Law Classes Pass/Fail

Dear law professors, hiring attorneys, fellow law students, and other knowledgeable types, I have a very busy semester, and I'm considering taking Fed Courts pass/fail. Do you have any thoughts on the pros or cons of such a plan? FYI: The class is small, and the professor has high expectations for our level of participation, so I will have to read and be prepared regardless of whether I'm concerned about my grade. This may mean that I will not really get much benefit from taking the class pass/fail, but it would also ensure that I will learn the material, despite decreased grade pressures. If I were going to, say, be a public defender, would taking fed courts pass/fail somehow be a red flag against me when potential employers looked at my transcript? How about if I wanted a judicial clerkship (federal or otherwise)—would this pass/fail thing be a red flag in that context? Can you think of any other contexts where taking Fed Courts pass/fail might be viewed negatively by people whose opinions I should credit? Any thoughts would certainly be appreciated. Sincerely, -ambimb

Posted 07:32 AM | Comments (3) | 2L advice

$ Blow $

From CrimPro reading:

There are trace amounts of cocaine on almost all of the money supply in America (62).

Stephen A. Saltzburg and Daniel J. Capra, American Criminal Procedure: Cases and Commentary, 7th ed. So everyone who says they don't care about declines in civil liberties, because they've got nothing to hide, well, you can just put that in your pipes and smoke it. (Sorry I couldn't resist.) Of course, this doesn't seem to matter to the SCOTUS, which yesterday said in Illinois v. Caballes (PDF) that during a lawful traffic stop the police can have a dog sniff search your car (on the outside, anyway) because the only thing the dog could find would be something no one has a right to possess. Sniff. Sniff. I wonder if the ruling would change if the police held you for half an hour while they waited for the dog to arrive...

Posted 06:24 AM | Comments (3) | 2L