Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Top Legal Issues on Consumers' Minds in 2008

Findlaw compiled a list of legal issues on consumers' minds in 2008. As you might expect home foreclosures and voters' rights were at the top of the list. However, many consumers were also concerned about their dogs. View the entire list at this link.

Hat tip to Law Librarian Blog.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

December Justice

See December Justice, a light-hearted holiday poem, in the December 13th issue of the Oklahoma Bar Journal (The Back Page, p. 2888).

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Cost of E-Government Reauthorization Act Estimated to be $29 Billion

A Congressional Budget Office Report estimated last year that the 2008-2012 reauthorization of the E-Government Act, which ensures government information is accessible via the internet, would cost $29 billion. Yet, it isn't concerns over cost that has prevented passage of the reauthorization. Rather, as reported by Congress Daily's Andrew Noyes, concern regarding an amendment to the bill by Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, which would require federal agencies to conduct privacy impact assessments before using outside contractors to manage information, has delayed consideration of the bill.

Hat tip to Law Librarian Blog

Monday, December 15, 2008

Do law clerks influence Supreme Court decision-making?

Law Clerk Influence on Supreme Court Decision Making: An Empirical Assessment, 58 DePaul Law Review 401 (2008), an empirical study by Todd Peppers and Christopher Zorn suggests that Supreme Court clerks are selected, in part, based on ideology and that the clerks can and may influence the Justices.

Hat tip to Law Librarian Blog

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Civil procedure innovation? Service via Facebook

An Australian court has permitted service of a default judgment via Facebook. Australian courts have previously allowed service by email and text message. Was service via Facebook was just the next logical step? Read the Sydney Morning Herald's article regarding the case here.

Hat tip to the Yale Law Library - Reference Blog

Thursday, December 11, 2008

CALI Lessons Provide Review

As students are studying for finals, CALI lessons may serve as an excellent source for review. According to CALI News, on Sunday December 11, 2008, students set a record high for number of lessons run from the CALI website in one day. 21,371 CALI lessons were run. CALI provides a list of the top lessons run on its website.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

ALR returns to LexisNexis

In January 2008, American Law Reports (ALR), a West publication, became exclusively available via Westlaw; however, in a turn of events, ALR has again become available via LexisNexis.

Hat tip to WisBlawg

Saturday, December 6, 2008

What's Your Favorite Blawg?

The Law Library has a feed from Jurist. If you have a favorite blawg, you might want to visit the 2008 ABA Journal Blawg 100 site to vote for your favorite. If you don't have a favorite, you may want to visit the site just to see those blogs that have been nominated as the best blogs in 10 categories, including news, technology, careers, professors, students.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) System Turns 20

The pilot program for the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system was initiated in 1988 and became accessible via the Internet in 1998. The Third Branch, the Newsletter of Federal Courts, has an article on PACER's progress in its Nov. 2008 issue.

Hat tip to Law Librarian Blog

Monday, December 1, 2008

Youtube Westcast Shows Westlaws Editorial Processing of a Court Opinion

Westcast, available on YouTube, shows the editorial process of taking the court opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller and preparing it for access on Westlaw.

Hat tip to Law Librarian Blog