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Ipse Dixit
From the Archives 109: Elijah, The Court is Yours (2018)
In 2017, University of Kentucky College of Law students Barrett Block and Zach Atwell composed a song titled "The Court is Yours," based on Nas, "The World is Yours" (1994), for an assignment in Professor Joshua Douglas's Civil Procedure class. The song was performed and recorded by Elijah. Here are the lyrics:
[PR] Whose court is this?
[Nas] The court is yours, the court is yours
[PR] It's mine, it's mine, it's mine
Whose court is this?
"It's yours!"
It's mine, it's mine, it's mine
Whose court is this?
[Nas] The court is yours, the court is yours
[PR] It's mine, it's mine, it's mine
Whose court is this?
I pray to Ace, watching The Paper Chase ‘til I’m charged
Then writin in my FRCP, the words in the margin
Behold the law I'm spitting, procedural posture
Understandable smooth wit that litigants win with
The plaintiffs play me for lame, they won't act right
But with Douglas’ Civ Pro knowledge I attack and fight,
Improper jurisdiction on my person, rehearsing
Perry Mason rule 12 b 2, cursing
My domicile, and contacts they beguile,
I ain’t availed the forum state a trial
Whether long arm or due process, there’s no jurisdiction
I call it, the rules make the court's power fiction
I’m waving, but never waiving jurisdiction
I'm out for precedents to represent me (Say what?)
I'm out for precedents to represent me (Say what?)
I'm out for good precedent to represent me
[Chorus: Nas, Pete Rock]
[PR] Whose court is this?
[Nas] The court is yours, the court is yours
[PR] It's mine, it's mine, it's mine
[PR] Whose court is this?
[Nas] The court is yours, the court is yours
[PR] It's mine, it's mine, it's mine
Whose court is this?
"It's yours!"
It's mine, it's mine, it's mine
Whose court is this?
[Nas] The court is yours, the court is yours
[PR] It's mine, it's mine, it's mine
Whose court is this?
To my man Burnham, God bless your life
"It's yours
To International Shoe, God bless your life
Crazy baby mamas tag us with service papers when we in Cali
Beef with state tax, dudes flipping shoes in the alley
Minimum contacts, panic attack-the court’s caught me
Rudkewicz called quits on paying dues to BK Flor-I-day,
-when you’re contacts a contract, ya can’t get away
caught by a jurisdictional lasso, you’ll pay
This Calder test hits like a tec paining my neck,
Having to inspect my effects in the forum, what the heck?
Traditional notions of fairplay and justice
Violate them and ya get jurisdictional ruckus
Express permission to a court is an admission
Even if penned in a ticket or missive outside your intuition
I ain’t clowning, look to Carnival,Left frowning from venue selection
-must read contracts with stiff discretion
"It's yours!"
[Chorus: Nas, Pete Rock]
[PR] It's mine, it's mine, it's mine
[PR] Whose court is this?
[Nas] The court is yours, the court is yours
[PR] It's mine, it's mine, it's mine
Whose court is this?
"It's yours!"
It's mine, it's mine, it's mine
Whose court is this?
[Nas] Yo, the court is yours, the court is yours
[PR] It's mine, it's mine, it's mine
Whose court is this?
"It's yours!"
[PR] Break it down
[Pete Rock cuts and scratches "It's yours!"]
Kulko’s baby mama trying to rob him of his commas
buying his kid’s ticket not enough for Cali drama
Explodin’ Audis caused the Robinson’s real trauma
But VW couldn’t see their cars in Okla hamma
Owning stock / east to west / in peace I can rest,
Shaffers stock in state outside the courts test,
BM Squibb and Daimler, I’m here to call fib
general jurisdiction, a state must be yo crib.
J. Mac’s machine caused a big fiasco
No jurisdiction for slicin’ Nicastro
When the police seize your gambling stash
Walden says no suit in the state you’re ‘boutta crash
To my boys with that global distribution like Asahi
And feds finna grill ya in court like you’re mahi
They can’t sue thee, just your intermediary
I got civ pro down so well -it’s scary
"It's yours!"
[PR] It's mine, it's mine, it's mine
[PR] Whose court is this?
[Nas] The court is yours, the court is yours
[PR] It's mine, it's mine, it's mine
Whose court is this?
"It's yours!"
It's mine, it's mine, it's mine
Whose court is this?
[Nas] Yeah... the court is yours, the court is yours
[PR] It's mine, it's mine, it's mine
Whose court is this?
"It's yours!"
Break it down
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