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Daily Archives: October 11, 2017

The Blue Slip Process for U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations

CRS report via FAS – The Blue Slip Process for U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations: Frequently Asked Questions, Barry J. McMillion, Analyst in American National Government. October 2, 2017.

“The blue slip process used by the Senate Judiciary Committee (the committee) for U.S. circuit and district court nominations has received renewed interest from Senators. The committee’s use of the blue slip has been, since at least 1917, a feature of its consideration of U.S. circuit and district court nominations. After a President selects a nominee for a U.S. circuit or district court judgeship, the chairman sends a blue-colored form to the Senators representing the home state of the nominee. The form seeks the home state Senators’ assessment of the nominee. If a home state Senator has no objection to a nominee, the blue slip is returned to the chairman with a positive response. If, however, a home state Senator objects to a nominee, the blue slip is either withheld or returned with a negative response. Since the use of blue slips is not codified or included in the committee’s rules, the chairman of the committee has the discretion to determine the extent to which a home state Senator’s negative, or withheld, blue slip stops a President’s judicial nomination from receiving a committee hearing and a committee vote and, consequently, whether it reaches the Senate floor. Over the century of the use of the blue slip, different chairmen have used the blue slip in different ways. During some years, a chairman has required a nominee to receive two positive blue slips from his or her home state Senators. This particular blue slip policy, for example, was in place during the eight years of the Obama presidency an d much of the George W. Bush presidency—during periods of both unified and divided party control.”

The number of linked references of publications in Microsoft Academic in comparison with the Web of Science

The number of linked references of publications in Microsoft Academic in comparison with the Web of Science, Robin Haunschild, Sven E. Hug, Martin P. Brändle, Lutz Bornmann (Submitted on 11 Oct 2017) arXiv:1710.04031 [cs.DL] “In the context of a comprehensive Microsoft Academic (MA) study, we explored in an initial step the quality of linked references… Continue Reading

Deloitte – The legal department of the future

The legal department of the future – How disruptive trends are creating a new business model for in-house legal – “Over the past 10 years, unprecedented disruptions—including the deregulation of the practice of law and advancements in technology—have been changing the face of the legal sector. Rigid silos are being replaced by more fluid structures.… Continue Reading

Enigma Public – Helps Connect You To Free Public Data

The world’s broadest collection of public data. By India Kerle, Associate Product Manager, Enigma “Data released by federal departments, state agencies and the like can reveal trends or anomalies that are in the public’s interest for data journalists to cover. From housing and pricing to hiring and the environment, public data can be critical to piecing… Continue Reading

Electric Utility Generating Units: Repealing the Clean Power Plan

EPA: Electric Utility Generating Units: Repealing the Clean Power Plan Rule Summary Rule History Additional Resources Rule Summary – The Clean Power Plan established emission guidelines for states to follow in limiting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from existing power plants.  EPA is proposing to repeal the CPP and rescind the accompanying legal memorandum. Rule History… Continue Reading

Census Bureau Releases Common Pay Patterns and Extra Earnings Brief

“The U.S. Census Bureau released a new brief on “Common Pay Patterns and Extra Earnings: 2013,” highlighting earnings through different types of payments. These data come from the Survey of Income and Program Participation. This brief examines the different types of pay received during calendar year 2013, including wage and salary, and extra earnings (which… Continue Reading

Paper – Enabling Competition & Innovation on a City Fiber Network

Enabling Competition & Innovation on a City Fiber Network October 5, 2017. Download from DASH – Download from SSRN. Authored by Paddy Leerssen and David Talbot “This case study of Ammon, Idaho’s city-run fiber-optic network describes an unusual strategy for encouraging retail Internet service competition and innovation. Cities, towns and counties seeking to help their… Continue Reading

Wildfire Suppression Spending: Background, Issues, and Legislation in the 115th Congress

CRS report via FAS –  Wildfire Suppression Spending: Background, Issues, and Legislation in the 115th Congress, October 5, 2017 “Congress has directed that the federal government is responsible for managing wildfires that begin on federal lands, such as national forests or national parks. States are responsible for managing wildfires that originate on all other lands.… Continue Reading