Author

Marshall H. Tanick

Marshall H. Tanick

Marshall H. Tanick is a Twin Cities employment law attorney with the law firm of Meyer Njus Tanick.

COMMENTARY

The SCOTUS leak investigation: Did they hire Inspector Clouseau?

By: - February 3, 2023

So, it ends “not with a bang but a whimper.”          The memorable phrase of poet T. S. Eliot in “The Hollow Men” aptly describes the denouement of the much-ballyhooed investigation of the leak of the draft of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. The leak proved prescient because the final version, authored by Justice Samuel Alito […]

COMMENTARY

Decision in Yanez teacher licensure case could have far reaching consequences

By: - January 23, 2023

The Minnesota Court of Appeals late last year re-opened the denial of a teaching license for a former metro police officer who shot and killed a Black man in a notorious 2016 traffic stop. The case could have much broader implications beyond the classroom, affecting employment relationships and other business arrangements in this state and […]

COMMENTARY

The president of the University of Minnesota should not be moonlighting for Securian

By: - December 23, 2022

The decision by the University Board of Regents last week to approve President Joan Gabel’s $130,000 annual moonlighting arrangement as a member of the Board of Directors of Securian Financial couldn’t be more tone deaf. Tuition is rising, faculty and staff salaries are being squeezed, and the institution is about to ask the Legislature for […]

COMMENTARY

Even if charged, convicted and incarcerated, Trump can still be president

By: - November 18, 2022

The recent declaration by former President Trump that he is running for a second term coincides with the increasing likelihood that he will be charged, perhaps convicted, and even possibly incarcerated for one or more federal or state offenses.  Could he still run for president again if any of those conditions occur? The answer is […]

COMMENTARY

Are judges ideological partisans, or impartial umpires?

By: - October 31, 2022

Former President Trump has been uncharacteristically quiet about the various unfavorable judicial rulings in the Mar-a-Lago documents litigation. His unusual reticence conflicts with his penchant for attributing litigation setbacks to the partisan-connection of judges who preside over them. He’s referred to some as “Obama” judges, implying that their decisions are based on ideology and political […]

COMMENTARY

Recent federal 8th Circuit cases uphold qualified immunity, at expense of civil rights

By: - October 17, 2022

The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day 2020 precipitated calls for reforms in law enforcement practices across the nation, including here in Minnesota. While a few minor measures were adopted, major legislation stalled at both federal and state levels, mainly due to Republican opposition. One of the changes called for by reformers […]

COMMENTARY

U.S. Supreme Court chipped away at Miranda, but it’s safe here in Minnesota, for now

By: - September 7, 2022

In the waning days of the tumultuous 2021-22 term of the U.S. Supreme Court, a series of major rulings garnered an extraordinary amount of attention. They included abolishing the constitutional right to abortion; invalidating a New York firearms licensing law; stopping the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions; allowing a public high school […]

COMMENTARY

Where’s that Supreme Court leaker? Or are we just gonna nevermind that one?

By: - August 3, 2022

To paraphrase an old saying: You can’t teach an old court new tricks. The modified aphorism refers to the U. S. Supreme Court and its search for the culprit(s) who leaked a draft of the tribunal’s anti-abortion opinion six weeks before it was officially promulgated. The justices responded with verbal aggression and extraordinary bellicosity in […]

COMMENTARY

As with Watergate, lawyers played a key role in Jan. 6 debacle

By: - July 12, 2022

One of the most striking and disturbing parallels between the January 6th insurrection currently being investigated by the U.S. House of Representatives and Watergate, which recently commemorated its 50th anniversary, is the pivotal role of lawyers in those two monumental  offenses. Although not all of the key malefactors during the Watergate affair were attorneys, most […]

COMMENTARY

High court could soon rule against hopes for sane gun control laws | Opinion

By: - June 7, 2022

Against the backdrop of the latest mass shootings du jour at the supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., and the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, the U. S. Supreme Court is poised to issue a ruling that is very likely to constitute another assault on gun regulation. Although the Supreme Court has not yet issued its ruling […]

COMMENTARY

The Supreme Court shouldn’t be shrouded in secrecy | Opinion

By: - May 10, 2022

The firestorm arising out of the recent leak of a draft of the Supreme Court opinion — purporting to eliminate constitutional abortion rights established 49 years ago in Roe v. Wade — has generated fury for different reasons from various quarters. But the consternation ought to serve another useful purpose: Highlighting the secrecy of how […]

COMMENTARY

As we celebrate Earth Day, the U.S. Supreme Court weakens the EPA | Opinion

By: - April 22, 2022

Leave it to the conservative majority on the U. S. Supreme Court to ruin a celebration. This one is the commemoration of Earth Day on Friday, April 22, the 53rd anniversary of the day set aside to recognize environmental concerns and how to address them. The justices in the nation’s capital dealt a stunning blow […]