Seventh Circuit: Ostrich "Not a Proper Model for an Appellate Advocate"

A recent opinion by Judge Posner for the Seventh Circuit includes the following text (complete with photos!):

The ostrich is a noble animal, but not a proper model for an appellate advocate. (Not that ostriches really bury their heads in the sand when threatened; don’t be fooled by  the picture below.)  The “ostrich-like tactic of pretending that potentially dispositive authority against a litigant’s contention does not exist is as unprofessional as it is pointless.”  Mannheim Video, Inc. v. County of Cook, 884 F.2d 1043, 1047  (7th  Cir. 1989), quoting Hill v. Norfolk & Western Ry., 814 F.2d 1192, 1198 (7th Cir. 1987).

Gonzalez-Servin v. Ford Motor Co., __ F.3d __ (7th Cir. 2011).  

Read more...