Professor L explained why our exam is eight hours:
Professor L: “The reason I give you eight hour exams is not just sadism. That’s just a part of it! I like people to suffer…”
She then went on to say that the time limit is to give us time to think about, and flesh-out our answers, but that was lost in the nervous laughter.
Yesterday I read for Conlaw II at the Spyhouse. A full hour of Madonna’s 80’s hits was playing while I read stuff like:
After sufficient dilation the surgical operation can commence. The woman is placed under general anesthesia or conscious sedation. The doctor, often guided by ultrasound, inserts grasping forceps through the woman’s cervix and into the uterus to grab the fetus. The doctor grips a fetal part with the forceps and pulls it back through the cervix and vagina, continuing to pull even after meeting resistance from the cervix. The friction causes the fetus to tear apart. For example, a leg might be ripped off the fetus as it is pulled through the cervix and out of the woman. The process of evacuating the fetus piece by piece continues until it has been completely removed. A doctor may make 10 to 15 passes with the forceps to evacuate the fetus in its entirety, though sometimes removal is completed with fewer passes. Once the fetus has been evacuated, the placenta and any remaining fetal material are suctioned or scraped out of the uterus. The doctor examines the different parts to ensure the entire fetal body has been removed.
Gonzales v. Carhart, 550 U.S. 124, 136 (2007)
Bleh. The abortion segment of the Conlaw is my least favorite. But Professor L’s asides kept things light in class:
This is the most important class. Ever:
Professor L: “I’m sure you think about the 10th amendment all the time!”
Overhead issues:
Professor L: “Oh, I forgot to write this on the overhead…I guess I’ll fill it out more before I post it on the uh… um… internet or whatever they are calling it these days…”
(ten minutes pass, and she begins typing again)
Professor L: “I know I’m misspelling like crazy but…well, you guys can just deal with it…”
Jill is about as blunt as Scalia:
Professor L: What does the court say about the respect for the culture of life?”
Jill: “You mean the part where the court just makes stuff up?”
See also, On The Record: Professor L