The Goodson Blogson

The Goodson Blogson has been compiling light-hearted holiday gift guides for lawyers and law students since 2009 , but this year's roundup has proven particularly challenging. Fluctuating tariffs on goods purchased from overseas, and the elimination of a former de minimis exemption on tariffs for items below $800, have resulted in higher costs, shipping delays, and even the destruction of some packages already in transit . Industry experts have also predicted shortages on holiday staples like toys, games, and decorations due to tariff-related disruptions to manufacturing processes and supply chains. In addition, some of our most reliable domestic sources in the past for quirky law-related gifts, like the National Archives Store , may have their turnaround and shipping times impacted by the ongoing federal government shutdown. (And that's before we even get to increasing economic anxiety for the many households impacted by the federal government shutdown, rising unemployment, ...

On Monday, October 6, the U.S. Supreme Court will open its annual October Term, with its first oral argument scheduled for 10 am. The "First Monday in October" has marked the start of the Supreme Court's new year of work since 1916. The first case of the new Term, Villarreal v. Texas , concerns a criminal defendant's right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment; a live-stream of oral argument audio will be provided on the Court's website . Other petitions already granted for the Term address a number of hot-button topics, such as state prohibitions on transgender athletes on girls' sports teams ; LGBTQ "conversion therapy" bans ; the death penalty for inmates with intellectual disabilities ; campaign finance spending limits ; and potential liability by internet service providers for piracy of digital music by users . To learn more about individual cases on the Court's docket this year, SCOTUSblog offers quick access to case information and filin...

Wednesday, September 17 is Constitution Day , commemorating the 1787 signing of the United States Constitution in Philadelphia. The National Archives and Records Administration, which houses the original document, maintains a page for America's Founding Documents: The Constitution of the United States with a transcription and historical background about the document and its signing. The full text of the U.S. Constitution, along with extensive commentary, can also be found in the government publication Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation (CONAN) , which is linked from Congress.gov. This version of the Constitution made headlines in early August, when eagle-eyed readers noticed the omission of several key sections in both the document text and the accompanying annotations , which included discussion of habeas corpus, emoluments, and tariffs. The Library of Congress quickly restored the missing sections, blaming a website coding error. As the P...