{"id":8338,"date":"2007-10-24T10:59:44","date_gmt":"2007-10-24T15:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2007\/10\/24\/hauntingly-familiar-pols-sex-offen"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:53:40","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:53:40","slug":"hauntingly-familiar-pols-sex-offenders-and-halloween","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2007\/10\/24\/hauntingly-familiar-pols-sex-offenders-and-halloween\/","title":{"rendered":"hauntingly familiar: pols, sex offenders and Halloween"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/files\/2007\/10\/targetbullseye.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/> <strong><em> A<\/em><\/strong>fter writing seventeen <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2007\/06\/13\/schenectadys-panderpols-vote-to-evict-sex-offenders\/#more-7729\">lengthy pieces<\/a> since June about ineffective and unconstitutional sex offender residency restrictions, I&#8217;m not the least bit surprised that politicians are again this year making hay for Halloween, by targeting their favorite overblown bogeymen. (<em><strong>update<\/strong><\/em>: October 9, 2008): there are <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2008\/10\/09\/more-scary-halloween-laws-against-sex-offenders\/\">even more<\/a> scary laws in 2008)     But, I am disappointed that nothing has changed since our post two years ago &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2005\/10\/30\/halloween-tricks-pols-vs-sex-offenders\/\">Halloween tricks: pols vs. sex offenders<\/a>,&#8221; when we opined:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">The scariest sights I\u2019ve seen so far this trick-or-treat season are<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\"> the stern faces and contorted postures of politicians, masquerading<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\"> as super-heroes in the fight to protect our children against a horde<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\"> of halloween sex offenders.  As the <em>New York Times<\/em> described<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\"> earlier this week (\u201dSex Offenders See <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2005\/10\/26\/nyregion\/26offenders.html?ex=1287979200&amp;en=79bf60b7c9af716d&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">New Limits for Halloween<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">,\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\"> Oct. 26, 2005):<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">\u201cAll across the country this year, local and state authorities<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\"> are placing registered offenders under one-night curfews or<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\"> other restrictions out of fear that in only a few days, costumed<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\"> children asking for candy will be arriving on their doorsteps.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Here are some of the many examples of governmental action that can be <a href=\"http:\/\/news.google.com\/news?q=Halloween+%22Sex+Offenders%22&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;oe=utf-8&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;um=1&amp;sa=N&amp;tab=wn\">found at Google News<\/a>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/files\/2007\/10\/witchbrews.gif\" alt=\"\" \/> &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wzzm13.com\/news\/news_article.aspx?storyid=82567\">Lawmaker seeks to ban sex offenders from Halloween<\/a>&#8221; (WZZM13 [Grand Rapids, MI], Oct. 22, 2007);  &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.freep.com\/apps\/pbcs.dll\/article?AID=\/20071022\/NEWS06\/71022081\/0\/NEWS03\">Mich. lawmakers seek changes to sex offender registry<\/a>&#8221; <em>(Detroit Free Press<\/em>, Oct. 22, 2007)<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">&#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/wkrn.com\/nashville\/news\/sex-offenders-cant-participate-in-halloween-activities\/124305.htm\">Sex Offenders Can&#8217;t Participate In Halloween Activities<\/a>&#8221; (WKRN.com [Nashville, TN] Oct. 18, 2007). Paroled or probationary sex offenders &#8220;cannot hand out candy or&#8230;&#8230;treats, cannot decorate their homes for Halloween, cannot accompany children while they trick or treat or wear costumes. They also cannot go to haunted houses, corn mazes, hay rides or any other seasonal activity.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">&#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wltx.com\/news\/story.aspx?storyid=54863\">Midlands Law Enforcement to Keep Halloween Safe<\/a>&#8221; (WLTX19 [Colummbia, SC], Oct. 23, 2007); plus &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.10tv.com\/live\/contentbe\/EPIC_shim.php?story=sites\/10tv\/content\/pool\/200710\/624875965.html\">Authorities Warn Sex Offenders: Forget Halloween<\/a>&#8221; in Ohio (WBNS-tv10.com, October, 30, 2007) <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p>&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..   <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/files\/2007\/10\/batmoonn.gif\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li> <span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">&#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.greenbaypressgazette.com\/apps\/pbcs.dll\/article?AID=\/20071024\/GPG0101\/710240613\/1207\/GPGnews\">Bellevue&#8217;s proposed sex offender ordinance has public hearing tonight<\/a>&#8221; (GreenBayPressGazette, Oct. 24, 2007)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">&#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mohavedailynews.com\/articles\/2007\/10\/24\/news\/local\/local6.txt\">Sex offenders to be checked on Halloween<\/a>&#8221; (Mohave [NV] Daily News, Oct. 23, 2007)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">&#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kltv.com\/Global\/story.asp?S=7249343\">A Smith County [TX] Plan Helps Keep Kids Safe From Sex Offenders On Halloween Night<\/a>&#8221; (KLTV.com, Oct. 22, 2007) &#8220;<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">Adult Probation workers will hit the streets for the first time on Halloween night, making sure offenders under their supervision are obeying the law.<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">&#8220;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">&#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wbbm780.com\/Sheriff:-Keep-Children-From-Sex-Offenders--Homes\/1122887\">Sheriff: Keep Children From Sex Offenders&#8217; Homes<\/a>&#8221; (WBBM780 Chicago], Oct. 23, 2007)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>halloween<br \/>\ni only tell the priest<br \/>\nso much<\/p>\n<p>\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.\u2026\u2026  ed markowski<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/files\/2007\/10\/dangersoliveshereg.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/> One practice that seems particularly ill-advised is described in &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/s\/ap\/20071011\/ap_on_re_us\/no_candy_here_1\">Maryland police plan no-candy signs<\/a>&#8221; (<em>YahooNews<\/em>, Oct. 10, 2007; also covered at <a href=\"http:\/\/wizbangblog.com\/content\/2007\/10\/12\/maryland-perverts-told-no-candy-for-halloween.php\"><em>WizBang<\/em><\/a>):<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\"> <\/span>To discourage contact with children, some registered sex offenders in Maryland will be asked to post signs at their homes that say &#8220;<em>No Candy at This Residence<\/em>,&#8221; on Halloween.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>That&#8217;s right, on a night infamous for roving gangs of youthful tricksters and vandals, Maryland authorities think it&#8217;s a good idea to help them figure out which houses to target for an extra prank or two.   [Indeed, as I noted in 2005, &#8220;These overblown promotional campaigns might be the cause of some ugly vigilantism.&#8221;]  And, at a time when people fight tax increases that would pay for important school supplies and after-school extracurricular activities, and for public libraries, tax payers will be footing the overtime bill for parole and probation officers to be out in force on the streets, or holding seminars for sex offenders at community centers.  I can only reply with words first <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2005\/10\/30\/halloween-tricks-pols-vs-sex-offenders\/\">posted here<\/a> in October 2005:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cyber.law.harvard.edu\/blogs\/static\/ethicalesq\/vampireC.gif\" alt=\"vampC\" \/> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;color: black;font-size: x-small\">There must be a good reason for all this extra protection at Halloween, right?<\/span> . . .<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;color: black;font-size: x-small\">In \u201cMegan\u2019s Law vs. Halloween\u201d (Oct. 26, 2005), <\/span><em><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;color: black;font-size: x-small\"><a href=\"http:\/\/prawfsblawg.blogs.com\/prawfsblawg\/2005\/10\/megans_law_v_ha.html\">Prawfsblawg<\/a><\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;color: black;font-size: x-small\">\u2019s Dave Hoffman asks<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;color: black;font-size: x-small\"> cogently whether &#8220;the state had empirical evidence of a higher-than-average rate of illegal<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;color: black;font-size: x-small\"> behavior on Halloween?\u201d   Not according to <em>the<\/em> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2005\/10\/26\/nyregion\/26offenders.html?ex=1287979200&amp;en=79bf60b7c9af716d&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss\"><em>NYT<\/em> article<\/a>, which stated: \u201cIn effec<\/span><span style=\"color: black\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">tively <\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">detaining sex offenders on Halloween, most officials say they are not respon<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;color: black;font-size: x-small\">ding to <\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif\"><span style=\"color: black;font-size: x-small\">any attacks known to have occurred on past holidays.