Ever come into the office and just get hacked off?

No particular reason, but you feel like all the crap -- cases, clients, colleagues, judges, opposing counsel, upcoming hearings, trips etc. -- builds up and you need an outlet for the hostility and aggression.

No, me neither.

So let's see, those into the craft of law can watch the Pleus v. Crist oral argument on the 5th DCA JNC dispute, where the great bow-tied one, Sandy D'Alemberte, delivers a classic and tangles (intellectually) with Justices Pariente, Polston, Canady and Quince. He even references Joseph Heller!

Preemption junkies (hi federal law clerks!) may enjoy this new change in preemption policy from The White House:

The purpose of this memorandum is to state the general policy of my Administration that preemption of State law by executive departments and agencies should be undertaken only with full consideration of the legitimate prerogatives of the States and with a sufficient legal basis for preemption. Executive departments and agencies should be mindful that in our Federal system, the citizens of the several States have distinctive circumstances and values, and that in many instances it is appropriate for them to apply to themselves rules and principles that reflect these circumstances and values. As Justice Brandeis explained more than 70 years ago, "[i]t is one of the happy incidents of the federal system that a single courageous state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country."

Federalism -- what a concept.

Aren't you glad you voted for him?

Oh oh -- our friends at the now-closed The Forge write in to the Herald to defend the late-night email firing without notice or severance of their staff:

For the past 40 years of business we have accepted the industry standard in laying off employees. In fact, almost all past employees leaving our employ have never given us notice.

It works both ways. Because of the industry's standard practices, we don't expect notice and our employees don't expect notice either.

I have not received one single complaint from an employee other than to wish us luck and speed in reopening and to thank us for the financial security we have always provided them.

Until now. So you offered not one ounce more than what industry practice requires -- how nice.

Does industry practice require that you fire your staff by email, and offer no severance? That's some industry.

Also, has it occurred to you that no one is complaining to your face because, in this bleak job market, some are hopeful you may rehire them after the purported $5 million renovation?

Speaking of firings, my old friend Normie Kent goes to bat for the always-embattled Neil Rogers:

''It's a mess that WQAM has to deal with, and basically they're just giving Neil three days off with pay because of their own snafu,'' said Norman Kent, the attorney.

Ironically, Rogers has mostly quit taking listeners' calls during his midday show because too many pranksters were unleashing long, obscenity-ridden tirades that had to be bleeped out. Instead, he encourages them to send e-mail that he reads on the air.

It was one of those e-mails, complaining about WQAM's dismissal of Rogers' longtime producer last week, that got him into trouble.

Rogers was reciting it aloud, relishing the insults it heaped on WQAM general manager Joe Bell, when he inadvertently included a line that said, ``[Bleep] Joe Bell.''

''Neil immediately hit the dump button, the button you use to cut out stuff during the seven-second delay,'' Kent said. ``But WQAM is moving into new studios, and Neil's dump button wasn't connected yet.''

They fired Jorge?

That sucks. I sure hope he received exactly what the industry standard requires.

I really enjoyed this Norm Kent piece on the stupidity of our nation's policy toward marijuana possession:

As a California patient, I am empowered to acquire cannabis lawfully at medical dispensaries. Under the California Health and Safety Code, I am also entitled to grow up to six plants of my own in my little apartment on the bay. I do not have to hide them from the authorities.

I joined the Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative, and was issued a Growers Certificate. It affirms that any herbs I cultivate at home would be grown for my personal medical use. I was now at liberty to grow my own medicine. It is still called pot in Florida. We call it medicine in California.

Today, therefore, the same medicine I can consume lawfully in California I have to prevent people from going to jail for in Florida. It makes no sense. Fourteen states and scores of communities across our country have either decriminalized or ‘medicalized’ marijuana. It is not good enough. Americans still face one very large federal stumbling block.

Once again the small-g government types and state's rights folks can't manage to maintain the same principled approach that William F. Buckley did when it comes to our marijuana laws, leading to the absurd situation Normie details so well.

You can see Norm's thought process behind writing the piece at his snazzy blog here.

You know the drill -- peanuts and Crackerjack, America's pastime, Babe Ruth, a desperately poor city going further in depth to fund a privately-owned stadium that will be outmoded the second it opens (the county bond repayment in 2044 -- when the stadium is 30 plus years old -- will be $144 million) etc.

Now add this sweet tale of a Miami girl, a baseball, and my pal Norm Kent:

A Florida girl who grabbed a historic home run ball hit by Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard has her prize back after suing the team for its return.

The July home run against the Florida Marlins was Howard's 200th. He achieved that milestone in the fewest games in major league history.

After 12-year-old Jennifer Valdivia scooped up the ball, she was escorted to the Phillies clubhouse, then exchanged it for an autographed ball.

The girl's mother filed a lawsuit Monday seeking the home run ball's return. Lawyer Norm Kent says the Phillies agreed and now Jennifer has the ball back.

The Phillies declined comment on Wednesday.

Normie, helping children achieve their dreams of selling the ball on Ebay, one child at a time.

We're glad you're feeling better Norm!