VOLuntarilyConservative

I have watched a good deal of the Senate Judiciary confirmation hearings on the nomination of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Those who see me daily in courtrooms across East Tennessee know that my ego - which everyone (correctly) says that I have in political settings - isn't nearly as strong in court. This probably leads back to my never wanting to practice law. In any case, I always give great deference to those whom I believe to be the intellectual heavyweights of the courthouse. Besides all of the judges (and because I am in demand, I wouldn't practice in front of judges that I didn't respect on all accounts), I take a backseat to lawyers like Joe Costner, Public Defender Mack Garner, Jim Hickman, Jeff Stern, and others. I don't consider myself to be in the same class as these guys. Do I work hard and get positive results? Sure. Do I oftentimes get results that some attorneys may not have achieved? I suppose so. But I don't consider myself to be one of the philosopher kings that sometimes appear in our East Tennessee courts.

Which leads me back to my viewing of the confirmation hearings today. In no way is Elena Kagan an intellectual heavyweight. Far from it. She doesn't deserve to carry Mack Garner's briefcase.

To my amazement, if Elena Kagan is confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States, I am confident in stating that I am more qualified and more intellectually prepared for the job than a sitting U.S. Supreme Court justice. I suppose I should send a "thank you" note to President Obama for boosting my confidence.

Labels: Firm Life, President Obama, SCOTUS

My absence from blogging has not been the result of a conscience decision. I simply have not had the time for it. With the rise of Facebook, the little time that I do have is usually spent over there.

The primary drain on my time is work. Every week has seen me at the office for numerous all-nighters, sometimes spending over 110 hours per week working for Tennessee's children and indigent adults. It's trying work, and I'm admittedly not sure how much longer I can keep up this pace. Every year I say that I am going to work less than the previous year, and every year I end up letting myself down.

My boys have also been a welcome drain on my time. Leo amazes me every day with what he says, what he has learned, and how he is so much like his Daddy. Wil continues to grow; the days where we weren't sure he was going to make it seem like a distant dream. Angela is afraid that they both are "Daddy's boys," and she is probably right.

I am not abandoning this blog. I have a few points that need to be made over the time leading up to the elections this year, and this remains the best medium to do so. If anyone is still reading this blog (and I wouldn't blame anyone for having left with my unexplained absence), then you should have a few posts to look forward to as we go through the remainder of 2010.

Labels: Family, Firm Life, Leonidas, Wil

This is by far the busiest time of the year for me. Having tracked court activity for several years now, it's become apparent that my work in the courts kicks up a notch (which, especially this year, is hard to believe) between Labor Day and a few days before Christmas. With the recession (that will continue until jobs are actually created instead of lost, despite the claims of Obama's liberal economists) having enhanced poverty in this country, the amount of cases that we have accepted through appointment in the courts to assist indigent men, women, and children have kept us scrambling, for sure.

Bruce Springsteen performs his new song Wrecking Ball at Giants Stadium

Labels: Bruce Springsteen, Concerts, Firm Life, Football, UT Basketball

I want to give the 2009 Tennessee Statesman's Dinner the coverage it deserves, which means that y'all will have to wait until later on today for me to author a proper post. Unfortunately, today brings 5 cases in General Sessions Court and 1 case in Circuit Court, so my focus is on my clients on this foggy morning.

Labels: Firm Life, TN GOP

What I thought was going to be an easy week on the work front has been anything but. After attending the blogger meet-up with Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam on Monday evening, I have completed the series with Wamp, Ramsey, and Haslam. I have several thoughts on the meetings, but I have not had time to author a post as of yet. Perhaps this weekend?

Labels: 2010 Tennessee Governor's Race, Firm Life

Just a reminder that the Young Lawyers Division of the Blount County Bar is meeting today at Aroma Cafe (off of E. Broadway) in Alcoa at noon. All eligible lawyers (either in the first five years of practice or under the age of 35) are welcome to attend.

The Blount County YLD is a fairly new group, and our slated topics of discussion today are related to website development and future CLE topics. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Labels: Blount County, Firm Life, YLD

Below is a copy of a letter sent to over twenty members of the General Assembly earlier this afternoon. I thought I probably should include it on the blog, since it's the most substantial thing I wrote today.