\u201d  For <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/federalism.typepad.com\/\"><span style=\"color: black;font-size: x-small\">those<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-size: x-small\"><span style=\"color: black\"> who<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif\"><span style=\"font-size: x-small\"> don\u2019t trust <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">the Gray Lady:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\"><span style=\"color: black\">An <\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kpcnews.com\/main.asp?SectionID=11&amp;SubSectionID=11&amp;ArticleID=99191\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;color: black;font-size: x-small\">editorial<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;color: black;font-size: x-small\"> from Indiana notes today that: \u201cthere are no known attacks <\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;color: black;font-size: x-small\">of trick-or-treating children on past Halloweens.\u201d (KPC Media Group<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;color: black;font-size: x-small\">, <\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;color: black;font-size: x-small\">\u201cOffender series shows need for open eyes, Oct., 30, 2005). <\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif\"><span style=\"font-size: x-small\"><span style=\"color: black\">Also,<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif\"><span style=\"font-size: x-small\"><span><span><a href=\"http:\/\/kyw.com\/topstories\/local_story_302121522.html\"><span style=\"color: black\"> per CBS3<\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: black\">.<\/span>com, the <\/span><\/span><span><span>Spokeswoman for the Delaware Department of<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif\"><span style=\"font-size: x-small\"><span><span> Corrections \u201csays no Halloween <\/span><\/span><span><span>incidents involving sex offenders and<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif\"><span style=\"font-size: x-small\"><span><span> trick-<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">or-treaters have been reported in Delaware\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/files\/2007\/10\/dangersolivesheren.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/> <span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">In Allen County, Indiana, Detective Jeff Shimkus has the best advice: \u201cISo, the main thing we tell parents to never let their child trick or treat alone.\u201d See &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.indianasnewscenter.com\/news\/local\/10723111.html\">Check for Sex Offenders before Halloween<\/a>&#8221; (<em>Indiana News Center<\/em>, Oct. 22, 2007) If a parent wants to do more, Detective Shimkus adds:<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">[E]specially on Halloween, parents need to take advantage of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.insor.org\/insasoweb\/\">registry websites<\/a> that allow you to check to see if a registered sex offender does live near your home within a one-mile radius. All you need to do is enter your address and a detailed map pops up. Parents should then choose a trick-or-treating route that obviously doesn\u2019t include those homes. At the end of the year, the registries will be updated to include more detailed maps and safety tips for parents.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Having given sex offender restrictions much more thought over the past two years, I find myself with the same conclusions as for Halloween 2005:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>This is not, in my estimation, a close call. The Halloween Sex Bogeyman laws and restrictions have far too many costs, are far too likely to create a false sense of security among parents, and seem certain to have no real effects, other than giving grandstanding politicians a boost in the polls. I hope my fellow weblawgers will voice their opinions, and that parents will keep a close eye on their young children and a skeptical ear when dealing with their teenagers and their politicians this Halloween season.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\" dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/media-cyber.law.harvard.edu\/blogs\/static\/ethicalesq\/batSN.gif\" alt=\"batSN\" \/> <\/span> <span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\">If you would like to combine fun and safety education, click for the NYS Troopers<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.troopers.state.ny.us\/Publications\/Crime_Prevention\/halloweenclrbk.pdf\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;color: black;font-size: x-small\"><em> Halloween Safety Coloring Book<\/em><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-size: x-small\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em><strong> update<\/strong><\/em> (Nov. 1, 2007):  For Halloween 2007, 13WHAM.com, the ABC affiliate in Rochester, NY, did a nice balanced piece, &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.13wham.com\/news\/local\/story.aspx?content_id=de259b34-75d6-4128-992c-6c54047992f3\">Pastor Questions Sex Offender Halloween Surveillance<\/a>&#8221; (Oct. 31, 2007).  The pastor in question is David Hess, of West Henrietta Baptist Church, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theparson.net\/so\/\">the parson.net<\/a>.   (For a video of the broadcast see <a href=\"http:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=t2tWrGK8fJg\">YouTube: Sex Offender Halloween Hype<\/a>.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>In addition, see this CNN article, &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2007\/US\/10\/31\/halloween.offenders\/?iref=mpstoryview\">Sex offenders locked down, in the dark for Halloween<\/a>&#8221; (<em>CNN.com<\/em>, Oct. 31, 2007; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2007\/US\/10\/31\/halloween.offenders\/?