Twenty-Nine Distinct Damnations of the Federal Practice -- And a National Ministry of Justice

There are certain fundamental truths. Neither the practicing lawyer nor the best judge has the requisite time to worry about the why of a rule of law. And this is true whether the point be one of substantive or adjective law although, as we know, the two are inter-mixed and one. If the day\u27s work be done, the bar and the judiciary must take the law as they find it, right or wrong, sensible or nonsensical, and do the best they can. Theirs is not to reason why. I do not mean to deny that now and then a court or a judge will wage and even accomplish a needed reform. Or that from time to time great contributions are made by this bar association committee or that. But these contributions are sporadic, and unorganized, and even when made in many instances are not followed through. Neither the best judge or the best lawyer has the time to do this kind of thing. Neither is paid for it and the most fundamental truth of all is that we get what we pay for. The task of steering the law along the right course is a job for eggheads, the law perfessors of America. From my point of view we have been doing our job magnificently. The law reviews are filled with excellent suggestions for this reform or that. But at the present time these pieces float out into the air. No one reads them, let alone acts upon them because no one is paid to do so as a job. No one is to blame for this

Effect of Ring Size and Migratory Groups on [1,n] Suprafacial Shift Reactions. Confirmation of Aromatic and Antiaromatic Transition-State Character by Ring-Current Analysis

Suprafacial sigmatropic shift reactions of 5-substituted cyclopentadienes, 3-substituted cyclopropenes, and 7-substituted cycloheptatrienes have been studied computationally at the MP2/6-31+G* level for structures and energetics, and using the ipsocentric method at the CHF/6-31G** level to calculate current-density maps. The hydrogen shifts in cyclopentadienes have a diatropic ring currents indicating aromatic, cyclopentadienide anion character. This result stands in contrast to the fluorine shift in 5- fluorocyclopentadiene which requires much more energy, and has a paratropic ring current in the TS pointing to antiaromatic, cyclopentadienyl cation character. [1,3] hydrogen shifts in cyclopropenes are very difficult, passing through transition states that have an extended C-C bond. For 3-fluorocyclopropene the [1,3] fluorine shift is much easier than the hydrogen shift. For 7-fluorocycloheptatriene the [1,7] hydrogen shift is predicted, but requires very high energy and has a paratropic ring current and antiaromatic character. The [1,7] suprafacial fluorine shift is relatively easy, having a TS with cycloheptatrienyl cation character. Patterns of currents, and the reversal for H and F migration, are rationalized by orbital analysis based on the ipsocentric method. Calculated charges and structural features for reactants and transition states support these conclusions