Law Times

June 11, 2012

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PAGE 16 u BIZARRE BRIEFS By Viola James MOM IN TROUBLE FOR LEAVING BABY ON CAR PHOENIX — The anti-drug folks will like this story. According to Reuters, a marijuana-smoking month to felony criminal mischief for striking at and leaning against the oil-on-canvas painting at the Clyfford Still Museum last year, the Denver district attorney' woman was arrested in Phoenix after she acci- dentally drove away with her five-week-old son in a child safety seat on the roof of her vehicle. The baby fell off the car in the middle of an intersection and was found unharmed and strapped into the seat, said Phoenix police spokesman James Holmes. The mother, Catalina Clouser, 19, was booked into jail on child abuse and aggravated assault charges, he said. "It appears the suspect put the baby on the roof of the car and drove off, forgetting he was still on the roof, her boyfriend had been smoking marijuana in a park and left with the toddler to buy beer. Officers stopped the car and the boyfriend was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence while driving with the baby in the 2000 Ford Focus. Police learned that Clouser was so upset about the arrest that she drove to a friend's home According to Reuters, police said Clouser and " Holmes said in a written statement. and "admittedly smoked one or two additional bowls of marijuana," Holmes said. She left at about midnight with the baby asleep in the car seat, placing the child on top of the vehicle, he said. 2 YEARS FOR DEFILING ART WITH BUTTOCKS DENVER — We all know not to touch the art hanging at a museum or gallery, so it should be obvious not to do so with your behind. But that rule appears to have escaped a woman of damage to the painting, an intoxicated Tisch then pulled down her pants, slid her buttocks against the painting, and urinated on the muse- um floor, prosecutors said. A judge sentenced Tisch to two years' pro- bation. TOFU BANNED FROM VANITY PLATE MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — When Whitney Calk sought a personalized licence plate from a Tennessee state agency to tout her vegetarian ideals, she was annoyed when she was told no. It turns out the letters ILVTOFU can be construed to mean more than enjoying bean curd. "When I see T-O-F-U, I see tofu, who requested the so-called vanity plate from the Tennessee Department of Revenue last September. The dilemma faced by Tennessee authorities " says Calk, last year is not unusual, as officials at motor vehicle agencies nationwide consider hundreds of thou- sands of personalized plate requests each year. Virginia, however, may be the capital of vanity plate mischief. Personalized plates in the state cost just $10 more than regular licence plates. One mil- lion of Virginia' who punched, scratched, and slid her buttocks against a $30-million painting by abstract expres- sionist Clyfford Still at a Denver museum. The woman, according to Reuters, has been sen- tenced to two years of probation and will have to undergo mental-health treatment. Carmen Tisch, 37, pleaded guilty earlier this that a 20-person committee of motor vehicle staffers meets for an hour each month to review suspicious applications. State guidelines ban deceptive plates such as FBI as well as excretory, sexual, racial or drug references. "It' Questionable formulations are so common s 7.8 million vehicles have them. s the only time you get to talk like that at DMV, that's for sure," said Department of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Melanie Stokes, who sits on the review panel.Less offensive and more playful ideas, including EWOBAMA, IPUNCHU, and DMYANKI, have all been reviewed and rejected at the meetings. — Reuters After causing an estimated $10,000 worth s office said. June 11, 2012 • Law Times u The INSIDE STORY LAWYER RECEIVES JUBILEE MEDAL Immigration lawyer Chan- tal Desloges has received the Diamond Jubilee Medal for her work in the fi eld. Desloges, who' the 60,000 expected recipi- ents of the new award for their contributions to Can- ada, received the honour at a ceremony in Mississauga, Ont., last month. Th e award is part of the s among 2012 celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Queen' accession to the throne. "Being an immigration s Chantal Desloges and refugee lawyer has never been just a job for me," said Desloges. "It is really an honour to be recognized for something that I have always been passionate about." TWO LAWYERS APPOINTED TO BENCH Th e appointed two lawyers to the bench in a series of changes at the Ontario Superior Court. Robert Goldstein, a lawyer federal government has with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, becomes a Superior Court judge in Toron- to. He replaces Justice Duncan Grace, who in turn moves to London, Ont., to take the place of Justice Wolfram Tausend- freund. Th e domino eff ect continues with Tausendfreund moving to Kingston, Ont., to replace Jus- tice Douglas Belch, who be- came a supernumerary judge in March. Goldstein had been with the federal government since 1990. In addition, Ian Leach, a partner with Lerners LLP in London, joins the Superior Court bench in Woodstock, Ont. He replaces Justice Th om- as Heeney, who becomes re- gional senior justice for the southwest region following the departure of Justice Edward Ducharme to the Ontario Court of Appeal on April 5. Leach had been with Lerners since 1991. EDUCATIONAL CHARITY LAUNCHED An educational charity aimed at addressing Canada' tutional democracy launched last week with a conference and reception in Ottawa on June 4. Th e charity, Your Canada, s consti- "Forget the bubble, bubble, toil, and trouble! What about the articling crisis?" Get more online Visit Us Online 1-8-5X.indd 1 Your Constitution, conducts research and hosts educational programs about the history and ongoing development of Can- ada' the launch of Your Canada, Your Constitution and its national education eff orts to inform and foster a very public discussion about Canada' "I am very happy to announce history and future," said Carl s constitutional Turkstra, president of the new organization. PAWLITZA THANKFUL AS SHE WRAPS UP TERM Laurie Pawlitza will wrap up her fi nal duties as treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada this month. In her fi nal report to Con- ments, according to the organi- zation' s Constitution and govern- s press release. vocation last month, Pawlitza thanked the law society and members of the profession and refl ected on her "hectic" but "very exciting and rewarding" term. "It has been a great honour to serve as treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada," said Pawlitza. Th omas Conway, current chairman of the law society's articling task force, will become treasurer on June 28. POLL RESULTS Th e results of last week' Times poll are in. Fiſt y-two per cent of respon- LT s Law dents opposed changing the cri- teria for judicial appointments to encourage diversity. For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. Canadian Lawyer | Law Times | 4Students | InHouse | Legal Feeds lawtimesnews.com • canadianlawyermag.com www.lawtimesnews.com 2/28/11 2:37:34 PM Fresh Canadian legal news and analysis every day

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