U.S. District Judge Jeffrey I. Cummings of the Northern District of Illinois understands that most people involved in a legal dispute invest their emotions as well as their time and resources in the case.

News and notes from the legal community.

Accused of violating an Iowa rule that says it is professional misconduct for an attorney to “engage in sexual harassment or other unlawful discrimination in the practice of law,” the top prosecutor in Wapello County argued that comments he allegedly made to his staff about defendants, judges and his predecessor were protected by his First Amendment right to free speech.

The 1st District Appellate Court recently addressed the limits of “extraneous” facts to be taken into account in deciding whether a complaint against an insured gives rise to a duty to defend.

Imagine you are terminally ill with blood cancer acquired from chemical exposure at work, wondering how to assure your teenage children that they will be OK without you. Or you and your husband of 55 years were rear-ended on the expressway and your husband died in your arms. You are now an 80-year-old widow suffering from the trauma of that accident. Or you’re an active retiree who fractured a hip when the casino bus prematurely closed its door on you. You’re healing, but you’re 96 years old and realistic. None of these people have much time left.

The Chicago Bar Association turns 150 years old May 27 and continues to be a vibrant, relevant association of lawyers. Come out this Friday to help celebrate. — Free read

Attention-grabbing headlines of so-called nuclear verdicts are everywhere. There is obvious benefit to the individual plaintiffs’ attorney who obtains such a verdict to publicize it. But there is also benefit to the plaintiffs’ bar as a whole as to the value of similar cases that can be used to extract hefty settlements from defendants.

Homelessness in many U.S. cities has become a major issue. In an Oregon city, the municipality addressed the issue by an ordinance that fined the homeless for using blankets, pillows or cardboard boxes for protection while sleeping within city limits. The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments last week in the matter.

Trademarks can provide a lucrative revenue stream for sports stars and generate significant income for their families long after the athletes’ deaths. Conflicts over trademark rights usually erupt between an athlete’s family and businesses seeking to capitalize on a player’s brand.

By now, everyone knows that brands pay big bucks to air commercials during the Super Bowl. This year, advertisers shelled out roughly $7 million for a 30-second spot, for an estimated total of $650 million, according to estimates by the Sports Business Journal.

In the playbill for the Steppenwolf Theatre production of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ world premiere of “Purpose,” artistic directors Audrey Francis and Glenn Davis announce that “since the beginning, family drama has been this company’s signature.”

In 2005, celebrated author Margaret Atwood (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) responded to Canadian publisher Jamie Byng’s commission to solicit contemporary authors to rewrite ancient myths with “The Penelopiad.” The novella set forth her current interpretation of Homer’s classic “The Odyssey,” the tale in which Odysseus leaves his bride, Penelope, for 10 years to fight in the Trojan War.

The late Robin Williams has always been one of my favorite actors and comedians. His brilliant career included many celebrated performances such as those in “Good Morning Vietnam” and “Dead Poets Society,” as well as Academy Award-winning in “Good Will Hunting.” Unfortunately, his career tragically came to an end when he committed suicide at 63.