Answer: not much.  Take the ultra-liberal University of Washington in Seattle.  They proudly proclaim that they “stand[] in solidarity with Seattle’s black community, the Black Lives Matter movement and beyond.”Sidebar: what does it mean to stand with “beyond.”  I suppose when nearly every university and most corporations are virtue signaling, you have to ramp up your rhetoric.& ..read more

I always use the Oxford comma.  Not only does it look better—why anyone ever thought that removing it was a good idea is beyond me—but not using it can lead to confusion.  Here's a specific example of why I always use it.  A recent article’s subtitle from the WSJ reads: “The group is in discussions with Israel over releasing 40 women, children, elderly and sick captives ..read more

Sass wards off the FBIPhoto by Kristi StorzI suspect that most people view the FBI the way they view the IRS—yes, those organizations have some legitimate functions, but both are highly politicized.  The IRS has already established this to be true.  Don’t take my word for it; read the IRS’s own confession in this mildly-worded, apologetic NPR story. Sure, you’ll still find hack media ..read more

As I wrote in my newest article, The Preliminary-Hearing Swindle (forthcoming), I’m sometimes embarrassed, for my profession, by the judiciary’s blatant disregard of the law.  But despite that, the law is still, sort of, a profession.  And in that regard it stands in stark contrast to “business” and “academia,” which are not professions.  What differentiates a profession from ..read more

Check out my newly published article, The Myth of Fundamental Decisions, 112 Kentucky Law Journal 261 (2024).  The final digital version is available here.  All of my articles, including this one, are organized by topic and available on the articles page of my website.Enjoy ..read more

Check out my new article on preliminary hearings, titled The Preliminary-Hearing Swindle: A Crime Against Procedure, just accepted for publication in the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review. I’m very happy that this article will be published in a California journal, as Cali stands in stark contrast to Wisconsin when it comes to prelims.  My favorite example is The People of California v. Frank ..read more

Sass is looking for the moneyWhenever a defendant gets convicted of a crime in Wisconsin, the judge will soak the defendant with seemingly innumerable fines, costs, fees, and surcharges.  There’s the DNA surcharge (even if the defendant has already given a DNA sample and has already paid the fee in a previous case), a Domestic Violence surcharge in many cases, “victim-witness” fees, of ..read more

One of my new articles, which is currently under submission for publication, is titled The Preliminary-Hearing Swindle: A Crime Against Procedure.  In it, I explain a swindle happening in criminal cases throughout Wisconsin.  The preliminary hearing, or simply the “prelim,” has been replaced with a mere in-court reading of the prosecutor’s unchallenged allegations in the complaint.&nbsp ..read more

I remember back when I was an accounting major, the AICPA was pushing its 150-credit requirement to sit for the CPA exam.  It just wasn’t enough, apparently, to get a bachelor’s degree in accounting; another 30 credits were needed.  But instead of requiring additional courses like accounting theory, the history of accounting, accounting systems, or case studies in accounting fraud, for ..read more

I’m no statistician, but I do like mathematics, statistics, and quantitative methods in general.  That’s why I hate to see lawyers use confusing language when writing or talking about these subjects.  Take this recent quote from an article on the US News website about lawyer salaries.  Here’s the part that’s troublesome (emphasis added): Law school graduates “can expect a starting salary in the ..read more