June 11, 2009

Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey
1 Legislative Plaza
Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0219

Dear Ron:

I greatly appreciate your meeting with me last week; I value your perspective and explanations on many issues important to all Tennesseans, including our method of nominating appellate judges. Given all that you currently have on your plate, I realize what a valuable commodity time has become and would like to express my gratitude for the hours spent with us in Knoxville last Friday.

I write today to articulate my concern over reported cuts in Governor Bredesen’s proposed budget to the Indigent Defense Fund. I believe my record of support for cuts in the Tennessee budget, a budget which has unfortunately ballooned under Governor Bredesen, has been well-documented, which I hope supports my claim that any cuts to the Indigent Defense Fund will almost certainly bring unintended consequences that could short-circuit our state judicial system and cost the State more in the long run.

The Indigent Defense Fund (IDF) is a necessary evil in Tennessee’s budget, but its importance grows as our national economy suffers. The constitutional rights enjoyed by our citizens include the right to counsel when they are threatened with deprivation of their liberty; when the State files charges of a criminal nature or threatens to incarcerate a father or mother for failing to pay child support, counsel is appointed by the trial court to represent that person’s interests. While the Public Defender’s offices of the various judicial districts represent a good deal of the criminal defendants in these cases – and they do an admirable job in the face of growing budgetary pressures – ethics requires that private counsel be appointed when cases involve co-defendants, when the victim of the crime is a former or current client of the Public Defender’s office, or when another conflict of interest arises that disqualifies the Public Defender’s office from representing that particular defendant. In addition, the IDF also pays for the Guardians ad Litem (GALs) and attorneys for indigent parents in juvenile court cases, furthering the State’s interest in protecting Tennessee children from abuse and neglect. While public perception may not recognize the importance of attorneys for indigent individuals in Tennessee, the need remains when constitutional issues – such as life, liberty, and the right to parent one’s child – are at stake.

I believe that many attorneys who do not take appointments by judges greatly appreciate the work of those of us who allow for our practices to be overloaded with appointed cases. I recently spoke with one particular trial judge who was a member of the defense bar prior to taking the bench many years ago. He reminded me that the hourly rate, which is about 1/6 of the hourly billable rate for most privately retained attorneys, has not changed since he was in practice. I respectfully do not write today to ask that this rate be changed, as it would not be prudent to do so during these trying economic times. I only ask that the General Assembly fund the IDF to the level where we can meet the needs of our fellow citizens, even if it means that we have to work the increased amount of hours to maintain our commitments to our firms, families, and loved ones.

The IDF was not fully funded for the past budgetary cycle. In late April, attorneys who routinely accept court appointments began receiving letters from the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) that served as notice that the IDF would be out of money by May 10, 2009. This basically meant that attorneys who work with our least fortunate of citizens were suddenly reconfiguring their finances with the prospect of not being paid for work already performed for over two months of the year (until the new fiscal year begins in July). Our firm was one of the lucky ones. We have built in reserve funds over the years to prepare us fiscally for just such an occurrence. We will survive until the next fiscal year and continue with our “legal ministry” as we try to help Tennessee’s citizens in the trial and juvenile courts. However, some of our colleagues were not as fortunate and have been forced to move on to more profitable pursuits. I know of one attorney who took hundreds of juvenile court cases who has been forced to declare bankruptcy.

This exodus from the appointed rolls is of great concern to me. With fewer attorneys taking appointed cases because of the threat of not being paid for their work by an insolvent IDF, those of us who remain will inherit even greater caseloads than what we currently carry. That in turn will lead to more continuances and more stress on a judicial system already pushed to the brink. Cases that take longer to resolve will result in defendants – most of whom cannot make bail – remaining in jail longer and further overcrowding our jails. With jails such as Blount County’s operating at nearly 150% capacity, judges will be forced to face the unenviable task to remedy the situation, and some will have to turn to the choice currently posited by Governor Schwarzenneger of California – jettisoning countless convicts into society prior to their debt to society having been fulfilled. Longer juvenile court cases will lead to children being in custody for more time than the system is accustomed, and that in turn will lead to greater expense for the Department of Children’s Services. Without going into too many details, I foresee the proposed cuts in the IDF as leading to more expenses for other lines of the budget that might outpace the initial “savings” to the State.

