In D.C.

We attended a Moot Court this morning--which is basically a dress rehearsal where lawyers and law professors pretend to be the justices, and subject our side's attorney to demanding and difficult questions designed to expose flaws in arguments and ability to respond to questions. I'm told that after a sessions like this, the real oral arguments aren't so bad. ("I've been hammering my hand for weeks. I can barely feel any pain anymore!") I also had dinner with Alan Gura (the lead attorney on the Heller case), Professor Joe Olson of Hamline University Law School, and Dave Kopel last night.

We also wandered by the Supreme Court building today. I should have photographed the couple sitting in front with their suitcases--it had not occurred to me that they might be the start of the line for oral arguments on Tuesday.


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I rented a Toyota Prius--it was the same price as the standard car size. I've never driven one before. It does feel like driving a car in a science fiction movie! When it is running in electric mode, it is astonishingly quiet and smooth. They also went way out of their way to make the user interface as unlike a standard car as they could--which might be good for those looking to be cool, but is likely to be off-putting to anyone who is just looking for an economy car. In particular, the weird gear selection mechanism--and that you have to press a completely separate button to put it in Park--is really silly.


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One irritation: for some reason I have to turn it on at least twice to put it into Drive.