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCVideo\">video<\/a>), which lists examples of restrictions, but then states:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><em>But some say the sex offender roundups and restrictions are more show than safety.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;There has not been a single case of any child being molested by a convicted sex offender while trick-or-treating,&#8221; writes columnist Benjamin Radford on LiveScience.com.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Rebecca Brunger, an Alaska probation officer, told the Anchorage Daily News her state doesn&#8217;t put any extra restrictions on sex offenders on Halloween as there&#8217;s never been a case there of a trick-or-treater being molested by a registered offender.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Idaho defense attorney Tim Gresback told the Spokesman-Review, in Spokane, Washington, that extra Halloween restrictions on sex offenders are unnecessary.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;Here we&#8217;re creating a new police action squad to go out and address a problem that has never manifested itself in the community,&#8221; Gresback told the newspaper. He said in 20 years he&#8217;d never run across a case of a sex offender attacking a child on Halloween.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><em><strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/files\/2007\/10\/socsavage.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/> afterwords<\/strong><\/em> (Oct. 26, 2007): A truly scary Halloween scenario from today&#8217;s Schenectady<em> Daily Gazette<\/em> &#8212; an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rotterdamny.info\/b-General\/m-1182040670\/s-525\/#num533\">All-Susan-Savage Sex Offender Council<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\n<p><span><span><span><span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>goblins at the door<span><span><span><span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\nin the darkness behind them<br \/>\na cigarette flares<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>battery weakened    <span><span><span><span><span><span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-size: x-small\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cyber.law.harvard.edu\/blogs\/static\/ethicalesq\/vampireC.gif\" alt=\"vampC\" \/><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\nthe low, slow laughter<br \/>\nof a demon<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230; by <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/john-stevenson-archive\/\">John Stevenson<\/a> from <em>Some of the Silence<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Two more perennial issues have come back to haunt us overnight.  Check out:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Despite our heroic attempt to bury it two years ago (see &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2005\/10\/26\/more-bad-neology-law-porn\/\">more bad neology: law porn<\/a>&#8220;), the silly phrase &#8220;<em>law porn<\/em>&#8221; is once again been dug up by law professors who should know better.  See <a href=\"http:\/\/www.concurringopinions.com\/archives\/2007\/10\/the_law_porn_bl.html\"><em>Concurring Opinions<\/em><\/a>.  Thankfully, Prof. <a href=\"http:\/\/feministlawprofs.law.sc.edu\/?p=2469\">Ann Bartow tries<\/a> to put a spike through its heart.  However, from under his ghostly sheet of anonymity, the Editor of <em>Blawg Review<\/em> responds with the eerie &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/blawgreview.blogspot.com\/2007\/10\/why-law-porn.html\">Why &#8216;Law Porn&#8217;?<\/a>&#8220;.<\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/files\/2007\/10\/witchbrews.gif\" alt=\"\" \/> This morning, the student-run <em>Illinois Business Law Journal <\/em>posted &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/iblsjournal.typepad.com\/illinois_business_law_soc\/2007\/10\/law-firms-have-.html?cid=87472486#comment-87472486\">Billable Hours Be Gone: Should the Hourly Billing System Be Replaced?<\/a>&#8221; (Oct. 24, 2007).  I am pleased to say the authors from UICL got it right: &#8220;Hourly billing is not to blame for the staggering workload, but the fees required of an associate who hopes to make partner one day.&#8221;  They correctly concluded that: &#8220;The demand for ever increasing salaries for everyone from young talent to senior partners makes the 60 hour workweek unlikely to shrink. Until there is enough discord in the profession to demand a better balance, and perhaps some sacrifice in salary, those who venture into life in a big firm can only expect to be pushed to their physical and emotional limits.&#8221;  They were kind enough to quote Your <em>f\/k\/a <\/em>Editor, and I hope that pieces here, such as &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2007\/08\/18\/broadening-the-hourly-billing-debate-consider-yourself-your-clients-and-your-ethics\/\">broadening the hourly billing debate<\/a>&#8220;, helped them think through this important issue.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After writing seventeen lengthy pieces since June about ineffective and unconstitutional sex offender residency restrictions, I&#8217;m not the least bit surprised that politicians are again this year making hay for Halloween, by targeting their favorite overblown bogeymen. 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