I understand that the State is in a difficult position with this year’s budget, and I applaud most of the cuts. I want to make sure that you know of our problems in Tennessee’s trial courts, as well. We have seen an increase in the number of cases in our courts since our nation’s economy ventured into recession. While we have experienced moderate increases on criminal dockets, where we have seen the highest volume of new cases is in regards to people falling behind on their child support obligations and with abusive situations involving children. (The child support problem is easily explained as more people lose their jobs and fall behind on their payments. Why more people physically, sexually, and emotionally abuse their children during down economic times is a mystery to me.) More overall cases means more demands on the IDF, which is certainly one reason that the IDF was insolvent only ten months into the twelve month fiscal year. Given our current national economy, I cannot foresee our recent problem being alleviated in the 2009-2010 fiscal year. If the proposed cuts are allowed to stand, I hasten to speculate in which month the IDF will be insolvent in 2010.

I worry that we rush to judgment on this issue in the trial courts, which is the level of the judiciary that bears the burden in dealing with the vast majority of Tennesseans. We have concentrated a great deal of time to an issue near and dear to the hearts of many political activists – both conservative and liberal – in the method of selection of our appellate judges during this session, but the truth is that most cases involving Tennesseans never see a courtroom above the circuit or chancery level. If the General Assembly wishes to make budget cuts involving the judicial system, I recommend looking into possible cuts in the appellate system, such as diminishing or eliminating the post-conviction relief system or somehow taxing attorneys fees for those indigent appellate litigants (such as in the appeals of termination of parental rights cases) to the parties themselves instead of having the IDF foot the bill. In short, I believe there are some ways to make cuts in the system that would only impact a few people but would leave the vast majority of litigants represented and their rights intact. Under an abundance of caution, however, I believe that these potential cuts need to be studied and deferred to a later budget, as we should not act in haste.

Thank you for your time in considering what I believe to be an issue of importance to all Tennesseans. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at your convenience. Until I next have the pleasure of speaking with you, I remain


Truly Yours,



Robert L. Huddleston

Labels: Civil Liberties, Firm Life, General Assembly, Ron Ramsey

Today's ranting and raving will be at a minimum due to an all-day trial in Blount County. For the third time, I'm representing a young Sudanese gentleman. Sure wish I spoke Dinka...

Labels: Firm Life

January has not been a kind month on many fronts, one of which for me has been with my health. After three straight days of a bench trial in the first week of January (which followed several days of trial preparation), my immune system was thoroughly depressed, so much so that a virus hit me within hours of the case being recessed until March. I tried to fight through the illness, lost my voice for two days, even started arguing cases through pantomime and interpretive dance, but I still kept trying to manage my caseload through the coughing, congestion, and laryngitis.

Like every man in my family, I stayed away from the doctor's office and thought that I could handle this on my own. Yesterday was Day 20 of the illness. Angela convinced me that I wasn't getting any better. After being on the witness stand for over an hour yesterday (yes, sometimes we lawyers have to take the stand ourselves, which, I must admit, is a strange feeling), I managed to drag my carcass to see the Doc. He said I was in pretty bad shape and prescribed antibiotics, a cough suppressant, and Prednisone. I'm already feeling quite a bit better, but the Prednisone seems to be doing quite a number on my system. Working from home and not getting out in this strange weather is probably helping, too.

Between the illness and a tough month for UT basketball, I can't wait for February to arrive.

Labels: Firm Life, Illness, UT Basketball

I had a final hearing today in a criminal case on which I have spent more time than probably any other. I don't have to tell you the result, as I will just say that I am very upset. For an attorney that has admittedly felt burnt out lately and has been seriously contemplating a permanent change of career, this probably wasn't the best time for an adverse ruling.

And I'm not sure who I am madder at - the prosecutor, the judge, myself?

In any case, I need to blow off some steam. Hit it, Angus...

Labels: Crime, Firm Life, Judiciary

I would love to post on the bold move by John McCain today with his VP announcement, the threat of another catastrophic hurricane moving towards New Orleans, or a host of other topics, but the truth is that my difficult court week has abbreviated my packing and preparation for our trip to St. Paul and the Republican National Convention.

If I post on the blog now, I won't be able to post from the Convention, so...

More to come Saturday!

MORE: OK, already, enough with the e-mail questions! Yes, I love the Palin pick.

LOVE. IT.

