Published in Tell Your Story·PinnedOne by the little bitty babyI don’t throw up. I can, in all seriousness and without exaggeration, count on one hand the number of times I’ve vomited in my entire life. My kids often ask: if you had a superpower, what would it be? There are some good ones out there. Invisibility. Telekinesis. Becoming an…Creative Writing7 min read
Published in I Taught the Law·PinnedSecondary Traumatic Stress (or: On the Dispersal of Brain Matter in a Kentucky Trailer)When a man’s head has been blown off with a shotgun, you’d expect there to be more of a mess. But a 12-gauge to the temple, at close range, can be surgically precise. I was a third-year law student, still in my 20s, when I learned that. Our clinic director…Mwc Work12 min read
Published in The Bigger Picture·PinnedTHAT COULD HAVE BEEN USThe true story of a tragic club fire that never happened — “Stumpy’s gonna breathe fire.” “Do what?” “Yeah, Stumpy’s gonna breathe fire. On stage.” A long pause. We stare at the road. “What the fuck are you talking about?” “Well, we don’t exactly know how he’s gonna do it yet, but there’s that middle part in ‘Godzilla’ where it’s just drums…Creative Writing12 min read
Jun 6DisplacementI missed you in bed last night. If you had been there I would have shifted as I always do, so that your head could fit on my lap as I type, situating the weight of my arm along the back of your neck so that you know I am…Nightmare4 min read
Published in I Taught the Law·May 26Can’t Afford Kids? Put That Baby in a BoxThe GOP’s policy solution for post-Roe social chaos: create infant drop-off locations all over the country — Beyond the occasional mass shooting, now as unremarkable as a traffic jam or a tornado, there isn’t much Big News out of central Indiana. So when a baby was deposited in a box affixed to the Carmel Fire Department last month, it was Big News. It has thus far proved…Abortion5 min read
Published in I Taught the Law·May 3What Happens Now?This is the question many of us are asking this morning, as we read what appears to be a frothmouthed Justice Alito’s draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade in a case styled Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The reproductive rights movement has been diligently planning for this, and those…Abortion4 min read
Apr 28Horse Racing is Decadent and DepravedI’ve never been to the Kentucky Derby, despite having lived in the Louisville area for about 40 years. I went to the track once a decade ago, but only as part of an elaborate, extended mating ritual. It served its purpose: I eventually married and sired offspring with my date…Animals5 min read
Published in I Taught the Law·Mar 31America’s Jails Are SlaughterhousesThe last time I sued the Louisville Metro Jail, I got to question the former director extensively. He was a real character, sort of like if Jerry Bruckheimer and Vince McMahon co-conceived a tough-but-fair police chief for a movie about a heist at the Kentucky Derby or something. I asked…Law5 min read
Mar 1Let’s Talk About Crime and BooksDo you want to talk about criminal justice, world-class organizers, and full-time writing (when you’ve already got a full-time gig)? My new book Pleading Out: How Plea Bargaining Creates a Permanent Criminal Class will be officially released on March 8. In connection with the launch date, I’m doing a virtual…Books1 min read
Feb 3Please Cancel Student Debt So People Can Buy My Book: An Open Letter to President BidenDear Joe: I have a book coming out on March 8, and I need a favor. The publisher has priced my book at $30.00. It turns out that a lot of people don’t have thirty extra bucks to spend on a book right now. So I’d like you to cancel…Books4 min read