Barack Obama gives Richard Cordray a recess appointment to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and discoverer of imaginary Constitutional do’s & don’ts John Yoo is all, “Hey! Not cool!“: “Some think me a zealous advocate of executive power, and often I am when it comes to national security issues. But I think President Obama has exceeded his powers by making a recess appointment for Richard Cordray (whom I respect and have no problems with as a nominee) to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.”

The markup in the House Judiciary Committee of the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, has begun. Observers expect at least two days of markups, and the bill wouldn’t see the House floor until sometime thereafter, probably next year. There are over 60 amendments on the bill, and opponents on the committee are dragging out the proceedings. Rep. Zoe Lofgren refused to waive the reading of the bill, so Judiciary staffers needed to spend an hour doing that.

Understand that this bill is getting a hearing, and a markup, because very wealthy interests want it to pass. It so happens that very wealthy interests want it to fail, but that puts it on the agenda as well, because both sides can go to their funders and raise money off the threat of the bill passing or failing. This becomes a bonanza for K Street lobbyists. There are over 1,000 of them working on SOPA.

The world waits to see what will happen at midnight tonight, as Occupy Boston is evicted from Dewey Square in Boston by Mayor Thomas Menino. The moment has been creeping up on the occupiers ever so steadily since a week or two ago. After Occupy LA and Occupy Philadelphia were cleared, it was evident the city would be moving the occupiers out as soon as they could.

A Boston judge earlier today denied Occupy Boston’s motion for a preliminary injunction and vacated a temporary restraining order that had effectively been providing protection from a city eviction. The judge ultimately disagreed with whether camping was protected speech and that is why she ruled in favor of the city.

Judge Frances McIntyre concluded in her decision, “While Occupy Boston protesters may be exercising their expressive rights during their protest, they have no privilege under the First Amendment to seize and hold the land on which they sit.” McIntyre decided that citizens occupying Dewey Square in Boston had were trying to permanently hold the land and that was not protected speech under the First Amendment.

So, will MSA collect? Will any of the miners’ families collect? Will anyone in upper management of Massey EVER see the inside of a court room (much less a jail cell?)? Will anyone who was a member of the Board of Directors ever see the inside of a court room? Inquiring minds would like to know.

Being the law geek around the Lake, I went to introduce myself to the Legal Working Group and was given an interview by one of its members, Janos Marton. Mr. Marton works at a law firm by day and spends his off hours helping OWS. The firm members who know about his activity have been supportive.

Why does Bieber even know who Amy Klobuchar is, let alone this animosity? It’s about S.978, the so-called “Protect IP Act,” and the House version, known as the “Stop Online Piracy Act.” Among other things, these bills would make Web streaming of copyrighted work a felony, with a 5-year jail sentence. Because the Beebs got his start by posting his renditions of other people’s songs on YouTube, activists have used him as a rallying point, creating the site FreeBieber.org. Bieber’s lawyers have filed a cease and desist order against the site, incidentally, so Bieber isn’t ALL that committed to Internet freedom.

Was it when it was after 10 pm and the Supreme Court still hadn’t issued a decision? Was it when the Supreme Court issued a “temporary reprieve” instead of a stay of execution and left people emotionally on edge outside the prison? Or was it when there was an abrupt flurry of sirens that pulled up and police storm troopers marched over to provide reinforcement for a line of police, which had been standing on guard? Was that when it became apparent Troy Davis was going to be killed Wednesday night?

UPDATE 2: Supreme Court refuses the stay, will not block the execution.

UPDATE: The Supreme Court of the United States has temporarily issued a reprieve while they consider the case. Could be minutes, could be hours, could be seven days.

The Georgia Pardons & Paroles Board is set to execute Troy Davis at 7 pm ET on International Day of Peace. Troy Davis’ attorneys filed a motion for an emergency stay of execution. Lawyers wrote, according to Huffington Post, “No physical evidence has ever conclusively linked Mr. Davis to the murder and significant suspicion rests on the man who implicated Mr. Davis to the police originally.” The Board denied the motion. The defense also wanted a certificate of probable cause to appeal. That was denied too.

The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles has denied Troy Davis clemency. The five-member board reviewed pleas for clemency yesterday and did not make a decision until this morning. Davis is scheduled for execution tomorrow, September 21. Clemency or the issuance of a stay of execution was Davis’ last available avenue for avoiding lethal injection.