Labels: 2008 Republican National Convention, Firm Life

You haven't seen much of me lately. The reason before Thursday is that I was working on campaigns. Nothing abnormal there. The reason since last Thursday is a mixture of being ill and working on an appellate brief that is due in 13 days.

I usually don't write much about my job on here, but since it's after 10:00 P.M. and I'm eating take-out at the office - AGAIN - I have an itch that needs scratching. Besides, I can tie this into politics on two different fronts.

You see, I don't practice before the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals on a regular basis. And, by not on a regular basis, I mean that I've had one case before them before. Ever. In that case, it was on interlocutory appeal due to the State filing a motion for an evidentiary ruling on some photographs that had been ruled inadmissible prior to trial. On that case, a plea bargain was struck many months before the Court of Criminal Appeals came back with a ruling. Heck, I elected to not even file a brief in that case, as our case was over before the brief was due.

That should have been my last appearance before the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. However, that is not the case.

I was appointed on a post-conviction relief (think of it as a second round of appeals based solely on constitutional issues) last year in Blount County. After the hearing, I dropped off a motion and order allowing for my withdrawal as I left the courthouse that day. Customarily, this isn't a big deal. I didn't hear anything about the case for several months.

Then, out of the blue, I receive a call from the clerk of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. I'm still on the case, which is now under appeal. Judge Michael Meares, who heard the case in Blount County, had not signed my order allowing for my withdrawal a half a year previous. I don't know why or how this occurred. All that I know is that I didn't receive any notice from Judge Meares as to why he was tying me to this case for an appeal (which my client had filed pro se). I asked the Court of Criminal Appeals - twice - to release me from the case, but they wouldn't have anything of it. So, now, I am having to draft a brief.

I have learned that I am not the only attorney who has experienced this exact situation when it comes to Judge Meares and the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. I'm sure to take some heat for this, but it is entirely unfair to an attorney to hold him or her hostage on an appointed case. It makes that attorney want to quit taking appointments, and, as someone who only on the rarest of occasions turns down court appointments, I can testify that there simply are too many appointments and not enough attorneys willing to take them. Why? On appointments, I make less than 1/6 of the money per hour as my colleagues. Plus, I have a cap set by the Administrative Office of the Courts that only allows for me to receive so much per case - no matter how complicated it becomes. That cap often doesn't even register as a percentage of the retainers my privately-retained colleagues charge.

I didn't talk much about my support for Judge David Duggan, the Circuit Court Judge-elect for Blount County who beat Judge Meares by 20-points last Thursday. There are several reasons for that, one being that I still was practicing before both men and to speak out on the race at the time would have been troublesome. I just campaigned for Judge Duggan at every opportunity and otherwise kept my mouth shut.

One thing I will say - Judge Duggan was one of the first judges to accept me into his court and assist me in beginning my foray into private practice. I probably would have supported him against anybody. However, Judge Meares' actions in the courtroom - and there were others than the one mentioned above - certainly would have made my decision for me in the event that I wouldn't have known the Republican nominee.

The stories that the liberal blogs have been spinning for the past several months were misinformed and downright incorrect in places. (Randy Neal and I may disagree on every issue, but I have respected him since he came out of the shadows and started blogging under his own name. However, I certainly hope that he provides a bit more truth and fact-checking to his efforts at the Democratic National Convention that what went on in the Meares-Duggan race.)

Which brings me to my final point - thank God for the right to vote. And, like the Tennessee Constitution states, we should be voting on every position in the judiciary. What is good for the goose in our trial courts should be good for the gander of our appellate courts. Most liberal lawyers would rather trade the potential improprieties that occur in judicial elections for the almost certain improprieties that occur in politically appointed judges. Not me. Not now. Not ever.

Now that the venting is complete, I need to bring some good kharma into the blog - through music video:

Labels: Firm Life, Judiciary, TN Supreme Court

Terry Frank has been all over this issue, and it is an important one.

First, some background for the uninitiated - despite what it says in the Tennessee Constitution (as pointed out by Rep. Stacey Campfield), we don't really vote on our appellate judges here in Tennessee. When I refer to appellate judges, I am referring to judges who sit on the Tennessee Court of Appeals, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, and the Tennessee Supreme Court. These judges are appointed by our governor after he receives a panel of three candidates from the Tennessee Judicial Selection Commission. Every 8 years we are allowed to cast a retention vote on these judges (only former Supreme Court Justice Penny White has ever been voted off the bench through one of these retention votes), but that's not exactly the same as an actual election, now is it?

