The (Migratory) Birds and the Bees

Having completed two full days of law school, I feel like I made a great choice. Not just a great choice coming to Indiana Law, but a great choice in going to law school period. In these discussions, I feel at home. It feels good to sit at a lunch table and bounce legal theories off study partners. This is me in my element, and I feel like I'm ready.

The first day went surprisingly smooth. After a brief spiel by some of the deans, we were officially introduced to Dean Robel as the first third of the Class of 2010. It felt good, looking around, knowing that these people will be the folks with whom I spend my next three years. It became very real, as if all the dreaming and hypothesizing of the past year had finally materialized.

I feel comfortable saying that Professor Baude is an amazing professor. Everything you hear about law professors being tremendously witty is true. One minute we're discussing swarms of bees forcing us out of our homes, the next we're talking about whether an individual migratory bird needs to migrate in order to be migratory. We've had hearty discussions about voluntary reflexes, and how Baude told his son robbers wouldn't break into their house. Burglars would.

At this point, Crim Law is primarily philosophical and much less black-letter law. Why do we punish people at all? Why must laws be made in advance of crimes? Why don't we let judges "make" criminal law, while we let them create property and tort law? These sorts of questions are deeply thought-provoking, and they are a very good place to start the study of law. I can't imagine taking other law courses without this basic background. In that respect, I feel that the summer start program was the best use of money I could ever want.

Though the start of class meant the end of a solid week of going out, I have a feeling that I will enjoy my time in the classroom as much as my time out of it. I truly love this.

Until next time, try not to appear drunk in public, and keep your clipped-wing geese from jumping into my alfalfa fields.

I should clarify that this blog is chock-full of inside jokes that exactly 67 people understand. Sorry to the rest - take Baude, and you'll get it.