Happy Cinco De Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo (aka DUI lawyer day)!  The Amigos are excited to be guest blogging this week (and looking forward to an early margarita happy hour on DOM’s expense card).  As we commemorate the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 (more here), you might be surprised to learn who (Mexican drug cartels?) is behind the rising cost of a quality lime.  From CNN.

Cartel members have demanded a certain percentage of orchard owners' lime shipments . . . .  The violence in the region and threats from criminal organizations has made it all but impossible for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to certify the limes that are emerging from Mexico are being grown in a sanitary way.

The fallout has jacked up prices for U.S. and Mexican consumers and businesses accustomed to celebrating Cinco de Mayo with limes in their beers, margaritas and mojitos.  A case of limes now goes for close to $100, up substantially from reports of $15 to $20 last year. 

Stay thirsty my friends  . . .

In other news, some Scalia clerk needs a stiff drink right about now.  Last week, Nino penned one of his trademark blistering dissents denouncing regulatory overreach, only to have overreached himself by misstating the facts of a prior unanimous Supreme Court decision -- that he himself authored.  Oops. The blogosphere has been having fun with this one.    The latest here.