Legally Weird

"Nevermind" featured one of the most iconic album covers of all time. In the midst of the great moral panic over music poisoning the minds of our youths, there was 4-month-old Spencer Elden, as naked as the day he came into this world, swimming underwater after a dollar bill attached to a fishhook. Now 30 years old, Elden seems to have some regrets over his role in music history.

Demetra Street knew something was fishy after her husband's funeral. But after the service, when Demetra asked to receive her husband's ashes, the funeral home refused to produce them.

We've written here before about "environmental personhood," the idea that the best way to protect bodies of water and other natural resources is to give them the same rights as humans. While it might sound intriguing, the argument has not gained much legal traction in the U.S. That doesn't mean, however, that the theory isn't continuing to evolve.

The Boston City Council might have a devil of a time dealing with a recent challenge to the way it conducts its meetings. Like many city councils, the one in Boston likes to start its meetings with an invocation. The selection of each meeting's “faith leader" is left to individual councilors, and they have included Christian pastors of various denominations, imams, and rabbis. To the best of anyone's knowledge, though, they have never included a Satanist. But that might change.

Depending on the electoral rules of any constituency, non-human mayoral candidates may be banned or otherwise disqualified from running for office. But some towns have made the news for having four-legged leaders — what does this really mean, legally? As Long As There's No Rule Against It... Any mayor or other local office-holder must be able to complete the duties of their position.

Remember the Johnny Cash song, "A Boy Named Sue"? It's the one about the guy who is saddled with a girl's name by a father who deserted the family. The guy goes through life being picked on, but it teaches him how to survive by being a good fighter. In the end, he meets his father and realizes that dad might have had a good point in naming him Sue because it did indeed make him strong.