to be strip searched if there is not reasonable suspicion, and then suspicionless people start going to jail just to smuggle in drugs, the one positive result will be this: a more robust jail economy. Because if jail guards have to start competing against arrestees over the introduction of illicit drugs into the jail the prices for all drugs will go down!!! I kid, I kid.

Shon R. Hopwood
Barbara, Yes, I think Advanced Legal Research will be one of the most important classes I could ever take. The reasons are simple. It will make my research my thorough. And it will make me more efficient. So then I will have more time to write for the CockleBur. I can't imagine NOT taking that course. Shon

Shon R. Hopwood
Cyn, I don't know if David is publishing the book in hardcopy, but I will find out for you. Shon

Shon R. Hopwood
It surprises me that you read this article without recognizing the sarcasm. Of course, I am being flip. I made two arguments in the article. First, I think the Affordable Care Act is constitutional under current Supreme Court precedent. Many people that oppose the ACA would likely agree with me. Second, I think the Supreme Court's decisions on the Commerce Clause are WRONG, which is apparently the same thing you are contending. Other than you misunderstanding what I wrote, I completely agree with everything you said. The federal government is too big, controls too much our life, and has moved far beyond the limits placed upon it by the Constitution.

Shon R. Hopwood
Reid, I lived at Fort Myers (when I served in the Navy), which borders next to Arlington Cemetary. I know that the tombstones are not crosses (I have walked around the cemetary almost daily when I lived there). What I was referring to was the Argonne Cross and the Canadian Cross of Sacrifice that sits among the graves. Shon

Shon R. Hopwood
Jacob, This is one of the best speeches I have heard this year. I was particularly impressed with what you did not recommend, which is to have Libertarians shove their ideas down the throats of all who will listen. That is as wise as it is effective.