It was kind of a quiet week here at the CockleBur–most likely because it has been a largely quiet week in the legal world. So I wanted to just throw out some things I have been thinking about.

Next week is a huge week for me. My wife and I are traveling to UVA law school on Tuesday. I will be speaking at an event sponsored by the UVA Innocence Clinic. In addition, I will finally be able to meet some friends from UVA that I know only through emails and phone calls, including one of the CockleBur contributors: Dan Ortiz.

On Wednesday, we will be making our first trip to the Court that has literally changed my life. Annie and I will be sitting in on the oral argument for Turner v. Rogers. My friend Seth Waxman will be arguing against law professor Stephanos Bibas who I work with regularly at Cockle. It should be fun.

I was saddened this week to learn that law professor Bill Stuntz died. I could really relate to what his family was going through because my father died of cancer three years ago (about a year before I was released from prison). While I did not know him well, I had emailed back and forth with him briefly last year. What I have read about him is that he was a brilliant scholar on criminal law isues. But more importantly he was a lover of God. I am sure he will be missed.

People in the legal profession spend an inordinate amount of time studying the Constitution. But after Professor’s Stuntz’s death, I thought about another piece of literature that is also frequently studied. And this reminded me of a remarkable video I watched a few months ago in church. The video explains how the Bible, and not our Constitution, has been studied more than any other written material in the world. And it explains some other interesting facts about the Bible while one of my favorite Radiohead songs plays in the background. The video was prepared by Robert Murphy at Christ Community Church. Check it out.