This current method of judicial selection - often referred to as the "Tennessee Plan" - sunsets this year. After a year of winding down, we will most likely see some sort of popular election for appellate court judges here in Tennessee absent some sort of rescue operation for the Tennessee Plan.

And such an effort has been ongoing for several months now. A current judge on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals gave a heartfelt plea to a local bar a few months back, trying to drum up support for saving the Tennessee Plan. This particular judge, whom I have practiced before on many an occasion, was elevated to his current position by Governor Bredesen and has been an excellent judge for many years. However, he is probably a bit worried that a Democrat like himself would have little chance of winning popular election in East Tennessee - an election that he would have to take part in to keep his current job.

Liberal lawyers like Knoxville's Wanda Sobieski and members of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association (I refuse to address them by their new, more politically correct name because I've always known them as the TTLA) have also been trying to drum up support from their colleagues, asking that State Senators be contacted. (I mention Sobieski because I received an e-mail from her earlier today, but others have also been active on this front.) Others, like Kay Brooks, have been lobbying to let the citizens of Tennessee vote on their judiciary.

As a practical matter, I have been of two-minds on the sunsetting of the "Tennessee Plan." (As an ideological matter, I am for letting the people vote on all things that effect them at all times, not just when it fits my cause (compare here and here from the same author, for a counterexample).) Practically, though, having statewide elections with the mind-boggling fundraising needed - as they do in Texas, Illinois, and Alabama - raises ethical issues. However, at least that is aboveboard, for the public to view. Appointed judges make for backroom deals and the dirty side of politics. That certainly isn't an ideal way of going about things.

The practical issues aside, my ideology wins out on this one. The Tennessee Plan should go. Instrumental in my understanding and ultimate conclusion on this matter was a report provided to me by The Federalist Society. That report, authored by Vanderbilt Law Professor Brian Fitzpatrick, is an excellent resource for anyone with questions as to why the Tennessee Plan should go the way of the dodo.

As of 2:43 P.M. today, I was informed by staff for Senator Jamie Woodson that the matter had not made it to the floor of the Senate, as planned by former Lt. Governor Wilder. (The videos of Wilder begging to support for the Tennessee Plan are sad - how can this man manage to gain re-election?!?!) In fact, I was told that it was doubtful that the matter would be brought to the floor prior to adjournment. This would certainly be surprising - and welcome.

There's my two-cents...

Labels: Firm Life, General Assembly, Judiciary

Things have simply been too busy to focus on VOLuntarilyConservative recently. I'm referring to the following:

