Chastek Blawg

Hearsay, Hearsay! by Josh Simmons, J.D. Candidate, Class of 2023 On June 28th, the House Judiciary GOP tweeted out “It’s literally all hearsay evidence. What a joke” —in reference to the recent hearings held by the House Select Committee on the January 6th Attack. House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOPD), Twitter (June 28, 2022, 10:19 AM), https://twitter.com/JudiciaryGOP/status/1541833774966636544 . The tweet raises eyebrows among those familiar with the concept of hearsay evidence. For one, House Rules state that “the committee is the sole judge of the pertinence of testimony and evidence adduced at its hearing.” House Rule XI cl. 2(k)(8). Therefore, hearsay and other evidentiary rules found in the Federal Rules of Evidence do not apply to the Committee. See also Co-Equal, Guide to Oversight Procedural Rules in the U.S. House of Representatives, RESOURCES, https://www.co-equal.org/guide-to-oversight#guideIntro (last visited June 29, 2022). It is unclear, then, why the House GOP woul

  Law reVIEW is a blog series dedicated to investigating and reviewing both popular and documentary films in the Chastek Library film collection. by  Reanna Hicks, J.D. Candidate, Class of 2023 DARK WATERS (2019) Based on real life events, Dark Waters opens with Robert Bilott making partner at his firm, just in time to get a visit from a couple of men that Bilott’s Grandma has referred to him. Bilott reluctantly looks into their claims, that their cattle are being poisoned, because of the family tie and quickly uncovers that not only are they correct, but they carry much bigger implications. Forever chemicals, also known as PFAS, are the chemicals that create the non-stick, stain-resistant, and water-proof products still used in Teflon. These chemicals are found in the blood of 99% of people around the world. These chemicals do not break down in the environment and are linked to cancer and reproductive developmental harms. Dupont dumped PFAS into the local water supply for years. Bilot