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 Ladies of the Supreme Court

Last night, the only female Supreme Court Justices gathered at the Newseum in Washington DC to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of Justice O’Connor’s appointment to the Court. Both Mike Sacks at Huffington Post and Tony Mauro at the National Law Journal have coverage. UPDATE: Adam Liptak at the New York Times also has coverage. While the [...]

A Majority of the Public Thinks the Supreme Court Will Strike Down the Affordable Care Act

A new Rasmussen poll finds that 54% of the country believes the Supreme Court will strike down the Affordable Care Act. And the Court’s approval rate has bumped up 13 points since the Court held oral arguments in the ACA case. Interesting. You just never know how the public will view the Court and interpret [...]

Just Another Reason Why We Need a Different Kind of Politician

Why Liberals (and Everyone) Should Support Economic Liberty: Jacob Huebert Visits the University of Washington School of Law

I am a relatively recent convert to the theory of libertarianism. In fact, I didn’t even know I was a libertarian until I started reading economics books, and I realized that the heavy hand of government is not always the best, and rarely the most efficient, way to help people. My first introduction to real [...]

An Interesting Parallel Between the Affordable Care Act and War on Terror Cases

Professor Orin Kerr at the Volokh Conspiracy draws an interesting comparison between the Supreme Court confronting the constitutionality of President Obama’s healthcare law and President Bush’s law removing habeas corpus from terror suspects. Professor Kerr writes: If the Court does end up striking down the mandate, this will be the second consecutive presidency in which [...]

A Law School Student’s View of the Affordable Care Act Case and the Claims Made By Some in the Legal Academy

If one had listened to the legal academy, outside of Professor Randy Barnett, one would think that the challenge to the Affordable Care Act was not only silly, but frivolous. That is what I repeatedly read over the two years leading up to the Supreme Court’s oral arguments (and even after them). As someone who [...]

The Legal Writing Pro Dissects the Solicitor General’s Brief in the Affordable Care Act Case

The Legal Writing Pro, Ross Guberman, sent me this great PDF (you can find it here), where he dissects the Solicitor General’s merits brief in the Affordable Care Act case. For those of you who do not know Ross, he is a legal writing master who instructs law school students, lawyers, and judges on how to [...]

Supreme Court Takes A Close Look At Prisoner Transsexual Case

Last week, the Supreme Court relisted a case involving some transsexual prisoners’ claims that the State of Wisconsin violated their right to adequate medical care by failing to provide them with hormonal therapy. The case is Smith v. Fields, No. 11-561. Both the Federal District Court and Seventh Circuit found in favor of the prisoners, concluding that the [...]

What if the Country Was a Person Needing a Loan?

The Seventh Circuit Rules that Pro Se Prisoner Missed His Chance at Resentencing

I wrote this past year about the obstacles that prisoners filing pro se face when challenging their convictions and sentences. The Seventh Circuit’s opinion today in United States v. Wyatt kind of typifies the problems inherent in a system that requires uneducated prisoners to fend for themselves and learn the law within a year in order to meet [...]

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.