• A new (old) partner at The Huddleston Law Firm. After some blatant (and even admitted) discriminatory actions by Phil Bredesen's Department of Children's Services - all of which run afoul of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 - Republican State Executive Committeewoman Angela Huddleston has rejoined the firm. Her focus will be on juvenile matters and child support petitions. There is always a great deal of work on the front end of bringing anyone into a small firm, and I have been reminded of that over the past month. (I can't really go into any further details on the actions of DCS, as it hasn't been decided whether or not Angela will pursue this through litigation. I will say that the irony is not lost on me that the State's agency that is statutorily charged with the protection of children is so blatantly against them in specific situations. I'm sure there will be more to come on this at a later date.)
• A growing boy. Little Leo ain't so little anymore. He's gone through another growth spurt, and he's probably pushing 15.5 lbs - at least. Leo also has the two earliest endorsements ever, too - both Mike Faulk and Lamar Alexander have endorsed him for Governor! No word on when Leo will start raising funds for his campaign (although he does have quite a bit of Dad's change in his piggy bank)...
• Hearings, trials, and prelims. Work has been nuts lately. My New Year's resolution was to work less this year. I did the math yesterday after court, and I am actually marginally ahead of my pace for 2007. Oh well. Just another New Year's resolution that I wasn't able to keep...
• Political disillusionment. Although this blog was founded with a multidimensional focus on politics, sports, religion, and the like, it has become primarily a political and policy blog. While I love writing about sports, I simply had too many people (mostly female readers) who told me all over the state that they wanted more policy and family posts and fewer sports posts. Over the past year, I have tried to accommodate that. The problem becomes when the politics dries up. I have made no secret about my disdain for the three remaining presidential choices. I won't vote for any of them. Lamar's future dismantling of the Democratic sacrificial lamb will spawn a few posts later on in the year, but there's not much there now. The only real race that has me fired up is Mike Faulk's return of Mountain 'publican ideals against the charlatan Mike Williams in the 4th District. Which leads me to...
• Not liking being in Knox County that much. Angela and I have attended many Lincoln Days and other political events throughout Tennessee this year, and we have come to the conclusion that we are certainly loved everywhere in Tennessee - with the exception of Knox County. And that doesn't really both me that much. It has become apparent to me that the ills that have afflicted Knox County politics will not be cured this year, or any other time in the near future. The culture of corruption runs too deep. Even those who you believe to be your friends are involved in some way that helps out their individual interests, and all will put themselves above conservative ideology. Take the most recent kangaroo court meeting of the Knox County GOP Executive Committee. Technically, this group is supposed to meet every quarter, but they haven't met since Irene McCrary took over as Chairman in early 2007. An emergency meeting of the committee was called with an eye towards rejecting the charter amendments. Some members were not able to attend due to the sloppy nature in which the meeting was called, and it appears that some members weren't even notified. However, all of those who wanted to keep the size of Knox County government big and bloated were there. A quorum was declared present, although no one has ever been able to provide a copy of the Knox County GOP by-laws to me or Angela. The rejection of the charter amendments was ramrodded through (although not unanimously - Angela voted against it). But this is the Knox County GOP - it stands for big government and personal gain over smaller government and liberty for Tennesseans everywhere. Heck, at a recent gathering, it was actually discussed that candidates should pay into the Knox County GOP coffers, as the county party is looking at bankruptcy due to its lack of a fundraiser (other counties hold Lincoln Days to raise money- the Knox County version has nothing to do with the county party, as per the Tennessee Republican Party and my own investigation). Given its failures, I am strongly considering bringing the matter to the State Executive Committee at its next meeting in July, as the local party needs to be demolished and rebuilt from the ground up.
• The wettest drought I have ever seen. I've never had to mow my grass every 5 days during any other droughts. I wish the National Weather Service would quit talking about this drought, because it seems to rain every day after they do so.

So, yeah, it's been busy around here...

Labels: 2008 General Election, 2008 Tennessee General Assembly Campaigns, Baby, Firm Life, Knox County GOP, Knox County Politics, Weather

Sorry, folks, but I needed some time off for a few weeks to tend to several outstanding issues, including:

• widespread corruption and selling out of ideology within the Knox County Republican Party;
• Angela's parting of the ways with the Department of Children's Services, a State agency which proved to be severely anti-family and discriminatory when the chickens came home to roost;
• Angela's reintroduction to The Huddleston Law Firm;
• stomach flu that swept through the family and caused me to miss my first day from work for illness in nearly a year;
• a trip to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500;
• many, many wonderful moments with my son.

I've been busy, just not with blogging. Of course, I wondered if I even needed to come back after the unfortunate demise of Volunteer Voters. After BillHobbs.com underwent its facelift several years ago, VV at first filled a void, and then expanded as the functional clearinghouse of blogging information for Tennessee. It will be interesting to see if something else fills the void left by VV, or if we will have to work even harder as bloggers to remain connected as a statewide community.

Labels: Blogging, Firm Life, Knox County GOP, Leonidas, NASCAR

Today will be light on the blogging, folks, as I have what appears to be an all-day affair in Sevier County protecting a little five year-old girl from harm.

I'll try to post as soon as the results from Florida are known. Like Sharon Cobb, I think that only two viable candidates come out of Florida for the GOP. And the winner tonight has the advantage going into Super Tuesday.

I'm also working on a Knox County Voters Guide to be released later this week.

Labels: 2008 GOP Presidential Primary, Firm Life, Knox County Politics

Sigh...

Fred's out. Now I have to lampoon the GOP nominee from the Republican National Convention until Election Day. Not sure which candidate I will be backing during the savaging of the as-not-yet-known moderate GOP nominee, but I'm sure that it will add to my already cramped schedule.

