JOHN LEO'S BLOG

The conviction rate over a 14-year period was 55 percent by judges, 84 percent when juries did the deciding.

So Volokh invited Andrew Leipold, the author of the article, "Why Are Federal Judges So Acquittal Prone?" to blog on the issue at the Volokh Conspiracy, touching off a lively discussion on what may or may not be wrong with all those judges who may or may not be excessively soft headed. This is another example of what blogs can do. Instead of a stuffy yearlong exchange in some law journal, actual arguments and observations unfold quickly in ordinary English.

Also, the site links to Orin Kerr's interesting analysis of the Supreme Court's predictable 5-4 liberal-conservative split over the death penalty. Also notable is David Bernstein's "The Cult of International Law." Bernstein deplores "a fanatical, quasi-religious belief in 'international law' " among some rather well-educated people.