The lead story from last week's news roundup is back again: Chapel Hill's ban on using cell phones while driving. It appears from this News and Observer story that Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson has now granted a preliminary injunction against the ordinance, extending the temporary restraining order he issued previously. A hearing on the plaintiffs' request for a permanent injunction is expected in the next few months, though since the issues in the case are mainly legal rather than factual, it seems unlikely that an evidentiary hearing will change Judge Hudson's view of the issues. In other news: 1. Our own Jamie Markham has been named one of the top 50 law professors on Twitter. Congratulations, Jamie! 2. The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that lifetime GPS monitoring for sex offenders is unconstitutional. The justices didn't completely agree on the grounds, but the case adds to what seems to be a bit of national momentum for reevaluating some aspects of our sex offender laws. 3. The New York Times reports here that the U.S. saw fewer traffic fatalities last year than in any year since 1941. Measured by deaths per million miles driven, the roads have never been safer. 4. That may not last, though. Self-driving vehicles are now on the roads in Nevada, as ABC News reports here. Watch out! (On the other hand, CNN thinks that computerized drivers will be better than human drivers.) 5. Infamous Duke Law alum Tucker Max somewhat recently wrote this article, entitled "Why You Shouldn't Go to Law School." As far as I can tell, most of Max's writing is pointless drivel about getting drunk and chasing women, but he might be onto something with this one. Just don't tell Shaquille O'Neal. Having completed his doctorate in education from Harvard Barry University, Shaq reportedly said "I think I'm going to try law school next." Talk about courtroom presence!
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