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Returning from Howard Law symposium

I'm on the plane, coming back home. It was a nice event, the students very polite and courteous (this is not always a trait of law students!). A few interesting points: the Common Cause speaker went on a theme of "NRA uses its money to buy elections." I pointed out that the money comes predominantly from members' dues and contributions, so this is five million Americans' money being used to affect politics, hard to say what's wrong with that. In the course of making that point, I said it's millions of people chipping in their annual dues of $35, or whatever it may now be... and two female students added "yes, it's still $35." Another student later shared with me his experiences in gun collecting.

I got to shake hands with Mrs. Thurgood Marshall, who was attending. I'd seen her late husband speak at U of Ariz. years ago; he struck me as one Justice with an active sense of humor.

The event was named for civil rights attorney Wiley Branton; one of hsi family members was there and mentioned that he carried guns during his "time in the trenches."