MICHAEL C. DORF When is Special Treatment Unequal Treatment? Reflections on Tim Geithner, Michael Phelps, and Rod Blagojevich FindLaw columnist and Cornell law professor Michael Dorf examines whether recent events involving three famous people's acts truly represent instances of unequal treatment for them, as compared to the treatment ordinary people would have received, as some have claimed. Specifically, Dorf analyzes the controversies over Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's admitted nonpayment of taxes, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps's admitted use of marijuana, and former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's alleged scheme to trade money for political favors, which led to his impeachment. Dorf cautions that, in comparing the acts and fates of prominent persons and ordinary persons, it is important to take not only the context of the acts, but also the context of the lives as a whole into account.