Pearl's Vols lost. Got their butts handed to 'em in the second half by a pathetic Kentucky team. I love what Pearl has done with our program, but I think he might need to look at adjusting the rotation a bit. I've (of course) been to every home game this season, so I have a basis for my opinions. Ryan Childress - who made outstanding progress last year - isn't the same player this year. I'm hopeful that Duke Crews eats into Ryan's minutes when Crews is allowed to play, which would mean both Chism and Crews on the floor at the same time. Chris Lofton needs more minutes, too, as long as he is being aggressive, as we he was during the first half and end of the game last night. If that comes at the expense of JaJuan Smith, so be it. Finally, for every alley-oop that J.P. Prince and Tyler Smith miss instead of just putting the ball in the basket, the whole team needs to run stadium steps. Last night proved that Tennessee isn't in the same class as Memphis (after all, our coach has class) and Kansas. We're still good, and all that matters is peaking at tournament time, but we're not a Top 5 team at this point in time.

The weather sucks. It's 4:00 A.M., and I have no idea if I will be in court today or not. Sevier County Schools are on a 2-hour delay, and there isn't a weather policy on the Sevier County website. Maryville City Schools seem to be on schedule, which is what the Blount County courts follow. Not sure if I can get there, though, since it appears that the streets in my subdivision are still icy.

My elbow hurts. Yes, I made fun of falling yesterday, but I really did land on my elbow yesterday morning. I figured since the Knox County Schools were still on regular schedule that things would be OK. Nope. I don't think my elbow is broken, and I won't be without an X-ray. I guess that's the problem with a high pain tolerance.

Heath Ledger is dead. That sucks. After seeing the trailers, I was really looking forward to seeing Ledger as The Joker in the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. Ledger was a very talented actor, and the thought that he died from an overdose is downright depressing.

Just a series of bummers, folks.

Labels: Firm Life, Fred Thompson, Movies, Weather

This year has been tough on the ole VOLCon. Work has been uncontrollably busy. Heck, I'm even threatening to have more billable hours than my friends who work for the big metropolitan firms that I always felt sorry for because they worked all of the time.

But I've been trying to play hard, too. At least, I'm doing that until the baby comes.

Tennessee football games. Tennessee basketball games (although I missed last night's exhibition due to exhaustion). Trans-Siberian Orchestra this Wednesday night (which is also being attended by fellow blogger Michael Silence).

I'm glad to have completed the birthing classes, which concluded last week. Baby shower was this past Sunday.

Do you get the impression that my head is spinning?

Labels: Firm Life, Miscellaneous, Music

As I was finishing off a late lunch at the office after a morning in court (following an extremely long Monday in court), I was scanning an article in one of my latest bar journals about the alarming number of attorneys who are working themselves to death - literally - by way of heart attacks and strokes.

Then the power went out. And it stayed out.

Now some will say that things like this just happen. I took it as a sign from the Almighty that it was time to close up shop for the day.

Labels: Firm Life

As y'all know, blogging has taken a massive hit over the past month. I've posted less in August than in any month since I started VOLuntarilyConservative nearly 2 1/2 years ago.

Work has been incredibly busy. When I founded The Huddleston Law Firm in 2005, the whole idea was to let me run the show and not have to answer to liberal partners who tend to micromanage their associates without morals or compassion. I wanted freedom, and I had it. For a while, at least. Starting in September of 2006, my calendar became packed with cases, and it hasn't eased up since. I always wondered how my friends at the larger firms like Sidley Austin and Baker Donelson managed to have 2200 or 2400 billable hours and keep their sanity. As it stands now, I will equal their billable hours for 2007 - and I dare say pull in about half of their salaries. Not that I am complaining, as I never would have dreamed that this Firm would be so successful. It just makes finding time for friends and blogging quite difficult.

Plus, there is the excitement of expecting our first child. Angela is at 23 weeks and still on schedule for a Christmas Eve delivery.

In addition, a personal dream of mine was realized last week. For the first time in my life, I own season tickets to my beloved University of Tennessee Volunteers. While it is true that I have attended over 90% of the games spanning the past 13 years, I have always done so by purchasing tickets or having them given to me by generous friends and family. Not this year, since I have my own pair. To those of you who aren't fanatics of UT football, you may not understand how excited I am, but I have a feeling that there are some out there that just might know the since of pride and fulfillment that I have experienced this past week.

In any case, lots going on around here.

Labels: Family, Firm Life, Football