Slings and Arrows

"Fairall, who happened to have secreted a bow and quiver of arrows in the rafters to prevents its theft, loosed one but did not see where it landed ['I shot an arrow into the air, it fell to the earth, I knew not where' - The Arrow and the Song, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.] In this case, the defendant learned where it landed - in his back ... May a person who enters the habitat of another at 3 o'clock in the morning for the announced purpose of killing him, and who commences to beat the startled sleeper's bed with a stick and set fires under him, be entitled to use deadly force in self defense after the intended victim shoots him in the back with an arrow? Upon the basis of these bizarre facts, we hold (with apologies to William Shakespeare and Hamlet, Act III, sc. 1) that he may not, and instead must suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune." (bold added for emphasis)
- California v. Gelghorn (California 1987)

The Beginning...

The blog was encouraged by fellow classmate Laurie Sellick who enjoyed my gchat updates. The update that started it all: "Law School should be four days a week ... it feels like I never reach a place of temporary safety". Inspired by People v Salas.