History Matters by David McCullough
After David McCullough passed away, his daughter published a collection of his various speeches and writings into a book called [*History Matters*](ht...
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A personal blog about books, history, and the law.
Latest posts
Judge Oldham's Roadmaps
Judge Oldham [writes](https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/21/21-60626-CV0.pdf): > This case arises from three rules proposed by Nasdaq and appr...
Abraham Lincoln’s advice to a young law student
From [_Team of Rivals_ by Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://bookshop.org/p/books/team-of-rivals-the-political-genius-of-abraham-lincoln-doris-kearns-goodw...
D.C. Circuit Case Before and After Loper Bright
Analyzing a D.C. Circuit case and its outcome before and after Loper Bright.
An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s by Doris Kearns Goodwin
An unbelievable story of love, history, and politics.
Chief Justice Roberts on Humphrey's Executor in 2009 and 2026
The following remarks made at oral argument in *[Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Accounting Oversight Board](https://www.oyez.org/cases/2009/08-861)* ...
Presidential Candidates Defending their Dogs
 I was watching _[Bobby Kenn...
Chief Justice John Roberts at the Baker Institute
A conversation about history and the law
My Reading Year, 2025
Like [last year](https://www.dltn.io/posts/my-reading-year-2024), 2025 was another light reading year for me. I echo the same thing I [wrote last](htt...
Misconceptions About Gift-Giving
It turns out, there are some rules about gift-giving.
Felix Frankfurter’s Letter of Advice to a Young Person Interested in Going into the Law
I found this letter [uploaded here](https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/university-of-san-agustin/ethics/advice-to-a-young-man-interested-in-going-int...
Justice Stanley Mosk
A look at the life and ideas of Justice Mosk.
Blog Questions Challenge
On blogging.
My Reading Year, 2024
All the books I read in 2024.
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham
Book notes, quotes, and ideas.
Feynman's Rainbow by Leonard Mlodinow
Book notes and ideas from Feynman's Rainbow by Leonard Mlodinow.
Concurring opinions
When you're a huge nerd like me, you not only read court opinions for school, but you also get really excited to read those court opinions when it's ...
The Art of Money Getting by P.T. Barnum
A few short lessons and ideas about living well, finding success, getting rich, and not being a fool.
Justice Holmes
One of the reasons I went to law school was because of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. It’s not like a had a conversation with him...obviously. He’s long ...
Markdown sans front matter
One of the reasons I’ve been tempted to switch—and in fact have switched a few times (and then back again)—to WordPress as a headless CMS was because...
Probably your fault
Last year on the podcast, Jerry Colonna said something that deeply resonated with me: how are you complicit in creating the conditions you say you don...
Book Notes on 'Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S Truman'
I have a strange affection for Harry Truman. Maybe it's because we were both born in Missouri—and both proud to be so—or maybe it's because David McCullough's biography of him is one of the first full-scale biographies I read of a President. Whatever it may be, I love him. He never let the office of the President of the United States—or the perks of the office—get to him or his head. And unlike so…
Do The Hard Work That's Required
[My biggest gripe with AI companies](https://x.com/dltnio/status/1813267142642639201)—and people who seem incapable of thinking about anything *other...
Notes on Thoughts for Young Men by JC Ryle
"Remember what I say: if you would cling to earthly pleasures--these are the things which murder souls," JC Ryle wrote. "There is no surer way to get ...
How to learn like Sherlock Holmes
The first few chapters of [_The Study in Scarlet_](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/244), the first book in *The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes*, is w...
Book Notes and Review of 'The Patriots by Winston Groom'
Three founding fathers and the country they created.
Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough
What I learned reading Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough
Fix the fridge
A lot of "complicated" problems have simple solutions. It doesn't seem like this is true because smart people don't want to admit that their problem...
Don't let it fade to black
On a podcast I was listening to, someone told the story about how he first met—and eventually started dating—his wife. He said at first, they would g...
Rental car envy
You have a nice car at home that you love. Maybe it’s even paid off. It has a few miles on it, but it still runs well. You’re happy. But then you go...
Explanation vs. excuses
An explanation helps all parties understand why something went wrong. By offering an explanation, you’re saying, “This thing happened because Y. It’s ...
Oliver Wendell Holmes: A Life in War, Law, and Ideas
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. believed in hard work and knowledge. He remarked, “most things in this world, half their terrors vanish when you walk up and...
Most things just need to be done
I used to like the phrase, “How you do anything is how you do everything.” Doing the little things right is important. But there’s not enough time in...
Visible progress makes doing hard things easy
Doing hard things for a long time isn't difficult because they're hard or because you have to do them for a long time. It's difficult because the pay...
How I choose what to read: bullets vs. cannonballs
Jim Collins writes about a [bullet and cannonball analogy](https://www.jimcollins.com/concepts/fire-bullets-then-cannonballs.html) for business. Inst...
Sailing the Graveyard Sea by Richard Snow
Every good story-at-sea has at least two of three elements: a shipwreck, murder, or mutiny. While this tale definitely had the second, the third is qu...
Don't Create a Horse Storm
Back when the quickest way to transport horses from one place to another was by boat, ship captains had to beware. Transporting inanimate objects was...
1776
An intense saga of Washington and War.
The Gathering Storm
Book notes and insights on Winston Churchill's The Gathering Storm, volume one of his Memoirs of the Second World War.
Success is found in the minutiae
“Your works?” Watson shouted. “Oh, you didn’t know?” Sherlock cried, laughing. “Yes I have been guilty of several monographs. They are all upon techn...
Who you are is who you will be (but you can change)
We're all becoming someone. The question is who?.
My Reading Year, 2023
Some books I read this year.
Reading plants seeds
“You may not understand everything you read now, but you will one day.”
JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century
Notes, insights, and ideas.
An example of Chekhov's Gun
An example of Chekhov's Gun from The Firm.
TWR: Work, Position, Reading, Economists
5 reads worth sharing.
Spillane: King of Pulp Fiction by Max Collins
The events, stories, and quotes that made Mickey Spillane the king of pulp fiction.
Charles Dickens and Active Patience
Don't just wait. Work.
David McCullough on The Art of Writing, History, and Success
Notes and quotes from the insightful documentary, ‘David McCullough: Painting with Words.’
What Actually Happened in Oppenheimer
Scenes and events in Oppenheimer compared to real life.