Ladies and Gentlemen!

I hope you enjoyed your “class-free” day yesterday!  Don’t forget to submit the assignment in lieu of yesterday’s class in my mailbox in N622 by 5pm today to earn credit for attending the class AND as a homework assignment.

Thank you for your responses regarding the federal trial!  See description below.  If you’re interested and available (i.e., you do not have another class during this time), we’ll go this Thursday, April 4, leaving City Tech 9:45am and returning by 12:45pm.  We’ll discuss details in tomorrow’s class.

See you then!

Prof. C.

Description of opportunity to observe a federal trial:

We have been cordially invited by the federal court judge presiding over the trial described below, at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of NY (in Manhattan).  It sounds really interesting, and we might get a “behind the scenes” chance to meet the Judge!  This can count as your observation for the assignment.

“The plaintiff is a prisoner who started off pro se, but who now has a team of associates at a major firm representing him pro bono for trial.  The defendant is the United States government.  The basis of the claim is that federal corrections officers committed the tort of battery by using excessive force against the plaintiff when they allegedly removed, by force, contraband (packets of tobacco and ketamine, placed in a condom) that he had tried to hide in his anus. He doesn’t deny having the contraband, or trying to secret it — he’s only claiming that it was removed from his body in an unreasonable manner.   The officers deny using force — they say it fell out and they picked it up off the floor.  Very readily understandable issues for students!”