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...
T he Maintenance of a Free Spirit as a Law Student b y Josh Simmons, J.D. Candidate, Class of 2023 Lawyering as a vocation, and it's necessary education, involves following rules and navigating narrow systems. Our success depends on our ability to adhere. Adhere to the law, adhere to process and procedure, adhere to professors and judges alike… But where is our freedom? Where is our ability to deviate? To go our own way? To disagree, or agree differently? How do we maintain our free spirit as law students? This article does not provide an answer, because I don’t have one. Only guesses. As a law student myself, I have felt stifled in an education focused on rules and regulations. Though I love learning the law, my rebellious side often seeks to escape. Here are some ways I have found relief: 1) getting an early start on practicing law, 2) being spontaneous, and 3) seeking differential associations. Practice affords a greater degree of freedom than being a law student. In ...